Brad Pomrenke, back row left (blue shirt), and Carolyn Ramsey, front row center, were among UAW Caterpillar workers who participated in OSHA Outreach Training Programs at the UAW Local 974 union hall in East Peoria, Ill. Photo: STEVE MITCHELL/UAW LOCAL 974

When it comes to maintaining health and safety in UAW-represented workplaces, knowledge is power.

"If you don't have the knowledge, it's hard to do a good job of policing things at the plant," said Brad Pomrenke, a UAW Local 974 member and day shift safety chair at Caterpillar's Mapleton (Ill.) Foundry, just outside Peoria.

Pomrenke was among more than 150 UAW Caterpillar members who attended the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Outreach Training Programs held at Local 974's East Peoria union hall this year.

UAW Vice President Jimmy Settles, who directs the union's Agricultural Implement Department, requested the comprehensive training for health and safety representatives, committee-

persons and stewards from the union's three Illinois-based Caterpillar locals.

"If I go to my plant manager or supervisor with a problem and just talk about it, it doesn't carry as much weight as if I show them the actual hazard violation in that big brown book," said Pomrenke, who will have 19 years of seniority this fall.

That "big brown book" is a 3.5-inch thick OSHA standards manual used in the voluntary program's 10-hour session for entry-level general industry workers. Another 30-hour program for members with some safety responsibility also is offered. Both sessions emphasize hazard identification, avoidance, control and prevention.

"Every local union safety rep should complete the full 30-hour program. And the rest of our members should take the 10-hour class to have a general understanding of their health and safety rights provided by OSHA, along with being able to identify workplace hazards," said Gary Maier, an electrician and third shift safety committeeman at Cat's Track Type Tractors Division in East Peoria.

Maier, also of Local 974, acknowledged that sometimes large companies, such as Caterpillar, are slow to implement major safety changes. Take, for example Maier's efforts to convince his supervisor to comply with new OSHA-recognized electrical standards.

After Maier's continual prodding – using information he learned in the 30-hour training program – he made his case, referencing new codes in the manual.

"They dragged their feet, so we filed a complaint with OSHA. It took a while, but they complied," said the 25-year Local 974 member.

"The 30-hour Outreach training is a really good program," said Carolyn Ramsey, an experimental mechanic and safety subcommitteeperson at Cat's Product Development Center of Excellence in Mossville, Ill. "There's always something new to learn."

Ramsey, who has nearly 35 years of seniority, works with engines and transmissions used in mining trucks that can hold up to 400 tons. Some of the vehicle gears weigh more than 200 pounds apiece.

"This program brings safety issues to our attention so we can correct problems before something bad happens," she said.

Jennifer John