Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust (LMCT) Executive Director Pete Ielmini appeared on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed efforts to address construction worker suicide and the resources available to members of the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers.
Ielmini recently completed a two-day seminar on construction worker suicide and learned an alarming statistic: Five times as many construction workers die by suicide than are injured on the job.
The Insulators LMCT is developing a task force of experts to advise the organization on the proper course of action. Members of the task force will include psychologists, doctors and training facilitators, Ielmini noted. The task force will present a training course to IAHFIAW leaders on how to best address construction worker suicide, he added.
Addiction to prescription medication may be one reason construction workers are particularly susceptible to suicide, Ielmini explained. Opioids prescribed for a work injury that are not taken as prescribed can lead to an addiction in as little as seven days.
Ielmini then touted Employee Assistance Plans, which are available to most members of the IAHFIAW. EAPs can provide help to those struggling with mental health, addiction or contemplating suicide.
During the podcast, Ielmini also discussed legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), that if passed, would incentivize Mechanical Insulation energy audits through a partnership program between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE). A Mechanical Insulation energy audit provides critical data to validate the value of Mechanical Insulation, including the amount of money that can be saved and the amount of pollution that can be reduced.
The return on investment for a Mechanical Insulation upgrade is less than two years, Ielmini noted. Properly installed and maintained Mechanical Insulation could potentially save billions of dollars in oil reserves by making mechanical systems more energy efficient.
Ielmini also discussed legislation in Maryland to provide grant funding to help pay for the installation of Mechanical Insulation. The legislation is expected to be signed soon by Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican. Ielmini expects the bill to bring awareness to the importance of Mechanical Insulation to both the energy sector and the environmental sector.