Computer recycling creates job for TradeWinds workers with special needs
TradeWinds provides free computer recycling for individuals, businesses, schools and municipalities.
Computers, keyboards, servers, peripherals, etc. can be dropped off at the TradeWinds facility, 3198 E. 83rd Place in Hobart, located one mile east of Southlake Mall.
Donations of 10 or more computers will be picked up for free.
For pick-up information, call Helen S. Rutkowski at (219) 945-0100, ext. 226 or on her cell phone (219) 588-5865. Additional information is available on the TradeWinds website, www.tradewindsnwi.org.
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What a great turn out this year at the Lowell Labor Day Parade! We had over 260 participants and even made the channel 7 news!
Boy Scouts earn Electricity Merit badge
MERRILLVILLE | The Lake County Electricians Training Center in Merrillville hosted an Electricity Merit Badge event for Boy Scouts from the Calumet Council on July 19.
This is the second time the union has hosted this event in its state-of-the-art facility. The center is self-sufficient, boasting its own solar farm and wind turbine situated just off Interstate 65.
Its primary function is to provide training for all aspects of electric energy, including harnessing, distribution, installation and service. Inside, there are some state-of-the-art tools to aid in the learning process, including a full-size home for instruction on residential wiring and a virtual welding platform for life-like applications in a safe environment.
In attendance were Boy Scouts from Troop 276, which meets at the Edward Schultz American Legion Post 697 in Lansing, and Troop 533, which meets at Elliott Elementary School in Munster.
Boy Scouts who worked toward their Electricity Merit Badge are pictured, from left, Ben Dodge, Cooper Christianson, Brandon Meyers, Stevie McDunn, James Mack, Jeremy Munoz, Brink Wolak, Austin Linguinsky, Joseph Boyquay, Mikey McDunn. The Scout troops are from Lansing and Munster.
NWI Construction sites nearly 15 times safer than national average
Northwest Indiana's union construction industry has nearly 15 times fewer accidents than the national rate, a new study found.
The Northwest Indiana Business Roundtable looked at data compiled from 40 region construction companies and more than 30 million man-hours, and found the the local union construction industry far surpassed nationally safety statistics. The study examined man-hours, recordable incidents, days away and restricted work cases over the last three years.
During that time period, contractors from across the region and beyond were engaged in one of the largest construction projects in Northwest Indiana history, the $4.2 billion upgrade to the BP Whiting Refinery.
Still, the number of days employees missed work, did restricted work activities or transferred to other jobs was 3.78 times lower in the region than in the nation. The number of workplace incidents in Northwest Indiana was 14.8 percent below the national average.
"These numbers are very significant for all of the hardworking men and women of the Northwest Indiana union construction industry, and for the Construction Advancement Foundation," said Jim Arendas, Environmental Safety and Health director with the CAF. "We've built some outstanding training programs throughout our region that focus on developing essential skills to keep workers safe on the job, keep productivity high and reduce losses due to accidents and time away from work."
The Portage-based trade association, which represents more than 500 area contractors, recently opened a $1.6 million, 7,000-square-foot training facility where workers can train on a 25-foot-tall scaffold, an underground tank and a bay big enough to accommodate scissor-lifts and other equipment.
The Construction Advancement Foundation provides 20,000 training hours to about 1,800 workers every year, but hopes to boost that to 30,000 training hours for about 2,500 workers.
Employers and workers across Indiana need to prioritize safety in order to reduce workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities, Indiana Department of Labor Commissioner Rick Ruble said.
"The BP Whiting Refinery Project is a model example of safety priorities in action," he said
More than 14,000 tradesmen recently worked on the multi-year upgrade to the refinery.
BP government affairs Director Tom Keilman said congratulated NWI's construction workers.
"These stats align with BP's commitment that all workers 'go home the same as how they came to work,' because in the end, it is about workers going home safely to their families and friends," Keilman said.
John J. Watkins, file, The Times
