There's no time to waste in the Texas industrial and petrochemical sectors. It's no secret work needs to get done safely, quickly, correctly and without the need for do-overs, delays or distractions. Yet it's tough to turn a page or scroll a screen without seeing grave warnings about skilled labor shortages that could cripple the industry.
In Houston, there is what some consider to be the best-kept secret in the Texas industrial community: The lack of strong, steady, safe craftsmen is being addressed -- and solved -- through a mix of technology, determination and hard work.
The Central South Carpenters Regional Council (CSCRC) is running a customized, proprietary, three-year scaffold apprenticeship program and providing journeymen with ongoing training uniquely designed for the Texas industrial community. The program is intense and includes the requirement every scaffolder must complete at least the OSHA 10- and 40-hour scaffold qualification courses before being dispatched to a jobsite.
The result is a virtual army of skilled labor ready and waiting to be deployed by union contractors.
It's a new day in the Texas industrial community. The practices that gave unions a black eye and its unfortunate reputation are long gone in the Central South Regional Council. Today's Central South Carpenters are all business, and their training, testing and on-the-job leadership translates into a highly refined level of professional whose productivity -- and positive attitude -- cannot be matched.
How CSCRC does it
Central South Carpenters are operating from a brand new, expansive, state-of-the-art training center in Pasadena, Texas, that caters to the needs of the industrial and petrochem sectors. The Houston Carpenters & Millwrights Training Center is minutes from the hub of activity in these industries and is already producing elite professionals proficient in safety, technical and jobsite leadership skills.
"We created a hub in the heart of the industry's footprint that gives contractors excellent scaffolding and carpentry crews quickly and for as long as they are needed," said Jason Engels, executive secretary-treasurer of CSCRC. "The Houston Training Center has access to the Carpenters International Training Fund of North America, which gathers the best scaffolding subject matter experts to create and enhance the curriculum that our men and women learn from right here in Texas."
Training dives deep into all scaffold types and provides methods for platform construction and assembly techniques for frame, tube and clamp, and system scaffolds. CSCRC hammers home information and guidance for calculating capacity and contributory leg loads. It stresses scaffold access and egress and safe use guidelines, including fall protection and falling object protection. It presents training requirements for scaffold erectors, dismantlers and users.
There's a difference between a competent scaffolder and a trained, tested and formally qualified professional. Training at the new Pasadena center tests and awards those who master their skills for Scaffold Erector, Scaffold User and Scaffold Industrial Qualification. The center also trains under the Rigger & Signaler Certification Program, which meets the new rigger and signaler requirements in 29 CFR 1926 Section CC -- Cranes & Derricks.
The training program includes additional qualification in all of these areas:
- 30-, 40- and 60-Hour Scaffold.
- 16-Hour Welded Frame and Mobile Tower.
- 16-Hour Tube & Clamp Scaffold.
- 20-Hour Systems Scaffold.
- 8-Hour Scaffold User.
- 40-Hour Industrial Scaffold.
- Rough Terrain Forklift.
- Aerial Lift.
In addition to the qualification process, training focuses on scaffold erection, ground-supported scaffolding, formwork and shoring, suspended access/swing stage, aerial work platforms, mast-climbing work platforms, job analysis, site inspection, scaffold design, scaffold prints, material estimation, blueprint reading and confined space.
"We focus on intensive training in technical proficiency, as well as soft skills such as understanding operations worksheets and daily work schedules. We also offer customized training and on-site training if the need arises," Engels said. "Our organization is focusing a tremendous amount of resources to create transformational leaders who have outstanding communication skills. We also are providing a positive career path with rewarding employment opportunities for all of our craftspeople."
The priority is always about safety
"Safety and productivity is not an 'eitheror' proposition for us," Engels said. "Our contractors have available to them a deep supply of experienced crews who understand that their job is to get the work done quickly, correctly and safely. We're all about teamwork and staying productive -- in the safest possible manner -- for our customers."
CSCRC safety training is done in partnership with OSHA. Training includes OSHA 10 and 30, Safety Data Sheets, first aid, CPR/ AED, fall protection, powered industrial truck operation and ergonomics.
"Safety is not just a belief for us or even part of the task list. It's the overriding principle for accomplishing our work. We regard safety as an equal deliverable with cost and scheduling," Engels added. "On every jobsite, we develop a safety partnership with owners to protect our crews and the owner's investment. We accomplish this by removing jobsite injuries, work stoppages and higher project costs due to illness or accidents, worker disabilities, workers' compensation claims and jobsite fatalities."
Safety training stresses include personal accountability, responsibility to others, understanding the owner's safety expectations, identifying and calling attention to unsafe factors, safe behavior in and around hot work areas, maintaining safety, OSHA and communication with co-workers and supervisors during dangerous tasks.
"We instill a core value of safe work by everyone, from apprentices to superintendents, via continuous training," Engels added. "We team with the employer, project managers and owners on a project's safety program to identify, assess, monitor, manage and eliminate risks."
CSCRC standards regarding jobsite safety maintain consistent safety-related communications among all stakeholders prior to and throughout a project's lifecycle. The level of safety training meets and exceeds the level of inherent risk factors. A "zero-tolerance" policy is also in effect at all times regarding safety infractions and near-misses.
What drives CSCRC's commitment?
"We recognize that there is incredible potential for this region's industrial construction industry, and we believe that the best way to harness that potential is for labor, management and ownership to collaborate for the best possible jobsite outcomes," Engels said. "We take our role in that very seriously, and that is evidenced with the new Pasadena training center. It is there where we will develop skilled, credentialed, safe, productive, professional carpenters so that all of this work is done the way it's meant to be."
The Central South Carpenters Regional Council represents thousands of carpenters in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Its largest concentration of manpower is found in Texas. CSCRC carpenters are known in the region for their positive and teamwork-oriented attitude. Special training and on-the-job mentoring gives these men and women the knowledge and competency to meet any project schedule, budget or circumstance with a mix of in-demand skills and professionalism.
"We aren't settling for anything less than elite skills and off-the-charts safety practices from our scaffolders," Engels said. "It's what our employers demand and what their customers deserve. We're all in this together."
While the new Pasadena training center is already open for business, a formal grand opening celebration is scheduled for April 3; however, private tours are available to industry colleagues upon request. Take the time to understand how the best-kept secret is also the most realistic solution. Request a private tour, or ask for a 10-minute meeting at your location.
See what's in it for you.
For more information, contact Terry Darling, Houston's industrial contact for the Carpenters, via email at tdarling@cscouncil.net or by calling (713) 449-2721.
