North America relies on infrastructure. And infrastructure relies on International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) industrial painters and coating application specialists, and the companies that employ them, for long-lasting protection that can add 100 years to the lifespan of bridges alone.
On the Walt Whitman Bridge in Philadelphia and throughout the rest of North America, the men and women of the IUPAT protect the most high-profile structures from corrosion. They have the advanced training, expertise, and certifications necessary to keep our bridges, overpasses, and energy infrastructure safe and secure – protecting the public and local communities who rely on them for their businesses, livelihoods, and day-to-day activities. And they protect the environment through the proper removal and disposal of lead and other hazardous materials.
Many IUPAT applicators have earned one of the most advanced certifications in their field – the Coating Application Specialist (CAS) Certification. This prestigious certification, which takes hundreds of hours of training and thousands of hours of on-the-job experience to achieve, assures the highest recognized standard of quality, reliability, and safety in preparing and applying coatings and linings to complex industrial and marine structures.
IUPAT contractors and industrial painters also excel in innovation, which is often necessary to handle unique situations. For instance, the contractor for the Walt Whitman Bridge, Ohio-based Corcon, designed a massive containment system, complete with an elaborate air filtration system, to safeguard both its workforce and the 120,000 vehicles that crossed the bridge each day. They even devised a way to protect the peregrine falcons that nest in the bridge.
Because, for IUPAT, it’s not just about expertly completing each project on time and within budget. It’s also about protecting the public, property, and the environment as a well-trained workforce.
We would never have gone after this caliber of project without our IUPAT workforce,” Lou Lyras, CEO, Corcon, Inc.
Learn more: IUPAT.org