5 minute read

All In the Family

By Tricia Nauta, BOD

Engineering from San Jose State University (2011). After living in the states for fourteen years, Maria decided to return to Guam. She holds a Project Management Professional certification (PMP) and won the Post Outstanding Support Award from the Society of American Military Engineers (January 2020). Today, Maria is a General Manager.

Construction a Rewarding Challenge: The sisters recognize how the construction industry requires lifelong learning. Grace recognizes how the construction industry is “far from mundane”, and enjoys taking on its challenges. This fits her work motto, “There is always a solution.” Her younger sister, Maria, shared “that there will never be a day I know everything about construction,” operating with her work motto: “Trust, but verify” (Ronald Reagan).

Restoration Time: Both Grace and Maria understand the importance of finding time to recharge. When not busy with engineering work, they plan beach excursions and family time. Grace also enjoys traveling, while Maria takes advantage of local outdoor activities such as scuba diving, camping and music festivals.

All in the Family: Grace finds her inspiration from her elders, including her father and oldest sister. Contrarywise, Maria is inspired by her “walking-talking-assertive” toddler, who reminds her to never take no for an answer. What makes their accomplishments even more special is how their professional and technical expertise supports their father, the General Contractor and President of Techni-Con Inc.

NAWIC Guam: Grace and Maria look forward to learning more about NAWIC. Maria noted how the organization would further help her by making connections and being empowered by other women in construction, a traditionally male-dominated industry. NAWIC Guam commends the Mercado sisters, who exemplify the saying, “Behind the success of every small business, there is a family.”

The industry does not just talk about safety; it is supposed to embody and exemplify it. It flows through our veins. Beyond the buildings that are constructed, the pipes being laid, the wires being connected, or the heavy equipment being transported, at the heart of the industry is the safety of those performing the work.

There are many things to consider regarding safety. It is not a new topic for the industry, especially when it comes down to slips and falls, proper use of personal protective equipment, as well as proper use of tools and machinery. According to the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor and Statistics, “In 2021, nearly 1 in 5 workplace deaths occurred in the construction industry.” That in and of itself would be alarming for anyone with some sort of connection to the industry.

Industry workers and managers, and their companies, know there are an array of safety issues that can arise at projects, among a myriad of potential injuries. This signals the need for further education and training, a chance to network, look at best practices, and even taking away potentially new ideas that can augment and enhance operations and potentially prevent any safety issues or incidents.

For these and other hot topic industry safety topics, the Guam Contractors Association will hold the Joseph Leasiolagi “Samoan Joe” Annual Safety Conference from August 24 to August 25, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Guam in Tumon, Guam.

Francine Taitague, Safety, Training and Education Coordinator for the Guam Contractors Association, shared, “It's definitely important to have an annual safety conference because it's always great to refresh your knowledge on safety for both the General and Construction Industry.” She added, “Also, if you are new in safety, it's a great opportunity to network with other Safety Professionals and gather information and bring it back to their workplace.”

Taitague added the Conference honors Joseph Leasiolagi "Samoan Joe", a former chairman and member of the Guam Contractors Association Safety Committee who contributed significantly to the organization and passed away last year. “His safety knowledge and experience has always been an inspiration to the association and his memory continues to live on.”

The conference continues a legacy of promoting safety through education and how important safety is across industries. “This conference is a great opportunity to connect with other Safety Professionals and educate them on risks around them and what are the best ways to conduct themselves safely,” asserted Taitague. Conference topics include Excavation and Trenching, Fall Protection, Personal Protection Equipment Demonstrations, Flagger/Traffic Control, and Mental Health Awareness in Construction, in addition to others.

Mental Health Presentation

Last year, the Construction News Bulletin featured mental health in the construction industry in its May issue. Mental health continues to become a big topic across industries, especially construction. This year, Nadia Holm, CIH, CSP, CHST, the Health and Safety Manager at Environmental Chemical Corporation (ECC) will present on the topic. Holm shared how, “The construction industry can be dangerous, and we are very focused on controlling hazards on the job site, but we need to understand that the biggest threat to construction workers is their mental health.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control website, the construction industry faces an alarmingly high suicide rate. The site stated “In 2016, the suicide rate for men in construction and extraction occupations was 49.4/100,000 – that is almost twice the total suicide rate for civilian working men (16-64 years old) in 32 states (27.4/100,000).”

Holm added how it is beneficial for industry officials to understand how its workers are susceptible to mental illness and suicide. “We also need to develop a culture that supports the mental well-being of workers in our industry,” she started. She continued part of the work includes the need to educate workers in developing coping mechanisms that are healthy, identifying workers who are at-risk, as well as having access to intervention and support services when necessary.

It will be the first time the topic of mental health will be discussed at a GCA Safety Conference, according to Taitague. The conference will also feature an industry safety professional panel sharing insights into their careers, and there will also be a personal protection equipment fashion show. “So a lot of new things are happening this year and we are extremely excited!” thinking about next year, adding how the training at conferences like these allows for participants to “learn and adapt to changing environments and technology around us.”

Babauta stated, “NMTech’s mission is to strengthen the CNMI workforce” as the construction industry is recruiting constantly. “We are doing our best to educate and certify students that walk through our door to help the construction industry all while practicing safety on the job,” he added.

Building Bridges and Partnerships

What it comes down to is partnerships, and what we do with those partnerships. Babauta shared how the CNMI Safety Conference organizers already have such partnerships with the Guam Contractors Association, UCSD OSHA Training Institute Education Center, and the CNMI Department of Labor OSHA.

Moreover, our neighbors to the north will be holding their inaugural Safety Conference. The CNMI Safety Conference is borne from the partnership between the Northern Marianas Technical Institute, CNMI OSHA, and the University of California in San Diego. It will be held on August 21 and 22, 2023 at the new IHG Crowne Plaza Saipan

Benjamin Babauta of the NMTech, “This conference is to raise awareness in building a culture of safety in all industries,” bringing together local and off-island industry professionals. They will be presenting on topics, including Alliance Agreement Signing, OSHA Record Keeping, Machine Guarding, Trench and Excavation, and Construction, as well as, General Industry Safety. The conference has not even happened yet, and Babauta said the organization is already

Additionally, Taitague shared how events like these would not be possible without their partnerships, the GCA membership, and their extensive list of CORE sponsors, which include numerous GCA members.

These two upcoming conferences present both Guam and Saipan with unique opportunities to not just educate and train, but build, and strengthen new and existing partnerships while collaborating on new ideas and existing best practices throughout the Northern Mariana Islands. Hope you can make it!

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