A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
Bill Sears, Lisa Brownson, CSP, and Mike Swamp in front of the rough-terrain forklift.
Participants of the forklift safety awareness course look on as someone drives the tow-motor.
Hydrolic support on the rough-terrain forklift.
Always look behind you before backing up.
The starting up the tow-motor.
The larger equipment: the rough-terrain forklift.
Getting hands-on experience with the tow-motor.
On March 26, 28 ironworkers and community members gathered at the Hogansburg Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department (HAVFD) Station 1 for a very important training course in forklift safety. The course was organized by Mike Swamp from the Ironworkers Local 440 at no cost to its members thanks to the help of the Akwesasne Area Management Board and the State Department of Labor.
“Everything is all about safety nowadays,” said Swamp, who has been busy organizing safety-training courses like these for the Ironworkers Local 440 since he retired from ironworking last June. “Safety is pushed 110 percent!”
The forklift safety awareness course had an 8 am start time. The first half was held in a classroom setting with Lisa Brownson, a Certified Safety Professional who donated her time and came all the way from Syracuse, NY. After lunch everybody went outside to the parking lot to put what they learned into practice using two types of forklifts commonly used in the construction business. The first was a tow-motor, which primarily operates inside of buildings and plants and which was generously donated by the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino; The second was a rough-terrain forklift owned and operated by Bill Sears.
This was only the second forklift safety awareness training to occur in Akwesasne and the first to be held at the HAVFD station. Swamp said that the training courses offered by the Ironworkers Local 440 go a long way and are designed for ironworkers and anybody with special projects at home too.
“This is a new era about training,” said Swamp. “And, we will continue trying to help the area’s local contractors provide a safe workplace.”
Ironworkers Local 440 is gearing up for its next big course, a 40 hour HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operators Emergency Response) course in preparation for an upcoming project to clean-up the GM plant in Massena said to take place in July. For more information you can contact Mike Swamp at Ironworkers Local 440 (518) 358 - 4288 or Dan Garrow at the Akwesasne Area Management Board (613) 575 - 2626.
Photos courtesy of Harvey Arquette Sr.
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