IATSE President Thomas C. Short has announced the appointment of Kent Jorgensen as Chairman of the IATSE Safety Committee. The appointment, effective immediately, was announced at the IA’s Mid-Winter General Executive Board Meeting in New Orleans. It gives Jorgensen the responsibility of overseeing safety compliance on all projects where IA members work in the US and Canada. Jorgensen replaces Tim Wade, who retired from the IA and Local 600 in late December, 2006.

Jorgensen, who has been a member of Local 80 Grips since 1990, has been the Safety and Training Representative for that group since 1996 where he is responsible for executing the Local’s safety program and managing and developing their training program. He is a member of the Industry Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee, American National Standards Accredited Committee ANSI/SIA A92 which writes standards for the manufacture and use of aerial platforms, and the ESTA Technical Standards Program Camera Cranes and Rigging working groups.