22 WESTERN PALLET
locked out, if those five people exposed, it can be 145 grand times five. So again, what I'm seeing is a lot heavier enforcement, right from the outset.”
Abrams is also seeing a lot of imputed enforcement, where a subcontractor does something violative, and then the host employer is also being cited as well. “That policy was reaffirmed by the courts about two years ago,” she said.
“One thing worth noting,” Abrams added, “is that we have a confirmed head of OSHA, and very pertinent to where we are (in Palm Springs), he’s the former head of Cal/OSHA. So for those of you who’ve had the pleasure of dealing with Cal/OSHA over the years while Doug Parker was heading that agency, know what we’re in for, because under his stewardship, federal OSHA is going to start looking a lot more like Cal/OSHA. So something to stay tuned for.”
“I think under his stewardship, federal OSHA is going to start looking a lot more like Cal OSHA. So something to stay tuned for. Right out of the gate, though, even before Mr. Parker was confirmed, we had President Biden issue over 40 executive orders within the first couple of weeks.”
Abrams shared best practices for OSHA inspections (See Page 21).
To conclude, please note that our meeting reports cover only some of the meeting highlights. To make sure you get all of the pertinent information you need to run your pallet business more professionally and profitably, be sure to attend the WPA 2023 Annual Meeting in Rancho Mirage, California.
WPA Annual Meeting Con'td from Page 21
Membership Update
After an extremely successful decade heading up WPA’s membership efforts, Tyrone Konecny (Utah Lumber Co.) is handing over the reins to Nic Wilson (Big Sky Lumber).
One recent change that came into effect for the 2022 Annual Meeting is that the member recruitment prizes have been increased. Now, the person who sponsors the greatest number of new members wins $1,000, while everyone else who sponsors at least one new member is entered into a drawing for an additional $1,000 prize.
As has become tradition, upon winning the top prize this year, Tyrone put the money back in the pot for the drawing. When he won the drawing as well, he was decided to play an impromptu game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with the four eligible people present, and the winner to take the combined $2,000 prize. In a fun-filled and exciting finale, the winner was longtime WPA member Dean Ponak.
According to Konecny, aside from valuable business information and networking opportunities, the Annual Meeting comes down to having fun.
“We have witnessed vast growth over the course last decade, and the one thing that has always been a focal point of the WPA is that we are the friendliest Association out there,” he told Western Pallet Magazine. “And we really want to focus on staying true to that.”
Another recent move to improve the first-time attendee experience has been the creation of an ice breaker event for new attendees at the start of the Annual Meeting. They are introduced to WPA Board and Executive members. According to Wilson, the spontaneous round of Rock, Paper, Scissors was was well received, and it is an approach that WPA will consider again in the future.
WPA News (Cont'd from Page 15)