Pete Ielmini, Executive Director for the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperation Trust (LMCT), joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss training in the construction industry, an upcoming webinar focused on firestopping and mechanical insulation for engineers who manage and maintain buildings across the nation and the mental health care provided by the Insulators Member Assistance Program (IMAP).
Ielmini recently published an article in the Business & Industry Connection (BIC) Magazine. The article focused on training in the construction industry and how important it is for contractors to train their workers properly. According to Ielmini, companies that properly train their workers experience lower percentages of workplace injuries and increased performance. He likened the construction industry to a service industry, especially when it comes to managing people. He explained that the better people are managed, the better service they will provide.
The LMCT will host a webinar for the Association of Facility Engineers to discuss the benefits of firestopping and mechanical insulation. The Association of Facility Engineers comprises individuals responsible for managing and maintaining the nation’s buildings. Ielmini talked about the education involved in showcasing the value of mechanical insulation and the benefits of completing a mechanical insulation audit of a building. He also talked about the importance of firestopping and why buildings that don’t properly monitor their inefficiencies are at a higher risk for destruction by fire.
Finally, as part of the continued coverage of Mental Health Awareness Month, Ielmini discussed the mental health services available under the union’s Member Assistance Program. With the construction industry losing members to suicide five times more often than the national average, providing quality mental health services is now more important than ever before. Not only is it important for members to look out for each other, but it is also important to ensure the families and friends of members are also aware and can encourage members to get the help they need. The IMAP helps members get the care they need. Ensuring members are safe and return home the same way they left the house in the morning is what Ielmini said is the goal for the IMAP.
For more from Ielmini, please listen to the show above.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.
