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Business View Magazine
Steel Erectors Association of America
Promoting knowledge, skills, and safety to steel erector trades nationwide
In 1972, a small group of North and South Carolina steel
erectors formed a non-profit organization called the Steel
Erectors Association of the Carolinas (SEAC). Focusing on
the need for sharing information and industry updates,
the organization grew quickly, first adding members from
Virginia to become SEAVAC, and eventually representing
steel erectors and associated companies throughout the
United States. In1992, the group officially became the
Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA).
Tom Underhill, Executive Director of SEAA, noted, “When
our group was founded in the early ‘70s, OSHA (Occupa-
tional Safety and Health Administration) had come out
with new rules regarding jobsite safety for steel erectors.
At the time, companies were bidding on projects without
including, say, the required fall protection, just to be more
competitive. Cutting corners was dangerous, and the go-
to excuse was ‘I didn’t know I had to do that.’ The original
SEAC members felt that having an association to share
knowledge about compliance on the latest regulations
would benefit everyone in the industry.”
