Elevator Contractors of America – ECA – Annual Meeting – 2024 – Port Charlotte, FL

 

The Elevator Contractors of America (ECA) is a group of independent elevator contractors that have gotten together to work with the International Union of Elevator Contractors (IUEC) to have a better work arrangement and relationship. Once a year we get together for our annual meeting to go over internal business, education and to hear about the IUEC’s state of affairs and different programs. This year we had the meeting in Port Charlotte, Florida. It was great to see some old faces, old friends and meet some new signatory members, as well as some of the IUEC faces. Colley Elevator has been going to this meeting for the last 14+ years.

The ECA is a great organization that we are proud to be part of; it has over 52 different member companies from coast to coast. ECA companies have a separate CBA (collective bargaining agreement) than other IUEC member companies. All IUEC mechanics and apprentices get the same pay rate in all agreements. The ECA agreement is tailored to the independent contractors and the different needs we may have from Otis, Schindler, Thyssen, Kone, etc.

Sunday

This year we had a additional day added for ECA company safety directors and company leaders to participate in a full day of safety education and discussion. This day was probably the best day I had at this conference in the last 14 years.

John Dolton from Stanley Elevator led the day and he was great. We watched a video on Alcoa changing their company's safety culture. Every time there is an accident, or close call, you have to start thinking about how WE can do better. Safety isn’t the field person, safety isn’t the manager, safety isn’t the president of the company, it is everyone.

We started with a presentation from Paula Humbert about substance abuse and identifying what to do.

“You cannot see the injury you prevented”, remember those words.

We have 7 ECA reps and 7 IUEC reps on our safety committee.

John talked about how we need to be physically, mentally and financially healthy to be successful. We need to get the experienced people to retirement and new people up to speed so they can have a successful career.

We went through substance abuse and awareness. If you see something you have to say something. Those of us who have been in, or are currently in, bad relationships with drugs and alcohol we keep secrets and hide them, or think we are hiding our bad habits. Other people know, they may just be afraid to say something to you.

NEIEP talked about SAFETY FIRST SAFETY ALWAYS. We now have OSHA 10 & 30 elevator related programs being taught. We have VR components, being on the car top and welding. Mental health first aid is something NEIEP is working on. Our mandatory[some] continuing ed is freight doors, sexual harassment and conveyance codes.

We talked about disciplinary policies used for saving lives not punishing. Safety policies need to be equitable bottom to top, top to bottom.

IUEC safety director talked about the last 50+ physical fatalities. We are seeing more health issues on the job i.e. heart attacks. IUEC wants to do joint visits to jobsites with companies to encourage safe work practices. EISP alliance – Osha engagement with NAEC, ECA, IUEC and a few other organizations. The safety stand down is 4/28/24, the week before there will be some activities to acknowledge it. Arc flash policies, hoisting and rigging[not managing loads] and using safety alerts for teaching where talked about.

 
I liked this statement “Be a professional elevator constructor”, act the part and look the part.

Our 2022 code includes new items for safety

Pressure sensitive pit ladders

Hoistway lighting requirements

Breakers in the machine room[all electrical in one place – In the machine room – not a crunky electrical room from 1967]

Code items on IUEC code committee’s radar and wish list for 2025

Separation of hoistways and pits

Detection of persons in hoistway – CWTs

Approaching hazardous wiring

Securing stored energy

EIWPF got up and talked about fatal facts. One of the big ones is not being familiar with the building/equipment when going on OT calls.

Great day with IUEC’s groups and safety discussion.

Monday

We started with the key note speaker Scott Burrows. Amazing story about a person who had it all, became a quadriplegic and didn’t let it stop him. If you need some inspiration, and maybe shed a tear, read his book or watch him speak. We live in our snow globes where “I’m not treated fair”, “that guy this, that guy that”, “I get the short end”. Scott's story will break you out of that. Most of us have a pretty good life and mostly small barriers to being happy, healthy and successful. We often have a hard time seeing this because we count the loses and not the wins.

Our ECA safety consultant Ed Hoeffliger spoke about some specifics about our ECA safety policy and some direction for specific safety/injury that he had experienced in his time as a manager.

Ken Richmon gave a talk on our non signatory rules and requirements for hourly and salaried employees.

Our joint ECA/IUEC safety committee met in the afternoon.

Tuesday 

Tuesday was IUEC day where we got brought up to speed on what each branch was up to and progress they have made over the year. It gave each group time to explain some of the successes, challenges from last year and where they are going this year. The meeting kicked off with General President Frank Christenson talking about his ideas moving forward. The collective message was of continuing the 481 days without a fatality and “all of us together” on work place safety.

[new demo of what can be on hoistway entrances during construction]

The biggest take away is how close the ECA and IUEC are together with our safety expectations for membership and making our industry involvement better than all other alternatives.

I always take a lot away from these meetings. We learn a lot during the sessions but it is the conversations we have during the reception, lunch, breaks, breakfast that I take away the most. While we are in different geographic locations, we have the same challenges and it is great to get a chance to talk about what is working for other companies across the country. 

Among the great thing we get to do is to have some face time with the IUEC leadership and informally talk about what challenges each side of the table has. Everyone’s goal is to have a harmonious relationship and go to work in a great trade, doing great things, safely. If you work for a company that is signatory and is not a member of the ECA, I would strongly encourage signing up, the cost is minimal and the benefit is huge. Thank you to the ECA leadership for putting on another great event!

If you have any questions or would like additional information feel free to contact me at CraigZ@colleyelevator.com or 630-766-7230 ext. 107.

Also check us out on Instagram @Colleyelevator see what we have been up to.