Operating Engineers 324 and MIOSHA renew alliance for safer workplaces
Operating Engineers 324, the Operating Engineers 324 Journeyman and Apprentice Training Fund (JATF), and the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) renewed their longstanding safety alliance in August, continuing a partnership that brings workplace safety education, resources, and practical experience into OE324’s training schools.
For the first time, the renewed Alliance formally includes the OE324 Stationary Engineer Education Center and program, expanding the partnership’s reach to the professionals who operate and maintain the heating, cooling, boiler, and other building systems that Michigan depends on every day.
The Alliance builds on more than a decade of collaboration between OE324 and MIOSHA. Through the partnership, apprentices, journeypersons, and instructors gain access to information and training resources that help them recognize hazards, prevent injuries, and improve safety on the job.
“Safety is part of everything we teach, from an apprentice’s first day to the advanced training our experienced members return for throughout their careers,” said Operating Engineers 324 Training Director Heath Salisbury. “Our relationship with MIOSHA helps us bring the latest safety information into that instruction. It also gives us the opportunity to share what our instructors and members see in the field, so the conversation goes both ways.”
Through the Alliance, MIOSHA and OE324 share safety and health information, discuss best practices, and connect classroom instruction with the conditions workers encounter on the job. That exchange helps instructors keep training relevant as equipment, technology, and working environments change.
“Strong safety cultures are built through education, communication and partnerships like this one,” said MIOSHA Director Bart Pickelman. “For more than a decade, our alliance with Operating Engineers 324 has helped put practical safety and health information directly into the hands of the people doing the work. Renewing this partnership allows us to continue working together to help Michigan workers recognize hazards, prevent injuries and strengthen safety on the job.”
The addition of the Stationary Engineer program brings a broader range of workplaces and occupational experience into the partnership.
“Our members build Michigan’s infrastructure, and they keep its facilities running long after construction is complete,” said Lee Graham, Executive Director of the Operating Engineers 324 Labor-Management Education Committee. “Including our Stationary Engineer Education Center in this Alliance recognizes that full scope of work. Whether someone is operating a crane or maintaining a boiler, they deserve the training and support to do the job safely and go home healthy.”
About Operating Engineers 324
We Build. We Operate. We Maintain. Operating Engineers 324 represents nearly 16,000 heavy equipment operators, heavy equipment technicians, and stationary engineers across Michigan. Chartered in 1906, OE324 is part of the International Union of Operating Engineers and provides career-long education through its U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship programs and advanced training for working members.