D-NRS-CSO Tim Simmons, left, presents a retirement gift from the Boilermakers to Dave Douin, Boilermaker and outgoing executive director of the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors.
FROM DAVE DOUIN’S years as a Boilermaker to his final job as executive director for the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, the work life of this Local 363 (East St. Louis, Illinois) member has been all about the boilers.
It all began shortly after high school graduation when Douin took a job at a coal-fired power plant as a timekeeper, checking men and women in and giving them their brass. That’s when a Boilermaker steward took a liking to him and helped him indenture into the union.
Nine years after completing his apprenticeship and working as a Boilermaker, the business agent at L-363 suggested to Douin that he could keep working around boilers--but might he consider doing it as an inspector?
“He was on the Illinois boiler board and he got me a job with the state as safety specialist,” Douin said. In that job, he performed in-service inspections of all regulated pressure equipment as required by state law.
He worked for the State of Illinois for 26 years, ending his stint as director of boiler and pressure vessel safety to take on the role of executive director position for the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors.
The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, created in 1919, promotes greater safety through uniformity in the construction, installation, repair, maintenance and inspection of pressure equipment. National Board members are the chief boiler inspectors representing most states in the U.S. and all provinces of Canada.
After 10 years serving at the National Board, Douin stepped down in December to enjoy his grandchildren, his horses and fishing.
