Author: Cathee Johnson Phillips, Editor of Scaffold and Access Magazine

"In the final analysis, every worker wants-and should-return home safely to reunite with their families," said James Holcomb, chairman of the Scaffolding and Access Industry Association (SAIA). "We can't take it for granted that they will do this. Safety practices must become the safety habit of every company and every construction site."

Since its establishment in 1972, SAIA has been committed to ensuring the safety of people who manufacture, install, rely on, or manage the use of scaffolding and access equipment. To date, SAIA has trained more than 60,000 students worldwide.

SAIA takes a full-service approach to training and education, from leading the development of courses for experts in their respective fields to training trainers and creating a learning environment.

The courses offered by SAIA University (SAIAU) cover many different types of visits:

Certified instructors from SAIA Certified Training Organization (ATI) provide students with the highest level of training possible by industry experts. Teachers must meet strict requirements, use courses developed by SAIA, and follow the guidelines in the policy and procedure manual. Currently, there are more than 100 ATIs in North America, and new training centers are being added in Central and South America, Dubai and Thailand.

By participating in SAIAU training, students can acquire the skills needed to create a safer workplace for workers and customers, understand and meet government requirements, comply with insurance requirements, and meet CPT requirements.

Companies and employees will also benefit, because training provides a structure for career development and sets objective standards for the evaluation of new employees for independent non-profit organizations.

Other approaches to safety practices

SAIA participates in creating an environment for learning safe practices and facilitates this process through its committees, councils, regional meetings and its annual committee weeks and conferences. In addition, SAIA serves as the secretariat of the American National Standards Association A92 and A11 standards and supports the continuous development of industry standards. SAIA's alliances with OSHA and other major partners also help to use security practices as a way to conduct business.

"Investing in safety training and education is a good business," Holcomb said. "It's more affordable than people think, it can improve employee morale and benefit the bottom line."

According to Mark Steinhofer, a certified safety expert and safety consultant of the Safety Management Group, “Research consistently shows that every dollar invested in a safety program can reduce costs by 4-6 dollars in return.”

The future of safety training

SAIA invests in long-term secure programming. "New technologies are being introduced rapidly, bringing new production and safety challenges to our industry," Holcomb said. "We are committed to updating our training content and delivery methods to meet these challenges."

SAIA recently brought training into the digital age by incorporating learning management software (LMS) into the latest update of the CPT in its supported stents. LMS allows ATI teachers to access content and student information online. Eventually, student portals, e-books and online tests will be available.

"Keeping SAIA's education work at the forefront is the first task of the association," Holcomb said. "This is all we have."

For more information about SAIA safety training and resources, please visit www.saiaonline.org/trainingandeducation.

Author: Cathee Johnson Phillips, Editor of Scaffold and Access Magazine

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