White Tape on Cords 1/1/13 - 3/31/13!

Good afternoon to all I.D.I. employees:  We begin a new quarter on Tuesday, 1/1/13 for our Assured Grounding Program.  The Safety Coordinators will be supplied with white tape from your Superintendents. Just a reminder that we need for you are to inspect, test and color-code with white tape all 3 pronged electrical tools and extension cords.  All electrical tools and cords need to be visually inspected.  If you see any defects in the cords such as bare wires, severe kinks, missing or damaged ground prong, the cord pulling away from the plug end housing, etc., then that tool or cord would need to be immediately removed from service and reported to your lead supervisor.  If your tool/cord passes the visual inspection, your next step is to test the cord with a receptacle tester.  First, you should test the outlet that you will be plugging your cord into to ensure that it is properly wired.  You should see 2 yellow lights lit up on your tester and the red light should be off.  This means the outlet is working appropriately.  Next, plug your cord into the outlet and then test the cord with the receptacle tester.  Again, you should see the same light pattern as mentioned above and this would mean the cord passed the test and it is good and safe to use.  Any other light pattern means that there is a problem with the cord and the cord needs to be removed from service and reported to your lead supervisor.  If the cord passes the visual inspection and the cord tester test, you should then remove the previous quarter's orange electrical tape and install the white electrical tape about 1" down from both plug ends.  Your cord is now in compliance with our 1st quarter's Assured Ground Program.  The white tape shall remain in place from 1/1/13 through 3/31/13.  You are not quite done yet!  You now need to visually inspect all electrical cords and tools on a daily basis and if any defects are found, the cord needs to be immediately removed from service.  Thank you for taking the time to ensure your electrical tools and cords are in safe working order.  Your actions may prevent one of our family members from sustaining an electrical shock type injury or worse yet and electrocution.  If you have any questions regarding our Assured Grounding Program, please call our Safety Director, Peter Graham, at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

How is the Housekeeping at Your Job Site?

Good afternoon to all I.D.I. employees:  As you all know, we recently completed our 4th and final quarterly safety meeting of 2012.  There was a total of 98 employees that attended our recent safety meeting of which the safety topic was "Slips, Trips & Falls - Housekeeping."  First of all, we want to thank the 98 employees that attended the safety meeting.  We hope that the meeting was beneficial to you in the battle against slip, trip and fall type injuries.  We had a lot of discussion at the meeting about poor housekeeping hazards and somethings that we as a team can do about them.  Please remember that if your job site is a mess and no one is helping to get the job site cleaned up, please discuss this with your Superintendent or with our Safety Director so we can assist in the matter.  What we don't want is for our employees to have to continue to work in cluttered areas that could lead to slip, trip and fall types of injuries as these type of injuries are preventable.  Sometimes it is just a matter of communication between our company and the general contractor to help get the place cleaned up.  If you are working at a cluttered job site, please don't just do nothing.  Be pro-active and communicate the problem to us.  Should you have any questions related to safety, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689 or you can e-mail him at pgraham@4idi.com.

Have a Safe Day!

Quarterly Safety Make-Up Meeting Wednesday, 12/12/12 at 4:00pm

Good afternoon to all I.D.I. employees:  As you all know, we had our 4th quarterly safety meeting of 2012 on Saturday, 12/1/12.  The safety topic was Slips, Trips & Falls and Poor Housekeeping.  We hope that the meeting was beneficial to you and provided you with some tips to help prevent you from sustaining a slip, trip and fall type injury.

We had 78 employees in attendance.  We want to thank all of you who attended.  This shows that you are a team player, that you care about your safety, the company and others working around you.

For those of you that could not attend, the quarterly safety make-up meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 12/12/12 at 4:00pm.  The meeting will be held at our office location at 28059 W. Commercial Ave. in Barrington, IL.  If you are planning on attending, you need to contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham, no later than Tuesday, 12/11/12 to notify him you are attending.  We need to know the head count ahead of time to help determine the room size, chair rental needs, etc. You can reach peter at (847) 526-7477 or by e-mail at pgraham@4idi.com.

Hope to see you at the make-up meeting!

Have a Safe Day!

Safety Meeting - Saturday, 12/1/12!

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  I hope everyone had a relaxing and joy-filled Thanksgiving with your loved ones.  This is just a reminder that our 4th and final quarterly safety meeting for 2012 is being held on Saturday, December 1st at 7:00am. The meeting will be at our usual meeting location at our office/shop located at 28059 W. Commercial Ave. in Barrington, IL.  We are going to be talking about safety at the job site including, housekeeping, Slips/Trips & Falls, and other safety related items.  Our 2012 safety goal for our quarterly safety meeting attendance is to be at a 75% show up rate or better.  After 3 quarterly safety meetings, we are 1% below goal as we are at a 74% show up rate.  Please help us to reach and exceed this important goal by attending the 12/1/12 safety meeting.  Please help spread the word to all of our employees.

See you at the meeting!  

Safety Pete

Missing Safety Pin on Scissor Lift Safety Rail!

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  Please see the photo below.  One of our employees was about to use a scissor lift so he could perform some taping tasks on a wall.  Before getting on the scissor lift, he performed a safety inspection of the lift and he came across a missing safety pin on one of the safety rails.  In place of the missing safety pin, he found a pencil.  Apparently someone had lost the original safety pin and inserted a pencil in its place.

Had the taper not inspected the scissor lift and found that a safety pin was missing, this could have possibly lead to a serious injury or fatality.  If the taper or another employee had leaned on the scissor lift safety rail while the safety pin was missing, the safety rail could have failed. We don't know who inserted the pencil in place of the safety pin.  It could have been done by another contractor or by one of our employees.  We will probably never know the answer to that.

This is exactly why all employees are required to inspect their equipment such as aerial lifts, scaffolding, ladders, etc. prior to use.  Our aerial lift provider was notified of the missing safety pin and they delivered one on the same day so this hazard has been rectified.

Great job - Julian Nunez on identifying and reporting this hazard.  Your actions may have prevented a serious injury or fatality.

Have a Safe Day!

Reporting Near Miss Incidents - We Can All Learn From Them

On 10/25/12, one of our employees had a near miss incident that could have led to an injury.  A framer advised that he was down on his knees using a hammer to scrape and chisel away the concrete floor to remove nails and debris so they could install bottom track.  He said that there was some yellow plastic embedded in the old concrete floor but it was difficult to make out exactly what the plastic strip was.  As he was chiseling away to get the yellow plastic strip removed from the concrete floor, it blew up.  It happened to be a strip of yellow shot from a fastener gun.  The framer said that gun powder, dust and probably small pieces of concrete debris flew up into his face and his arms.  He said that he was not bleeding and not in actual pain, however, he could feel it on his face and arms where the debris flew into him.  The framer said that thank goodness he was wearing safety glasses because you never know what might have happened.  He said he had dust all over his face except for where the safety glasses were.  The framer said that he would not require medical care, however, he just wanted to report it the incident.

The concrete floor was poured during a previous year’s renovation and the yellow shot strip was left behind embedded in the concrete floor prior to us starting work at this project. 

Moving forward, our employees at the project don’t know if there are anymore live shots in the yellow strip.  We advised our employees to not touch the yellow shot strip any further and that we would notify the general contractor of the incident and ask for them to have the yellow shot strip removed. 

A few hours later, I called the framer back to see how he was doing.  The framer advised that he is fine and that his face and arms feel better than when we talked earlier.  The framer further advised that a laborer from the general contractor removed the embedded yellow shot from the concrete floor so this hazard is over and done. 

What can we take away from the near miss incident?  That wearing safety glasses may have prevented a serious eye injury or at least prevented our employee from needing medical treatment on his eyes.  Anytime an employee is using a tool to chip away at concrete, safety glasses are required to be worn. The positive that came out of this story is a 1^st hand account from an employee who was doing the right thing and wearing safety glasses when performing a task that would require them and the safety glasses did their job and protected his eyes.  So if you find yourself using tools to chip away at materials, you need to wear safety glasses.  Also, if you are chipping away at something that you aren’t exactly sure what it is, seek out a 2^nd or 3^rd opinion before proceeding. 

Thank goodness our employee is o.k. after this incident!

Quarterly Safety Meeting Set for 12/1/12!

Good morning to all I.D.I. employee:  This is just a notice to advise that we have scheduled our 4th and final quarterly safety meeting of 2012 on Saturday, December 1st at 7:00am.  We have not yet selected the safety meeting topic.  We will keep updates coming as we get closer to the meeting date.  Please mark your calendars and plan on attending.  Our quarterly safety meetings are what set the tone for our whole safety culture.  Please help spread the word so we can obtain a 100% turn out at the meeting. If you have any questions regarding the upcoming safety meeting, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham.  You can e-mail him at pgraham@4idi.com.

Have a Safe Day!

2 Weeks Left in October - Our Safest Year on Record!

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  Counting today, we have 2 weeks left in the month of October at which time, at the end of the month, we end another fiscal year at International Decorators.  If we can work the next 2 weeks in an injury-free manner, we will have completed our safest year on record over the past 13 years.  A lot can happen in a 2 week period so we cannot let our guard down.  We are reaching out to everyone to heighten everyone's awareness to do everything in your power to not get injured and/or to stop someone from getting injured.  If you see someone committing an unsafe act or if you see someone doing something the wrong way which has the potential to cause injury, we are asking you to reach out to the person and stop them.  We want you to stop them for their own safety, for their loved ones and for the company.  In these tough economic times, we just can't afford injuries.  In these tough economic times, employees can't afford injuries.  When an employee sustains a work related injury, no good ever comes from it.  The injured worker loses out on wage earnings.  Under the Illinois Workers Compensation Act, an injured worker receives 2/3rds of their normal wages while he/she is deemed off work by a doctor.  That means that an injured worker is receiving 1/3rd less pay which is a large chunk of money.  Not only are you losing some wage earnings, you are also typically in pain from the injury.  God forbid if your injury is of a serious nature and you are off work for an extended period of time as this can really affect the injured worker and their family.

For the sake or yourself, your loved ones and for International Decorators, lets work together as a team and not allow for any more injuries.  We need to be in the mind set that injuries are just not acceptable.  When an injury occurs, there is typically a very good or very bad reason as to why the injury occurred.  We can't just accept that an injury occurred because "I had the wrong equipment," or "my equipment was defective," or "I cut my hand on a steel stud because I wasn't wearing gloves," etc.  There is always a root cause as to why an injury occurred and we need to sometimes ask why 3 to 5 times to get to the root cause.

"I sustained an eye injury."  Why?  "Because the darn cheap concrete broke and a piece of concrete flew into my eye while I was using a Trakfast gun to fasten a pin."  Why weren't you wearing safety glasses?  "Because we didn't have a box of safety glasses in our gangbox." Why again?  "Because I didn't want to waste International Decorator's money by taking the time to stop working and locate a pair of safety glasses."  Why?  "Because I figured I only had to fasten a few pins and it would only take me 5 minutes and it would have taken me 5 to 10 minutes to locate a pair of safety glasses."  Why again?  "Because I was not planning ahead that I would be using a Trakfast gun and making sure I had the necessary personal protective equipment ahead of time."  Why again?  "I just figured that it was only one time and I was shooting a few pins and I just didn't think that safety glasses were that important."

The bottom line was that the root cause of this injury was not the cheap concrete.  The root cause of the injury was simply that the injured worker didn't follow a company policy requiring safety glasses when using a Trakfast fastener tool.

The bottom line also is that we cannot take short cuts on safety as this is typically when things go bad!  Plan ahead when it comes to protecting yourself and don't commit an unsafe act just because you don't have a pair of safety glasses with you exactly when you need them. If you have Trakfast fastener tools at your job site, this means that eye protection will be needed. Maybe safety glasses had been stocked at the job site and we ran out?  Someone then needs to request more.  Maybe we never did stock the job site with safety glasses?  Again, someone at the job site needs to request some?  We cannot make excuses for injuries occurring.  We need to find out the root cause and then prevent this same type of injury from reoccurring.

By the way, the above accident is hypothetical and did not occur at I.D.I.  We all know better to plan ahead and wear safety glasses while using a fastener tool!

Have a Safe Day!

Mini-Perry Mobile Workstands - Weight Capacities!

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  We often use mini-Perry mobile workstands to stand and work on.  They are a very handy piece of equipment for increasing an employee's work height as they are more portable and quicker to set up than a baker type scaffold.  These smaller scaffolds are easy to move in and out of rooms and can be carried easier in employee's vehicles.  Because the mini-Perry scaffolds are smaller than baker type scaffolds, they have a much lighter duty weight capacity rating than the baker scaffolds.  The baker scaffolds are rated at a 1,000 lb weight capacity when using a single baker scaffold.  When double stacking baker scaffolds, the weight rating drops to 850 lbs and when triple stacking the weight rating is 700 lbs.

The following are the weight rating capacities for the mini-Perry mobile workstands.  The 4' model has a 500 lb distributed load or 250 lbs per 1 platform.  The 5' model has a 600 lb distributed load or 300 lbs per 1 platform.  Please keep these weight rating capacities in mind and don't overload the mini-Perry's above the weight rating capacities as this could lead to a serious injury.  When you are using a mini-Perry scaffold to stand and work on, please remember to add together your total body weight along with your tools and materials.  If they add up to more than the weight rating capacity of the mini-Perry scaffold, then you cannot use the mini-Perry scaffold for that task.  You would need to use something along the lines of a baker scaffold, pipe scaffold, aerial lift, etc.

We don't want to see someone get injured due to something that is so easily preventable. Please keep with in the weight rating capacities when working on the mini-Perry scaffolds.  If you see someone else using a mini-Perry scaffold above the weight rated capacity, please do your part and address the matter with them as you may prevent that person from making a trip to the hospital.

If you have any questions regarding mini-Perry mobile workstand scaffolds, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham.

Have a Safe Day!

Orange Tape on 3-Pronged Electrical Tools and Extension Cords

Good afternoon to all I.D.I. employees:  We begin a new quarter on Monday, 10/1/12 for our Assured Grounding Program.  The Safety Coordinators have been supplied with orange tape.  Just a reminder that we need for you are to inspect, test and color-code with orange tape all 3 pronged electrical tools and extension cords.  All electrical tools and cords need to be visually inspected.  If you see any defects in the cords such as bare wires, severe kinks, missing or damaged ground prong, the cord pulling away from the plug end housing, etc., then that tool or cord would need to be immediately removed from service and reported to your lead supervisor.  If your tool/cord passes the visual inspection, your next step is to test the cord with a receptacle tester.  First, you should test the outlet that you will be plugging your cord into to ensure that it is properly wired.  You should see 2 yellow lights lit up on your tester and the red light should be off.  This means the outlet is working appropriately.  Next, plug your cord into the outlet and then test the cord with the receptacle tester.  Again, you should see the same light pattern as mentioned above and this would mean the cord passed the test and it is good and safe to use.  Any other light pattern means that there is a problem with the cord and the cord needs to be removed from service and reported to your lead supervisor.  If the cord passes the visual inspection and the cord tester test, you should then remove the previous quarter's red electrical tape and install the orange electrical tape about 1" down from both plug ends.  Your cord is now in compliance with our 4th quarter's Assured Ground Program.  The orange tape shall remain in place from 10/1/12 through 12/30/12.  You are not quite done yet!  You now need to visually inspect all electrical cords and tools on a daily basis and if any defects are found, the cord needs to be immediately removed from service.  Thank you for taking the time to ensure your electrical tools and cords are in safe working order.  Your actions may prevent one of our family members from sustaining an electrical shock type injury or worse yet and electrocution.  If you have any questions regarding our Assured Grounding Program, please call our Safety Director, Peter Graham, at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

Quarterly Safety Meeting Attendance!

Good evening to all I.D.I. employees:  As you all know we had our 3rd quarterly safety meeting for 2012 on  Saturday, 9/8/12 and the make-up safety meeting was held on Thursday, 9/20/12. Now that the meetings are over, we tallied up the safety meeting attendance show up rates and we are extremely pleased to report that we had an overall field show up rate of 76% with our company goal of being at 75% or better. As far as Safety Coordinators, 40 out of 45 attended the meeting for an 89% show up rate.  Our Safety Coordinator attendance goal is to be at 80% or better.  We exceeded on both safety attendance goals.  We want to say thank you to all of you who attended the safety meeting.  This is a vital part of our safety culture to help ensure we are all on the same page with preventing injuries.  We are a much safer company because of you taking the time to attend our quarterly meetings.  We as a team are only as good as our weakest links so the more people involved at our quarterly safety meetings and the more involved with looking out for each other, the potential to have fewer employees sustaining injuries is much better.

The safety meeting topic was fall protection.  We hope that you took away something from the meeting that will help prevent you or a coworker from sustaining a fall related injury.  260 construction workers died in 2010 from sustaining a fall of 6' or more to a lower level. International Decorator's has never had a fall related fatality or any work related fatality since their inception in 1952.  This is something our owners, Butch & Bill and the founder of I.D.I., Tony Sr. are very proud of.  Preventing fatalities is our number 1 goal.  However, it is also vital that we prevent falls of any kind.  Again, if you see someone working in a position where they are unprotected and exposed to a fall of 6' or more to a lower level, do them a favor and stop them.  Call a time out and get a plan.  The plan could be as simple as obtaining fall arrest equipment and implementing the fall arrest or contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham and he will assist with a fall protection plan.

Have a Safe Day!

Self Improvement; Take an OSHA 30-Hour Course!

What can I do to make myself better?  What can I do to help the company?  What can I do to make myself a more valuable employee to International Decorators?   Frankly there are several things you can do, however, today we are focusing on the OSHA 30-hour course.  

We are encouraging our employees to enroll in an OSHA 30-hour course for several reasons. For starters, the OSHA 30-hour course provides a good solid foundation of safety training.  You will be provided with 30 hours of construction safety training that can help you to sustain a long-term healthy & injury-free career in the construction field.  This course may just save your life!  The OSHA 30-hour course is not just good for you as far as work goes, it will teach you invaluable life skills that you can take with you and use anywhere for the rest of your life as this card never expires.  

Another reason we are encouraging participation in an OSHA 30-hour course is that we are bidding work to general contractors that require us to man their projects with employees that have taken this course.  By taking this course, you make yourself more valuable to a Superintendent when they are choosing their work crews for various job sites.  I also want to mention that if you do take this course; that it does not guarantee that you will work.  It does however increase your chances especially in the weak economy that our country is currently in.  

Where can I take this course you ask?  The OSHA 30 is offered by your union trade schools to members in good standing.  Also, if you take the course through your union trade school, we understand that is either free or low cost to members.  It is offered at limited times throughout the year.  If you are interested in signing up, you are encouraged to contact your trade school by phone or you can look them up on the internet to see when the course is offered.  You can also take it on line through some internet services such as www.puresafety.com, however, the cost is around $189.00.  If you are going to proceed with taking the OSHA 30-hour online, make sure you enroll in the OSHA 30-hour construction course and not the OSHA 30-hour general industry course.  If you have any questions about taking the course online, you can contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham and he can provide you with more information to help you.   

After you take your OSHA 30-hour, you will be issued a card sometime around 30 days later. Please provide our Safety Director with a copy of your card so we know that you took the course.  

Make yourself standout in the crowd!

Again, if you have any questions, contact Peter at pgraham@4idi.com. 

Have a Safe Day!

Quarterly Safety Make-Up Meeting Thursday, 9/20/12 at 4:00pm

Good afternoon to all I.D.I. employees:  As you all know, we had our 3rd quarterly safety meeting of 2012 on Saturday, 9/8/12.  The safety topic was fall protection.  We hope that the meeting was beneficial to you and provided you with some tips to help prevent you from sustaining a fall of 6' or more to a lower level.

We had 110 employees in attendance.  We want to thank all of you who attended.  This shows that you are a team player, this shows that you care about your safety, the company and the others working around you.

For those of you that could not attend, the quarterly safety make-up meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 9/20/12 at 4:00pm.  The meeting will be held at our office location at 28059 W. Commercial Ave. in Barrington, IL.  If you are planning on attending, you need to contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham, no later than Wednesday, 9/19/12 to notify him you are attending.  We need to know the head count ahead of time to help determine the room size, chair rental needs, etc. You can reach peter at (847) 526-7477 or by e-mail at pgraham@4idi.com.

Hope to see you at the make-up meeting!

Have a Safe Day!

290 Consecutive Days Worked Since Our Last Lost-Time Injury!

Good afternoon to all I.D.I. employees:  I just wanted to mention that we as a team have worked the past 290 consecutive days since our last lost-time injury which occurred in November of 2011.  Great job everyone on looking out for yourselves and for each other and helping to prevent the serious type injuries that involves an injured worker being off work for multiple days.  Our record for the past 13 years is 435 consecutive days worked between lost-time injuries.  Lets work as a team towards shattering this goal.  The only thing getting broken around here is our consecutive days worked record.

To help prevent serious fall related type injuries, you are encouraged to attend our next quarterly safety meeting which is being held on Saturday, 9/8/12 at 7:00am at our office location at 28059 W. Commercial Ave. in Barrington, IL.  The meeting topic is Fall Protection!

Have a Safe Day & see you on 9/8/12!

Quarterly Safety Meeting Reminder - 9/8/12 on Fall Protection

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  All employees are invited to attend our 3rd quarterly safety meeting for 2012 which will be held on Saturday, September 8th from 7:00am to about 9:00am.  The safety training topic will be on Fall Protection.  The meeting will be held at our office location in the warehouse at 28059 W. Commercial Ave., Barrington, IL 60010.  We last trained on fall protection at our August 2010 quarterly safety meeting so it's time for a refresher for our tenured employees and maybe some new safety training for the new hires.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 646 people died from falling 6’ or more to a lower level while at work in 2010.  260 of those fall related fatalities were construction workers.  Fall related fatalities are the #1 killer in construction.  There were a total of 780 construction worker fatalities in 2010 and 33% of all the construction fatalities were due to falls.  Falls rank #1 as the most frequently cited construction OSHA standards with 7,139 citations being issued in 2010.  We want to provide fall protection safety training so that you don’t become one of these statistics.  We want for all of our employees to live up to our safety mission statement which is: “Everyone Goes Home Alive and in the Same Condition as They Arrived; Your Loved Ones Count On It!” 

We encourage everyone to attend for several reasons of which the most important reason is for your safety. We look forward to seeing you on September 8th.  Should you have any questions regarding fall protection or the upcoming meeting, please call our Safety Director, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

I.D.I.'s 100% Hard Hat Policy

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  I just wanted to shoot out a reminder to all regarding our 100% hard hat policy.  We have recently had to issue several written safety warnings due to employees not wearing their hard hats while working.  This policy has been in place for many years and we are confident that all employees know the policy.  The policy is also gone over with all new hires during safety orientation.

We need for all employees to be wearing their hard hats for several reasons.  The #1 reason is for your safety.  Other reasons are that it is good for public relations with our clients, it is required by most of our clients and hard hats are an OSHA requirement based on most of the tasks we perform.

There are no excuses for not wearing your hard hat.  Our Safety Director & Superintendents are required to enforce this policy for your safety.  We have also trained our Safety Coordinators on enforcing our safety policies.  If a Safety Coordinator or any employee at I.D.I. advises you to put on your hard hat, they are doing you a favor. Our Safety Coordinators also have the authority to issue written safety warnings to employees not following our 100% hard hat policy.

Please keep in mind that the hard hat is not only required while you are performing a task. The hard hat is required at all times during your work shift except for during your break periods such as lunch.  Please keep in mind that if you are taking a break for lunch, etc., and then you are going to roam the job site such as to use the restroom, you are also required to wear your hard hat while roaming the job site as other trades may still be working.

If you have any questions regarding our 100% hard hat policy, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

From the "I Caught You" Series!

Below are 4 employees who were recently caught working safely.

Great job gentlemen!

Julian "Chano" Nunez working safely on a scaffold.
Great job with the scaffold plan & set up - Mark!

Miguel Rodriguez & Jose Rodriguez using safe lifting
mechanics & lifting in unison to prevent a back or
joint injury - Great job fellas!

Acoustic carpenter, Chris Frankowski working on stilts.
Great job Chris on ensuring your floor is clean and broom swept!

Injury-Free July Goal (Final Update)

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  I just wanted to provide everyone with a final update regarding our final results of how we did in July as far as going injury-free.  As we reported previously, we did have one minor injury on 7/18/12 which involved debris in the eye.  This was a no-lost time injury.  That was our only July incident that required medical care.  The following shows our past 3 years of how many injuries we had during the month of July:  2011 = 3, 2010 = 2, 2009 = 5.  So with that being said, we did have a successful reduction in our injury frequency during the month of July for 2012 being that we had one minor incident involving medical care.

Great job everyone on coming together as a team and reducing our July injury frequency rate as compared to recent history.  We have 3 months to go in our current insurance policy year which ends on 10/31/12.  We are currently in the midst of having one of our best years over the past 13 years.  As most of you know, we have a safety goal regarding our injury costs.  Our goal is to be at $0.50 cents injury cost per man hours worked.  As we speak, we are currently at $0.22 cents injury cost per man hours worked.  If we can finish out the next 3 months with going injury-free, we will have completed our safety year worked as a company over the past 13 years. 

What does all of this mean to you?  It means that you are working for a safe company that cares about you. It means that our insurance premium will go down and this will give us a more competitive advantage on our future bids to obtain work.  This in turn means that we would have more projects that we need to man with employees meaning more people employed and able to provide for their families.  

Please continue to do your part and do everything in your power to not sustain an injury. Everyone in the company benefits when there are no injuries, especially you and your loved ones!

Have a Safe Day!

Next Quarterly Safety Meeting: 9/8/12 on Fall Protection

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  All employees are invited to attend our 3rd quarterly safety meeting for 2012 which will be held on Saturday, September 8th from 7:00am to about 9:00am.  The safety training topic will be on Fall Protection.  The meeting will be held at our office location in the warehouse at 28059 W. Commercial Ave., Barrington, IL 60010.  We last trained on fall protection at our August 2010 quarterly safety meeting so it's time for a refresher for our tenured employees and maybe some new safety training for the new hires.

We will provide more information to everyone as we get closer to the meeting.  For now, we just want to get the word out to everyone with the date so you can mark this on your calendars.

We encourage everyone to attend for several reasons of which the most important reason is for your safety.  We look forward to seeing you on September 8th.  Should you have any questions regarding this upcoming safety meeting, please call our Safety Director, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

Injury Free July Goal - Update (1 minor Injury)

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  As you know, we have been promoting going injury free in July as July happens to be our highest injury frequency month for the past 5 years.  I wanted to provide an update to everyone as we recently had an injury on 7/18/12. Fortunately for the injured worker and for I.D.I., the injury was a no lost-time injury.  The injury involved a drywall hanger who was fastening drywall when a drywall screw that he was fastening with broke and the drywall hanger got a piece of debris in his right eye.  The drywall hanger and lead supervisor believe that a piece of the screw struck the right eye.  They cleaned the eye out with eye wash and the drywall hanger then continued working.  His eye felt fine the rest of the day other than some minor irritation.  The next morning when he woke up, his eye was bloodshot and irritated.  The injured worker sought medical care.  The doctor flushed his eye out and did not find any metal in the eye, however, the doctor advised that his eye was irritated and the doctor gave the injured worker eye drops and some pain medication to help with the irritation.  The injured worker was released to full duty work and he has a follow up appointment on Monday.  This turned out to be a minor injury in the big scheme of things.  The injured worker was wearing safety glasses when the incident occurred.  Our company is looking into the fastener screws that were being used to see if there is a problem with them.

So, all that being said, we won't be going injury-free this July, however, we can still have a good safe month by not having more injuries on top of this one.  The goal remains the same.  Let's work together as a team to do whatever we can to help prevent any more occurrences.  At least in this case, the injured worker was wearing eye protection so there wasn't much more that he could have done to prevent this.  Thank goodness this eye injury wasn't any more serious than it was.

We will keep you updated as July moves along.

Have a Safe Day!

Injury-free July After 2 Weeks!

Below is a flyer that was inserted into everyone's paycheck envelope two weeks ago as July historically happens to be our highest injury frequency month.  After 2 weeks completed in July; so far, so good. We have had ZERO INJURIES - great job everyone on coming together as a team and making this happen. We still have 17 days to go in July so lets not let our guard down on the battle against injuries. Make everyday count and do whatever you can to help prevent yourself or a co-worker from being injured.  

I also need to mention how awesome we are currently doing on our injury cost goal. One of our safety goals is to be at $0.50 injury cost per man hours worked or better. We are currently at $0.25 injury cost per man hours worked which is terrific.  Keep in mind that we still have 3 1/2 months left in our current year, however, we are in position to have our safest year over the past 15 years.  

July historically happens to be our highest injury frequency month.  For the past 5 years, July has lead in this category.  This trend is most likely due to several factors.  Some of those factors are that we do get busier in July, extreme summer heat leading to fatigue and employees not focused on the task at hand due to their minds being on summer activities, family fun, etc.  

What can we do to combat this and reverse the trend?  As far as summer heat, I encourage you to read the article posted on our safety blog dated June 19^th, 2012.  The safety blog address is www.safetypete.blogspot.com.  As far as I.D.I. getting busier in July; that is true, we are very busy this month with several school projects, tenant work, etc., which means we have an increased work force working more hours which increases our injury risk.  To combat this, that means each individual should take it upon himself to focus on the task at hand and pre-plan safety into your task.  We are challenging everyone in the company to help us to reverse this negative trend and to help us reach our short term safety goal of having ZERO INJURIES IN JULY.  To reach this goal, we need your help.  Safety Coordinators play a big role in this effort.  Let's not just go through the motions in July in performing our toolbox talks.  Let's get the crews together and get serious about our Monday morning toolbox talk training.  Pick a topic that pertains to the type of task, equipment, job site conditions or hazards you are facing and read the toolbox talk to the crew. Then have a discussion about the topic so that everyone has a clear understanding and focus on safety. You can make a difference.  

If you need safety assistance at your project, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day & Safe July!

Red Tape on All 3-Pronged Electrical Tools & Extension Cords!

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  All Safety Coordinators should have been provided a roll of red electrical tape.  We began a new quarter on 7/1/12 for our Assured Grounding Program.  You are to inspect, test and color-code with red tape all 3 pronged electrical tools and extension cords.  All electrical tools and cords need to be visually inspected.  If you see any defects in the cords such as bare wires, severe kinks, missing or damaged ground prong, the cord pulling away from the plug end housing, etc., then that tool or cord would need to be immediately removed from service and reported to the lead person.  If your tool/cord passes the visual inspection, your next step is to test the cord with a receptacle tester.  First, you should test the oulet that you will be plugging your cord into to ensure that it is properly wired.  You should see 2 yellow lights lit up on your tester and the red light should be off.  This means the outlet is working appropriately.  Next, plug your cord into the outlet and then test the cord with the receptacle tester.  Again, you should see the same light pattern as mentioned above and this would mean the cord passed the test and it is good and safe to use.  Any other light pattern means that there is a problem with the cord and the cord needs to be removed from service and reported to your lead person.  If the cord passes the visual inspection and the cord tester test, you should then remove the previous quarter's green electrical tape and install the red electrical tape about 1" down from both plug ends.  Your cord is now in compliance with our 3rd quarter's Assured Ground Program.  The red tape shall remain in place from 7/1/12 through 9/30/12.  You are not quite done yet!  You now need to visually inspect all electrical cords and tools on a daily basis and if any defects are found, the cord needs to be immediately removed from service.  Thank you for taking the time to ensure your electrical tools and cords are in safe working order.  Your actions may prevent one of our family members from sustaining an electrical shock type injury or worse yet and electrocution.  If you have any questions regarding our Assured Grounding Program, please call our Safety Director, Peter Graham, at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

July - Historically Our Highest Injury Frequency Month

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  July historically happens to be our highest injury frequency month.  For the past 5 years, July has lead in this category.  This trend is most likely due to several factors.  Some of those factors are that we do get busier in July, extreme summer heat leading to fatigue and employees not focused on the task at hand due to their minds being on summer activities, family fun, etc.  What can we do to combat this and reverse the trend?  As far as summer heat, I encourage you to read the proceeding article on this blog. As far as I.D.I. getting busier in July; that is true, we are busy this month with several school projects, tenant work, etc., which means we have an increased work force working more hours which increases our injury risk.  To combat this, that means each individual should take it upon himself to focus on the task at hand and pre-plan safety into your task.  We are challenging everyone in the company to help us to reverse this negative trend and to help us reach our short term safety goal of having ZERO INJURIES IN JULY.  To reach this goal, we need your help.  Safety Coordinators play a big role in this effort.  Let's not just go through the motions in July in performing our toolbox talks.  Let's get the crews together and get serious about our Monday morning toolbox talk training.  Pick a topic that pertains to the type of task, equipment, job site conditions or hazards you are facing and read the toolbox talk to the crew.  Then have a discussion about the topic so that everyone has a clear understanding and focus on safety. You can make a difference.  If you need safety assistance at your project, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day & Safe July!

Summer Heat - Drink Plenty of Water and Communicate With Your Foreman!

Working In The Heat!  Summer is here and we are getting 90 plus degree weather this week.  This is a good time to put out another reminder of what too look for as for as heat exhaustion symptoms, prevention methods, etc.  Although summer heat is the largest cause of heat distress disorder, it may also occur when workers are exposed to confined areas such as pipelines, tanks and other spaces with limited ventilation, and any confined area involving welding or cutting.

Symptoms:
The symptoms of heat stress disorders are very slow to start, but increase in intensity if precautions are not taken. The onset of the initial symptoms are mild and usually involve headaches, thirst, and tiredness.
Heat stress can move to heat stroke, a life-threatening medical emergency, quickly when the body's natural cooling system breaks down and causes the body core temperature to rise and overheat the brain. Some of the symptoms of heat stroke are immense thirst, severe headaches, disorientation, dry/hot skin (no sweating) and possibly collapse.

Treatment/Prevention:
The following ideas may aid in combating heat stress disorders:
1. Employees accustomed to working in the heat are better candidates for job assignments where heat stress disorders may occur.
2. Until employees acclimate to the high temperatures, allow them for short frequent breaks to cool down.
3. If heat is affecting employees, it’s a good idea to rotate employees job tasks from the heat exposure area to a non-heat exposure area on a regular basis to help in avoiding heat stress symptoms.
4. Employees should be encouraged to drink plenty of fluids (water, Gatorade, Powerade, etc.) to replace electrolytes. Water is actually the best choice. Employees should not drink any carbonated beverages (Coke, Pepsi, Energy drinks, etc.) as these only increase dehydration and give a false sense of being properly hydrated. Also, the use of alcohol the evening before the work shift, can lead to dehydration even before heat exposure.

If an employee appears to be suffering from heat stress disorder, remove him or her from the heat and provide a cool, shaded place to rest and provide them with plenty of water. If the employee is disoriented or non-responsive, call for medical attention immediately. (911 in most areas)
The goal is to recognize the hazards and symptoms of heat stress disorders and stop them before they occur. Remember, there is no better cure than prevention.

As always, if you are having to take extra breaks due to the extreme heat, you must notify your lead supervisor who in turn must contact your Superintendent.  

Should you have any questions regarding heat related stress, you are encouraged to call our Safety Director, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689. 

Have a Safe Day!

Quarterly Safety Make-up Meeting, Thursday, 6/14/12 at 4:00pm!

Good afternoon to all I.D.I. employees:  As you all know, we had our 2nd quarterly safety meeting for 2012 on Saturday, 6/2/12.  The safety training topic was Scaffold Safety. Many of you worked on Saturday for I.D.I. during the meeting and others had called ahead advising they could not attend due to other obligations.  Here is your chance to attend the make-up safety meeting.  We have scheduled the make-up quarterly safety meeting for Thursday, 6/14/12 at 4:00pm.  The meeting will be held in our warehouse at our office location which is 28059 W. Commercial Ave. in Barrington Il.  If you plan on attending, please make sure you contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham via e-mail at pgraham@4idi.com or by phone at (847) 417-1689, on or before 6/13/12.  We need an accurate head count for the meeting as we will be having to rent chairs.  Should you have any questions regarding the make-up safety meeting, please contact Peter Graham.

Have a Safe Day!

Quarterly Safety Meeting on June 2nd!

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  Just a reminder that all employees are invited to attend our 2nd quarterly safety meeting for 2012 which will be held on Saturday, June 2nd from 7:00am to about 9:00am.  The safety training topic will be on Scaffold Safety.  The meeting will be held at our office location in the warehouse at 28059 W. Commercial Ave., Barrington, IL 60010.  We last trained on scaffolding at our May, 2008 quarterly safety meeting so it’s time for a refresher for the veterans and maybe some new safety training for the new hires.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2.3 million people work on scaffolding annually.  There are over 10,000 scaffold related injuries on average per year.  There has been an average of 88 scaffold related fatalities over the past 5 years.  Scaffold ranks #2 as the most frequently cited construction OSHA standards with 7,069 citations being issued in 2010.  We want to provide scaffold safety training so that you don’t become one of these statistics.  We want for all of our employees to live up to our safety mission statement which is: “Everyone Goes Home Alive and in the Same Condition as They Arrived; Your Loved Ones Count On It!”  And that is why we are providing scaffold safety training.   

We encourage everyone to attend for several reasons of which the most important reason is for your safety. 

We look forward to seeing you on June 2nd.  Should you have any questions regarding scaffold safety or the upcoming meeting, please call our Safety Director, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689.  

Have a Safe Day!

Our Industrial Paint Division is "Having a Blast!"

Our industrial paint division is in the process of beautifying a 6 million gallon steel water tank in the northern suburbs. This is the largest size potable water tank in the state of Illinois.  Our scope of work involves abrasive blasting of the interior steel of the tank and then coating the interior and exterior of the tank.  Our industrial paint crew is off to a great start with their safety performance. There is a lot that goes into the planning and implementation of safety on a project of this nature. Some of the safety aspects of the project involve ventilating the interior of the tank, monitoring the air, our crew wearing air-supplied helmet respirators, protective gloves, hearing protection, protective clothing, safety cables on all the blast hoses, a dust collector system, fall protection while working on the tank roof top, aerial lift safety, etc.  Below are a couple of photos & a video showing how it's done!  Great job crew; keep up the safety performance.    

Today’s Safety Topic: Communication & Job Rotation!

Communication among each other can prevent many injuries especially those of a repetitive nature.  All employees need to communicate with their supervisors if they are developing pain in their shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, back, etc., from performing a specific task over and over.  These types of problems can be prevented from turning into an injury.  If you are noticing signs that your body is getting fatigued from doing a repetitive task over and over, your body probably just needs a break from that specific task which is causing the pain.  The preventative measure in this case to alleviate the pain and to keep the pain from becoming an injury could be as simple as job rotation.  Once the employee reports to his/her lead supervisor that he/she is developing pain in a specific body part from performing a repetitive task, the lead supervisor should then discuss this with their Superintendent and develop a plan to change that employee’s duties for a period of time to give that body part a break.  This simple procedure of job rotation will typically prevent the pain from becoming an injury.  If a supervisor knows ahead of time of a repetitive task that will go on for a long period of time, an idea would be to have a couple of employees trained to perform the task and rotate the employees out every couple hours, days or as needed to help reduce the risk of an injury.    

  

If not for yourself, be safe for your family and loved ones.

  

Should you have any questions regarding this topic, you are encouraged to discuss this with your lead supervisor, Superintendent our call our Safety Director, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689.

Stair Safety - Stair Treads (not filled in)!

You will eventually come across this at a job site.  You have work on multiple floors and the stairs are installed, however the treads are not filled in.  What should you do? 

First of all, you cannot walk on or use stairs in this condition.  The treads need to be appropriately filled in.  They should either be temporarily filled in usually with wood or sometimes Styrofoam or permanently filled in with concrete.  Either way, until the treads are filled in, they are a trip and fall hazard.  If the stairs are filled in with temporary measures, you need to ensure that the temporary fill is even and level and still does not pose a trip and fall hazard. 

If you come across a stairwell that has stair treads that are not filled in, you should do the following:  Notify your lead supervisor of the hazard.  The lead supervisor should in turn notify the general contractor of the hazard so that measures can be taken to fix the hazard.  All of our employees need to be made aware of the hazard and notified to not use the stairs until the treads are appropriately filled in and the stairs have been determined as safe to use.  The stairwell should then be closed down as soon as possible.  It is not necessarily your responsibility to close the stairwell, however, it is your responsibility to stay off the stairs and to notify your lead supervisor so that safety measures can be implemented.  “Stairwell Closed” signs and barricades shall be installed at all levels of access to the stairs.  Caution tape alone is not considered a good safety measure as many people tend to just walk under the caution tape and not pay much attention to it. 

Many employees may be tempted to use the unsafe stairs as they are right there in front of them.  They say to themselves, “I will only be on the stairs for a minute and no one will see me.”  This is why the stairs need to be closed down, so that no one is tempted to use them.  If an I.D.I. employee is found using stairs with the treads not filled in, that is an unsafe act and the employee shall be issued a written safety warning for his/her own safety. 

Also, all employees should be informed of how they should access the other floors.  Is there another set of stairs that have been completed?  Is there ladder access to the other floors? 

Next Quarterly Safety Meeting – June 2nd!

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  All employees are invited to attend our 2nd quarterly safety meeting for 2012 which will be held on Saturday, June 2nd from 7:00am to about 9:00am.  The safety training topic will be on Supported Scaffold Safety.  The meeting will be held at our office location in the warehouse at 28059 W. Commercial Ave., Barrington, IL 60010.  We last trained on scaffolding at our May, 2008 quarterly safety meeting so it’s time for a refresher for the veterans and maybe some new safety training for the new hires.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2.3 million people work on scaffolding annually.  There are over 10,000 scaffold related injuries on average per year.  There has been an average of 88 scaffold related fatalities over the past 5 years.  Scaffold ranks #2 as the most frequently cited construction OSHA standards with 7,069 citations being issued in 2010.  We want to provide scaffold safety training so that you don’t become one of these statistics.  We want for all of our employees to live up to our safety mission statement which is: “Everyone Goes Home Alive and in the Same Condition as They Arrived; Your Loved Ones Count On It!”  And that is why we are providing scaffold safety training.   

We encourage everyone to attend for several reasons of which the most important reason is for your safety. 

We look forward to seeing you on June 2nd.  Should you have any questions regarding scaffold safety or the upcoming meeting, please call our Safety Director, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689.  

Have a Safe Day!

PPE - Your Last Line of Defense!

PPE stands for personal protective equipment.  PPE is your last line of defense against injuries so it is important that you wear it.  Just a couple of PPE reminders for all employees to keep in mind to help fight the battle against injuries.  We feel that safety starts with the hard hat.  We liken it to getting in your car and fastening your seat belt.  Head protection can save your life. 

Hard hats are required 100%.

Work boots are required 100%

Long pants and shirts with sleeves are required 100%.  No tank top style shirts allowed. 

Eye protection – ANSI Z87.1 approved safety glasses or goggles must be worn when required by the general contractor.  They must also be worn when the tool or process you are doing requires eye protection.  Examples of tools and processes that you might use that require eye protection are TrakFast guns, staple guns, saws, welding, handling insulation, etc.  We cannot name every tool or process that might take place.  You must follow the tool manufacturer’s safety recommendations for eye protection.  You should also wear eye protection when drilling overhead, sanding overhead, when using corrosive liquids or corrosive paints and when the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) requires them to be worn.  Other times you might wear safety glasses are when it’s windy outside, as dust and debris can get in your eyes.

Dust Mask type respirators are to be worn by employees performing sanding operations and when handling insulation.  Voluntary use in dusty conditions. 

Half Mask and/or Full Mask organic vapor respirators are required to be worn by painters when performing any spray type applications.  Also required with some painting products when not spraying.  Painters must refer to the MSDS to determine if an appropriate respirator is required for the product they are using.  If you are unsure, then seek assistance from your Foreman, Superintendent or our Safety Director.  Painters or anyone wearing a half or full mask respirator must have been fit tested, trained and medically approved to wear these types of respirators. 

Gloves – required when handling insulation.  Nitrile coated or dipped gloves required when handling Thermafiber type insulation.  Rubber type PVC coated gloves are required when handling corrosive type liquids.  All employees working with unfamiliar products need to review the MSDS for the products you are using to check the glove requirements.  Gloves are required for carpenters/framers and all employees handling or working around sharp objects.  Your Superintendent has the authority to require gloves and other PPE as deemed necessary for your protection.

Hearing Protection is required when noise levels exceed OSHA acceptable levels.   Examples of when to use hearing protection would be when you are working next to someone who is jack hammering, when you are using a chopsaw to cut steel studs for an extended period of time, when the work environment has unusually high noise levels, etc. As always, you should check the operator’s manual of the various power tools you are using for the hearing protection requirements.

Face Shield – you must always were safety glasses under a face shield.  Face shields are required when ever using a gas partner saw.  Face shields shall be worn whenever a tool or process requires one to be worn.  Examples of situations when a face shield should be worn are when sparks are flying toward you while cutting steel, when there is a chance debris could strike you on the face or eyes.  You should refer to the tool operations manual for the tool you are using to see if a face shield is required.

This article does not name every situation in which you would be required to wear PPE, however, the above is a good start.  Don't wear PPE just because you are required to; wear PPE because it's your last line of defense against injuries.  Wear PPE for the sake of your loved ones who count on you coming home from work alive and in the same condition as you arrived. 

Should you have any questions regarding PPE, you are encouraged to call our Safety Director, Safety Pete at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

Green Tape on All 3-Pronged Electrical Tools & Extension Cords!

Good afternoon to all I.D.I. employees:  All Safety Coordinators should have been provided a roll of green electrical tape last week from your Superindendent.  We began a new quarter on 4/1/12 for our Assured Grounding Program.  You are to inspect, test and color-code with green tape all 3 pronged electrical tools and extension cords.  All electrical tools and cords need to be visually inspected.  If you see any defects in the cords such as bare wires, severe kinks, missing or damaged ground prong, the cord pulling away from the plug end housing, etc., then that tool or cord would need to be immediately removed from service and reported to the lead person.  If your tool/cord passes the visual inspection, your next step is to test the cord with a receptacle tester.  First, you should test the oulet that you will be plugging your cord into to ensure that it is properly wired.  You should see 2 yellow lights lit up on your tester and the red light should be off.  This means the outlet is working appropriately.  Next, plug your cord into the outlet and then test the cord with the receptacle tester.  Again, you should see the same light pattern as mentioned above and this would mean the cord passed the test and it is good and safe to use.  Any other light pattern means that there is a problem with the cord and the cord needs to be removed from service and reported to your lead person.  If the cord passes the visual inspection and the cord tester test, you should then remove the previous quarter's white electrical tape and install the green electrical tape about 1" down from both plug ends.  Your cord is now in compliance with our 2nd quarter's Assured Ground Program.  The green tape shall remain in place from 4/1/12 through 6/30/12.  You are not quite done yet!  You now need to visually inspect all electrical cords and tools on a daily basis and if any defects are found, the cord needs to be immediately removed from service.  Thank you for taking the time to ensure your electrical tools and cords are in safe working order.  Your actions may prevent one of our family members from sustaining an electrical shock type injury or worse yet and electrocution.  If you have any questions regarding our Assured Grounding Program, please call our Safety Director, Peter Graham, at (847) 417-1689. 

Have a Safe Day!

How to Safely Use Our - Metal Pan Roof Anchors!

We often use metal pan roof anchors as our fall arrest anchorage tie off point when there are no other 5,000 lb fall protection anchorage points in our work areas when working on metal pan decking.  The metal pan roof anchors are designed and engineered as a 5,000 lb anchorage point but will only work as one when used correctly. 

The metal pan roof anchors are designed for 1 person to attach to.  You cannot tie off more than one person to a metal pan roof anchor.  Depending on the model, there are either 12 holes or 16 holes on the flat plate of the device.  You are required to use #12 1 ¼” tech bolts to secure the metal pan roof anchor to the metal pan decking.  You cannot use a substitute screw or bolt as they may not hold you should you fall.  You must fill all 12 or 16 holes with a tech bolt and all of the tech bolts must fasten to the metal pan decking.  If you insert a tech bolt through one or more of the holes and it does not fasten to the metal pan decking, then you need to adjust the base of the metal pan roof anchor so that it does.  Also, it is critical to keep an eye on your tech bolts to ensure they are not stripped or corroded.  Inspect your tech bolts everyday and replace them if you see any signs of wear.

Also, the metal pan roof anchors are only allowed to be used with a retractable lanyard.  You cannot tie off to a metal pan roof anchor with a regular lanyard or a lifeline.  The metal pan roof anchors are designed and engineered to arrest a falling person who is secured to it with a retractable lanyard only. 

Should you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham. 

Have a Safe Day!

From The "I Caught You Working Safely" Series!

Framers, David Cervantes and Joe Winkler were caught working safely while building a parapet wall on a metal pan roof deck at a project in the Chicago West Loop area.  Both framers were using metal pan roof anchors secured to the metal pan decking, cable retractable lanyards and safety harnesses while working at the perimter edge of the roof deck.  Mark Brown is overseeing the safety at this project to help ensure all of our employees live up to our safety mission statement which is:  "Everyone Goes Home Alive and in the Same Condition As They Arrived; Your Loved Ones Count On It!"  Great job with safety - Mark, David & Joe! 

February Quarterly Safety Meeting Attendance Goal!

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  As you all know, we have 7 major safety goals that we discuss at all of our quarterly safety meetings.  Two of those goals are related to attendance at our quarterly safety meetings and they are to have a 75% show up rate of all field employees and an 80% show up rate for our Safety Coordinators.  We completed our first quarterly safety meeting of 2012 and the following are the show up rates.  We had a total of 81 field employees on the payroll for the week ending 2/25/12 and 70 field employees attended the safety meeting for a show up percentage of 86% which is 11% better than goal.  We had 43 Safety Coordinators on the payroll for week ending 2/25/12 and 38 attended the safety meeting for a show up percentage of 88% which is 8% better than goal.  We want to extend a huge thank you to all of the employees that attended to help sustain our positive safety culture and to exceed our attendance goals.  You attending the safety meetings shows that you are a team player, you care about your own safety and the other I.D.I. family members around you.  I also want to mention that there were 14 employees in attendance that were not on the payroll during the week of the meeting bringing the total attendees count to 84.  To those 14 employees - thank you for showing you care even when we are slow and you aren't working.  Hopefully the economy continues to improve, I.D.I. sales increase and we can get everyone back working which is a win-win for everyone.  Our next quarterly safety meeting will be in May.  Once we have the exact date and topic, we will provide that information to you.  In the meantime, have a safe day and keep looking out for each other. 

Thank you, Safety Pete

Quarterly Safety "Makeup" Meeting on 3/7/12 at 4:00pm

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees!  As everyone knows, we had our first quarterly safety meeting of 2012 last Saturday on aerial lift safety.  For those of you who could not attend, we are offering a makeup meeting which will be held next Wednesday, March 7th at 4:00pm.  This meeting will be held at  International Decorators and our address is 28059 W. Commercial Ave. in Barrington, IL.  Please note that the original meeting was at our aerial lift provider's location (Kropp Equipment) and the makeup meeting is at our office.  If you plan on attending, please ensure that you notify our Safety Director, Peter Graham on or before Tuesday, 3/6/12, so we can obtain an accurate head count for room size and chair rental purposes.  Peter can be reached via e-mail at pgraham@4idi.com or you can reach him by phone at (847) 526-7477, ext. 140.  Also, if you have to leave your job site early next Wednesday to attend the meeting, please confirm that with your Superintendent.
Our attendance at the original meeting last Saturday was terrific.  There were 90 field employees in attendance out of a possible 108 that were on the payroll.  We want to extend a big thank you to those 90 employees that attended the safety meeting.  You all once again showed your committment towards your safety program and our safety culture and it doesn't go unnoticed.  Thank you for caring about your safety and others. 

Have a Safe Day! 

Quarterly Safety Meeting Reminder - 2/25/12 at Kropp Equipment in Streamwood!

***IMPORTANT - Please note the location of the meeting! ***

All employees are invited to attend our 1^st quarterly safety meeting for 2012 which will be held on Saturday, February 25^th from 7:00am to about 9:00am.  Please note that the meeting will not be at International Decorator’s office.  The meeting will be held at our aerial lift provider, Kropp Equipment, located at 1339 Yorkshire Drive in Streamwood, IL 60107.  Kropp Equipment will be providing aerial lift safety training including emergency descent procedures.  All employees who attend the safety training session will receive an aerial lift identification training card from Kropp Equipment.  We last held an aerial lift safety training meeting in August, 2009, so this will serve as a good refresher for the veterans and maybe some new safety training for new hires.  As far as parking at Kropp Equipment, we can park on both sides of Yorkshire Drive.  Kropp Equipment is also checking in with their neighbor to see if we can park in their lot.  We will provide more information on parking as we get closer to the meeting. 

Your field safety committee brought up an excellent point during our December safety committee meeting in regards to the emergency descent procedures from aerial lifts.  We have not provided training on this topic in quite some time.  Kropp Equipment is going to demonstrate the emergency descent procedures at the quarterly safety meeting.  Following their demonstration, we are going to look for volunteers to perform an emergency descent. 

We look forward to seeing everyone at Kropp Equipment on Saturday, 2/25/12.  In the meantime, keep looking out for each other and be safe!

Have a Safe Day!

Safety Pete

Pressure Washer Safety!

Below is a toolbox talk on pressure washer safety which is a good reminder to everyone who uses one or works in the vicinity of one being used.

Pressure washers are used to clean equipment, materials and work areas on the job. At home, they may be used for washing automobiles, house exteriors and other uses. They can also cause injuries. Because the water is under pressure, it moves with enough force to cause damage to the eyes or skin and contribute to other types of injuries. Close contact with a pressure washer's flow to your skin actually abrades away the skin layer by layer rather than cuts and causes injuries that are hard to heal and scar for life. The noise can also damage hearing. For safer use of a pressure washer, follow these tips: Read your operator's manual and follow the manufacturer's instructions for safe use, maintenance and storage. Wear eye and hearing protection when you use a pressure washer. Avoid contact with the high pressure stream of water. Keep your hands, feet and body out of the way. Always wear good footwear and clothing (preferably long pants and sleeves) when using a pressure washer.  To keep control of the water stream, hang on to the spray wand with both hands. Never point the sprayer at another person, whether the pressure washer is operating or not. It could discharge unexpectedly. Maintain good footing. Do not reach so far that you lose your balance. Do not let children use a pressure washer. Do not use a pressure washer in an area where the water could contact electrical equipment. Make sure all connections & fittings are sound and secure. Inspect all hoses for wear & tear and do not use if a hose is found to be deteriorated. Ensure your electrical cord has no expoxed wires, is in good repair and always use a GFCI as you are working around liquids and/or water.  Pressure washers get the job done quickly and well. But they have the potential for causing injury, so use them safely at work and at home. Have a Safe Day!

I.D.I. Forming a New 2012 Field Safety Committee

As you all know, International Decorators has 2 Safety Committees.  One consists of management personnel and the other consists of field personnel.  Our 2011 Field Safety Committee is coming to an end and we are seeking field personnel to fill the vacant positions.  We are looking for a framer, drywall hanger, taper, painter and an acoustic carpenter to serve a 1 year volunteer commitment as a Field Safety Committee member.  This committee meets once every other month with the Safety Director (Safety Pete) starting in March of 2012 meaning that you would serve for 6 meetings during a 1 year period.  The meetings are typically held on Wednesdays at our office from 3:00pm – 4:30pm.    The meeting agenda typically consists of:

ü  A review of our safety goals.

ü  Recent injuries discussion & prevention methods.

ü  Updating and developing safety policies.

ü  Safety hazards that have been identified in the field and what we as a company can do to eliminate them.

ü  Future safety training needs, etc.

This is basically a safety brain storming session and we are looking for your input to help us to sustain and improve on our “Safety Culture.”  The main purpose of the Field Safety Committee is about ensuring that you and your fellow co-workers have a safe environment to work in.  If you are interested in making a difference and helping out yourself, your co-workers and your employer, please contact Peter Graham by e-mail at pgraham@4idi.com.  Here’s a little carrot – each meeting includes pizza, some comedy from Safety Pete and some end of the year recognition.