"At the end of the day, every worker wants to -- and should -- go home safe and sound to their families," said James Holcomb, president of the Scaffold & Access Industry Association (SAIA). "We can't take it for granted that they will. Safe practices must become safe habits at every company, at every jobsite."
Since its founding in 1972, SAIA has been committed to ensuring the safety of those who make, install, depend on or govern the use of scaffolding and access equipment. To date, SAIA has trained more than 60,000 students around the world.
A full-service approach
SAIA takes a full-service approach to training and education, from leading the development of curriculum by experts in their fields to training the trainers and fostering a learning environment.
SAIA University (SAIAU) offers courses that cover several different types of access:
- Supported Scaffold User Hazard Awareness Training
- Suspended Scaffold Hazard Awareness and Operator Safety Training
- Competent Person Training (CPT) in Supported Scaffold, including frame scaffolds, systems scaffolds, and tube and coupler scaffolds
- CPT in Suspended Scaffold
- Journeyman Scaffolder Training -- Canada
- Mast Climber Operator Training
- Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP) Operator Training
Certified instructors from SAIA Accredited Training Institutes (ATIs) provide students with the highest level of training possible from industry experts. Instructors must meet rigorous requirements, use the SAIA-developed curriculum, and follow the guidelines in the policy and procedure manual. Currently, there are more than 100 ATIs in North America, with new training centers being added in Central and South America, Dubai and Thailand.
By attending SAIAU training, students acquire the skills they need to create a safer workplace for workers and customers, understand and meet government requirements, comply with insurance requirements and fulfill CPT requirements.
Companies and employees also benefit because the training offers a structure for career advancement and sets objective standards established by independent, nonprofit organizations for new employee assessment.
Other avenues to safe practices
SAIA fosters an environment of learning about safe practices through participation and facilitates this process through its committees, councils, regional meetings, and its annual Committee Week and convention. Additionally, SAIA supports continuous development of industry-wide standards by serving as the Secretariat for the American National Standards Institute A92 and A11 standards. The SAIA's alliances with OSHA and other key partners also help to establish safe practices as a way of doing business.
Return on investment
"Investing in safety training and education is good business," said Holcomb. "It's more affordable than people may realize, can improve employee morale and is good for the bottom line."
According to Mark Steinhofer, a certified safety professional and safety advisor with the Safety Management Group, "Studies have consistently shown that every dollar invested in safety programs provides a payback of $4-$6 in reduced costs."
The future of safety training
SAIA is invested in safety programming for the long haul. "New technologies are being introduced at a rapid pace and present new production and safety challenges for our industry," said Holcomb. "We are committed to updating both the content and delivery of our training to meet these challenges."
SAIA recently brought the training into the digital age by incorporating learning management software (LMS) into its latest update of the CPT in Supported Scaffold. The LMS allows content and student information to be accessed online by ATI instructors. Eventually, a student portal, e-books and online testing will be available.
"Keeping the SAIA's educational efforts on the cutting edge is a priority for the association," Holcomb said. "It's what we are all about."
For more information about SAIA safety training and resources, visit www.saiaonline.org/trainingandeducation.
