On the heels of the first SMOHIT Safety Conference, the Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) put out the call to sheet metal workers for the inaugural Safety Design Contest. Members were encouraged to submit a graphic design - no matter how rough or detailed - and a slogan to convey the importance of safety in the workplace.

 

This year's winners included Len Liebert, assistant coordinator from Sheet Metal Workers Local No. 12 in Pittsburgh; Keith Coulter, instructor from Local No. 2 near Kansas City, Missouri; and Steve French, health and safety manager for Harris and Hart Mechanical in Chandler, Arizona.

 

The winners will receive complementary promotional items - with their designs imprinted on them - to distribute to their local members.

 

Liebert, who works on Local No. 12's website, among other design projects, designed a tribal style logo with the slogan, "Safety Culture: Be a Part of it."

 

For him, creativity and sheet metal work go hand-in-hand.

 

"Sheet metal is a creative field to be in. That's why it appeals to me. I've been drawing all my life," Liebert said. "It's tribal and trendy, so I thought it would catch someone's eye. I liked it when I sent it, but you never know. I was pretty excited when they called to tell me I was one of the winners."

 

French primarily works at the Intel plant near Phoenix, where safety is a primary concern, he said. He created his slogan submission, "Safety is a value. Live with it," accompanying the current SMOHIT logo, to illustrate safety is an industry-wide concern.

 

"Out here, safety is a way of life, so it's not hard," French said. "It's not hard to push the issue. All the workers know it's the way it is. They know how it is. I have to remind them once in a while, but they need to live with it or they can't work out here. It's a very good environment."

 

In Coulter's 37 years in the industry, he's seen safety become more valued over time. With his submission, "Always formulate a good plan. Safety and work - always a good mix," he wanted workers to think about how safety affects their lives as a whole.

 

"Safety isn't just for work. It's for whatever you're doing," he said. "For instance, you want to be able to use your eyes, your ears when you get out of the trade. So, protect those no matter what you're doing."

 

Although a lot of the work sheet metal workers create isn't visible to the general public, creativity and innovation isn't new to the industry. Instructors at the training centers, just like any school teacher or college professor, have to be creative in how they teach subjects to ensure all the students grasp the concepts before them. To Coulter, from apprentice to retiree, sheet metal work is a creative job.

 

"I get to do all the skills with the students. I get to use the tools and my creative thinking. It's a creative job," Coulter said about his teaching career, which he's had since 2009. "I used to live for 2014, so I could retire. Here I am a year past retirement, and I'm thinking of working another five or six years. I enjoy teaching."

 

Congratulations to all the winners of this year's contest!