Members Appointed to Safety & Health Group Print E-mail

Local 237’s Safety and Health Department held its first meeting with the newly-appointed Safety and Health Worker Curriculum Advisors. The committee of four union members was appointed by the department to represent their agencies and to meet on a regular basis with Department Director Donald Arnold and Safety and Health Coordinator Diane Stein to discuss issues and develop a member training program.

The advisors are Sharee Bunch, NYCHA caretaker; Larry Cummings, school safety agent; Antwaun Hedgemond, NYCHA caretaker P; and Cheryl Knight, DEP water use inspector.

Also present at the meeting, held in December at the union, were President Gregory Floyd and Janice Caminiti, workforce program specialist III from New York State Hazard Abatement Board. 

President Gregory Floyd, center, is flanked by Health and Safety Department Coordinator Diane Stein and Director Donald Arnold. With them are Health Worker Curriculum Advisors and, far left, Janice Caminiti, from the New York State Hazard Abatement Board.
President Gregory Floyd, center, is flanked by Health and Safety Department
Coordinator Diane Stein and Director Donald Arnold. With them are
Health Worker Curriculum Advisors and, far left, Janice Caminiti,
from the New York State Hazard Abatement Board.
 
The committee will tackle everything from ergonomic problems to the presence of raw sewerage and dust in the workplace. “We have a lot of talent in this room,” said Stein, who reports to Arnold. Stein tours worksites with business agents and speaks with members to identify problems. She emphasized the importance of members staying involved. “The first priority is for our members to identify and report safety and health concerns to us. It is only the people who are on the job every day who can work together with us to keep our members safe.”

The program is funded by a New York State grant awarded to Local 237 to cover the cost of developing and implementing a safety and health training program to address the needs of Local 237 members.