ST. PAUL, Minn. — 3M™ Personal Safety Division, the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental & Reinforcing Ironworkers (Iron Workers International) and the Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust (IMPACT) have announced a partnership agreement to provide members, facilities and IMPACT signatory contractors access to 3M training Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and special services.

"Falls in the construction industry continue to top OSHA's list of serious injuries and fatalities.  One of the key goals of this partnership is to help standardize safety practices using 3M PPE and fall protection training for more than 150,000 members and signatory contractors," said Paul Maturen, business development manager with 3M. "We also see this partnership as an opportunity to work with the Ironworkers Safety and Health Department to purse new technologies and best practices to help achieve the Zero Incident Campaign commissioned by General President Dean of the Iron Workers International."

As part of the partnership agreement, 3M Personal Safety Division will work with the Ironworkers' Safety and Health and National Training Fund departments to establish competent personal fall protection training courses for select personnel throughout the United States. 3M will also dedicate a senior 3M Fall Protection training specialist to serve as an instructor for the Ironworker Safety Director Training Course, offered throughout the United States and Canada.

"We see this partnership with 3M as a valuable relationship to provide our members and signatory contractors with access to a full line of fall protection and personal safety equipment—including welding safety, respiratory protection and hearing protection—and apprentice and journeyman training," said Steve Rank, executive director of Safety and Health for Ironworkers International. "The combination of top-of-the-line equipment and training is invaluable to our organization and the people we serve. With 3M's technical support, we are erecting new fall protection training structures at many of our 156 facilities throughout North America that will be equipped with a variety of 3M Personal Safety products."

Visit 3M.com/constructionsafety, ironworkers.org or impact-net.org to learn more about this partnership agreement. To speak to a 3M specialist about a specific safety issue or training need, please call 800-328-1667.