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Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust

From WikiMesothelioma — Mesothelioma Knowledge Base
SMOHIT
Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust
Type Joint labor-management trust[1]
Sponsors SMART and SMACNA[2]
Formed 1985 in the peer-reviewed literature; 1986 per SMOHIT and SMART[3][2]
Tax status 501(c)(3), EIN 52-6405006[4]
Office Falls Church, Virginia[2]
Current program Workplace Exposure Research Program[5]

Executive Summary

The Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) is a joint labor-management trust of the unionized sheet metal industry.[1] It is jointly sponsored by SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA).[2] SMOHIT was formed in the mid-1980s to examine the health hazards of the sheet metal industry in the United States and Canada.[6]

Its original work was an asbestos disease screening program, and the peer-reviewed research built on that program is among the most detailed for any building trade. In the mortality study of 17,345 long-tenure participants, mesothelioma deaths ran at more than eight times the expected rate.[3]

SMOHIT's current program is the Workplace Exposure Research Program, which SMOHIT describes as formerly Asbestos Screening.[2] How to describe that program is not settled. SMOHIT's care coordinator for the program has described it as research-only and not a screening program,[7] while SMOHIT's own website still describes testing and lists health screenings as a member benefit.[5][8] This page reports both.

At a Glance

SMOHIT at a glance:

  • Joint labor-management trust of the sheet metal industry, in SMART's description[1]
  • SMART and SMACNA jointly sponsor it[2]
  • 1985 or 1986. The peer-reviewed papers say SMOHIT was formed in 1985; SMOHIT's own website says founded in 1986[3][2]
  • 501(c)(3) organization with EIN 52-6405006 and an IRS ruling date of September 1, 1989[4]
  • Workplace Exposure Research Program is the current program, formerly Asbestos Screening[2]
  • Research-only, according to SMOHIT's care coordinator. Members receive a copy of their chest X-ray results, and all results are deidentified and used for research only[7]
  • 26,397 sheet metal workers examined from 1986 to 2016 were analyzed in a SMOHIT-funded study[9]
  • Mesothelioma SMR 8.54 (95% CI 6.27–11.36) in the 17,345-worker mortality cohort, followed through 2004[3]

Key Facts

Fact Detail
Legal name Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) Inc.[2]
Founding parties Sheet Metal Workers International Association and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Association[3]
Founding year 1985 per the peer-reviewed literature[3]; 1986 per SMOHIT[2] and SMART[1]
Tax status 501(c)(3); EIN 52-6405006; files the full Form 990[4]
Funding Cents-per-hour employer contributions under collective bargaining agreements, in the one agreement reviewed[10]
Current program Workplace Exposure Research Program (formerly Asbestos Screening)[2]
Current eligibility SMART building trades and sign installation and fabrication members with more than 10 years of service[5]
Historical program Asbestos disease screening at contracted clinics in the U.S. and Canada, from 1986[3]
Mortality findings Mesothelioma SMR 8.54, pleural cancer SMR 8.06, asbestosis SMR 10.61[3]

What is SMOHIT?

SMOHIT is a trust run jointly by the union and the contractors of the sheet metal industry. SMART describes it as "a joint labor-management trust designed to provide health and safety solutions that minimize occupational hazards and illnesses in the sheet metal industry."[1] SMOHIT's website names SMART and SMACNA as its joint sponsors.[2]

Founding year. The peer-reviewed papers on SMOHIT's program say that in 1985 the Sheet Metal Workers International Association and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning National Association formed SMOHIT to examine the health hazards of the sheet metal industry in the United States and Canada.[6] SMOHIT's own website says it was founded in 1986,[2] and SMART says it was originally formed in 1986.[1] No source reviewed for this page explains the difference.

Tax status. IRS data list SMOHIT as a 501(c)(3) organization, EIN 52-6405006, with an IRS ruling date of September 1, 1989 and an office at 3180 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, Virginia.[4] A ruling date is the date of the IRS determination, not a founding date.

SMOHIT describes a mission that has expanded to four tracks: monitoring and documenting the health of union sheet metal workers in relation to workplace exposures and hazards; safety information and training; advocacy for members' physical, mental and emotional health and safety; and health and wellness information.[2] This page covers the first track, the one tied to asbestos disease.

How is SMOHIT governed and funded?

Trustees. SMOHIT's website lists four trustees: Jon Alvino (Business Manager, SMART Local 9), Matt Hildreth (The Waldinger Corporation), Wayne Greenwood (JEC Service Company, Inc.) and Daniel Villarruel (Business Manager, SMART Local 32).[2] A SMOHIT post dated September 2025 reports that Greenwood and Alvino replaced co-chairs Kevin Jones and Chris Hall, and that Hildreth and Villarruel took the role of co-chairs.[11]

Staff. SMOHIT's posts give these titles:

  • Aldo Zambetti moved into the role of administrator at the start of 2022, per a post dated June 2022,[12] and the September 2025 trustee post still refers to him as SMOHIT Administrator.[11]
  • Jeff Bradley was named program administrator in a post dated September 2024.[13]
  • Diane Blackburn is listed as SMOHIT Care Coordinator for the Workplace Exposure Research Program.[14]

The sources reviewed do not state who holds the top administrative title today.

Funding. In the one collective bargaining agreement reviewed for this page, the 2022–2025 agreement between the Houston Sheet Metal Contractors Association and SMART Local 54, employers agree to contribute to SMOHIT a set number of cents for each hour worked by journeymen, apprentices and classified workers "until the Institute Trustees determine that the Trust is financially self-sufficient." The same agreement binds the parties to SMOHIT's separate agreement and declaration of trust.[10] Contribution rates in other agreements were not reviewed. For that local's agreement, see Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 54.

What is the Workplace Exposure Research Program?

The Workplace Exposure Research Program is SMOHIT's current program in this area. SMOHIT's About page describes it as formerly Asbestos Screening.[2]

How SMOHIT's website describes it. The program page says the program helps protect workers and their families from asbestos- and silica-related disease by providing testing, guidance and follow-up support, and that it gathers data to help prevent future exposure-related illness and support ongoing research. SMART building trades and sign installation and fabrication members with more than 10 years of service are eligible. A mobile X-ray unit travels to local unions, members schedule a chest X-ray online, and SMOHIT encourages participants to share their results with their primary care physician.[5] SMOHIT's Benefits page lists "Health Screenings" as a benefit.[8]

How SMOHIT's care coordinator describes it. According to SMOHIT's care coordinator for the program, the Workplace Exposure Research Program is not a screening program; it is research-only. Participating members receive a copy of their chest X-ray results and are encouraged to share them with their own medical team. All results are deidentified and used for research only.[7]

These two descriptions have not been reconciled. For a member, the practical point is the same under either: the copy of the X-ray result the member receives is the member's own record, and SMOHIT's guidance is to take it to the member's own doctor.

How did the program's name change?

SMOHIT's posts show a chain of names. Posts dated October 2024 and March 2025 call it the "Health Screening Research Program."[15][16] A post dated November 2025 says "The Workplace Exposure Research Program is formerly known as the health screening program."[17] The About page now reads "Workplace Exposure Research Program (formerly Asbestos Screening)."[2] Several of these posts were modified in January 2026, so their wording may postdate their publication dates. No announcement of the rename was found.

The October 2024 post also explains why the program changed form: participation in the earlier in-person events at union halls was, in the words of a SMOHIT official quoted there, "very, very low."[15]

What was SMOHIT's historical asbestos disease screening program?

The peer-reviewed literature describes SMOHIT's historical asbestos disease screening program. SMOHIT contracted with clinical facilities in the United States and Canada to offer a standardized asbestos disease screening program. Members of the Sheet Metal Workers International Union for 20 years or more as of January 1, 1986 were invited to participate. The examination included an occupational and medical questionnaire, a limited physical examination, spirometry, and a chest radiograph classified under International Labour Office (ILO) criteria.[3]

The widely cited 1986–2004 dates describe study windows, not the life of the program. Examinations continued after 2004: a later study funded by SMOHIT analyzed radiographs of 26,397 sheet metal workers examined from 1986 to 2016.[9]

What did the research find?

Mortality. The 2009 mortality study followed 17,345 workers screened at 62 sites between 1986 and 2004, with follow-up through December 31, 2004.[3] Its Table II reports:

Cause of death Observed / expected SMR (95% CI)
Mesothelioma 47 / 5.50 8.54 (6.27–11.36)[3]
Cancer of the pleura 11 / 1.37 8.06 (4.02–14.41)[3]
Asbestosis 26 / 2.45 10.61 (6.93–15.54)[3]

An SMR (standardized mortality ratio) compares observed deaths with the number expected from U.S. death rates; 8.54 means mesothelioma deaths ran at about eight and a half times the expected number.[3] The study's authors concluded that sheet metal workers are at increased risk for asbestos-related diseases, and that the study adds to the literature on asbestos-related disease among workers with largely indirect exposures.[18] A later analysis of the same cohort, followed to 2010, again found significant excess mortality for mesothelioma and asbestosis.[19]

Radiographs. Among 26,397 workers examined from 1986 to 2016, parenchymal disease was found in 17.4% of those who started work before 1950 and 0.8% of those who started after 1973.[9]

These are national figures for the trade. They describe the risk of the trade as a whole, not of any single local or individual worker. The trade's exposure history is covered on the Sheet Metal Workers page.

Research output

Papers with a documented link to SMOHIT's program:

Year Study Population
1994 The National Sheet Metal Worker Asbestos Disease Screening Program: radiologic findings 9,605 individuals in the national screening program[20][3]
2007 Change in prevalence of asbestos-related disease among sheet metal workers 1986 to 2004 18,211 individuals examined between 1986 and 2004[6]
2009 Asbestos-related disease among sheet metal workers 1986-2004: radiographic changes over time 18,211 examined, with 2,181 re-examined[21]
2009 Mortality among sheet metal workers participating in a medical screening program 17,345 with 20 or more years in the trade, followed 1986–2004[18]
2015 Mortality among sheet metal workers participating in a respiratory screening program 17,345 with over 20 years in the trade, followed 1986–2010[19]
2019 Change in prevalence of asbestos-related disease among sheet metal workers 1986 to 2016 26,397 examined from 1986 to 2016[9]

The 2009 mortality study describes the 1994 and 2007 papers as the published descriptions of the SMOHIT national screening program.[3] PubMed lists SMOHIT as the funder of the study of workers examined through 2016.[9]

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Workplace Exposure Research Program a screening program?

The sources disagree. According to SMOHIT's care coordinator for the program, it is research-only and not a screening program.[7] SMOHIT's program page describes testing, guidance and follow-up support, and its Benefits page lists health screenings.[5][8]

Did the program end in 2004?

No. 1986–2004 is the window of several published studies. A SMOHIT-funded study analyzed workers examined through 2016,[9] and SMOHIT runs the renamed program today.[2]

Is 17,345 the number of workers SMOHIT has examined?

No. 17,345 is the size of the mortality cohort, limited to long-tenure workers.[18] The largest published count is 26,397 workers examined from 1986 to 2016,[9] and SMOHIT says tens of thousands of union sheet metal workers have taken part to date.[2]

Who can take part now?

SMOHIT's program page lists SMART building trades and sign installation and fabrication members with more than 10 years of service.[5] SMOHIT is the source for current eligibility, locations and scheduling.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Sheet Metal Trust Funds, SMART
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 About Us, Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 Dement J, Welch L, Haile E, Myers D. Mortality among sheet metal workers participating in a medical screening program (full text), American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2009, Methods and Table II (journal page 607). CDC Stacks.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust, EIN 52-6405006, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (IRS data)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Workplace Exposure Research Program, Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Welch LS, Haile E, Dement J, Michaels D. Change in prevalence of asbestos-related disease among sheet metal workers 1986 to 2004. Chest. 2007;131(3):863-869. PMID 17356105.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Written statement from the SMOHIT care coordinator for the Workplace Exposure Research Program to WikiMesothelioma, September 29, 2026.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Benefits, Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 West GH, Sokas RK, Welch LS. Change in prevalence of asbestos-related disease among sheet metal workers 1986 to 2016. Am J Ind Med. 2019;62(7):609-615. PMID 31168870.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Standard Form of Union Agreement, Houston Sheet Metal Contractors Association and Sheet Metal Workers Local 54, 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2025, Art. VIII(c)–(d), Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 SMOHIT welcomes new trustees, says goodbye to two longstanding board members, Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust, post dated September 23, 2025
  12. ↑ Aldo Zambetti steps into new role as SMOHIT administrator, Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust, post dated June 16, 2022
  13. ↑ SMOHIT program director moves up to take administrative role, Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust, post dated September 30, 2024
  14. ↑ Contact, Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Health screenings to return with a new program, Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust, post dated October 11, 2024
  16. ↑ Screening care coordinator on board to help guide members through process, Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust, post dated March 17, 2025
  17. ↑ What are silica-related diseases?, Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust, post dated November 22, 2025
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Dement J, Welch L, Haile E, Myers D. Mortality among sheet metal workers participating in a medical screening program. Am J Ind Med. 2009;52(8):603-13. PMID 19562730.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Welch L, Dement J, West G. Mortality among sheet metal workers participating in a respiratory screening program. Am J Ind Med. 2015;58(4):378-91. PMID 25712482.
  20. ↑ The National Sheet Metal Worker Asbestos Disease Screening Program: radiologic findings. National Sheet Metal Examination Group., Welch LS, Michaels D, Zoloth SR, Am J Ind Med, 1994. PMID 8030635.
  21. ↑ Welch LS, Haile E. Asbestos-related disease among sheet metal workers 1986-2004: radiographic changes over time. Am J Ind Med. 2009;52(7):519-25. PMID 19479897.
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