Business View Magazine | October 2020

21 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2020 more than $10 million per year. Many are award- winning organizations, recognized for their contributions to the industry, the environment, and safety. Other members include fabricators; general contractors; construction industry service providers; specialty services such as trucking, lodging, and insurance; and manufacturers and suppliers. According to Tom Underhill, Executive Director of SEAA, “When our group was founded in the early ‘70s, OSHA (the federal government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration) had come out with new rules regarding jobsite safety for steel erectors. At the time steel erection companies were adhering to their own individual safety programs, which varied widely. The original North and South Carolina members felt that having an association to share knowledge about compliance on the latest regulations would benefit everyone in the industry. Toward that goal SEAA members participated in the OSHA negotiated rulemaking process, SENRAC, to craft a practical OSHA set of standards for regulating the entire steel erection industry including fall protection, requirements for rigging (including Christmas Treeing/multiple lift rigging), and General Contractor requirements to enable steel erectors to safely perform their work. SEAA provided Subject Matter Experts (SME) for the SENRAC process, the SEAA/NISD Detailing for Safety and Efficiency manual and the NCEER Ironworking Curriculum.” Then, as now SEAA seeks to improve the safety, productivity, and profitability of the steel erector industry. Among SEAA’s most important and successful programs is its Ironworker Craft Training program, created in partnership with the National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCER). “As an Accredited Training Sponsor of NCCER, our members have access to the ironworker curriculum as well as more than 70 other training programs. SEAA provides the administrative services to assist our members with implementing these valuable workforce development programs,” says Underhill. STEEL ERECTORS ASSOC I AT ION OF AMER I CA