White Tape on All 3-Pronged Electrical Tools & Extension Cords as of 1/1/14!

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  All Safety Coordinators should have been provided a roll of white electrical tape. We began a new quarter January 1st, 2014 for our Assured Grounding Program.  To help ensure we are in compliance with safety regulations and for the safety of our employees, we need your help by inspecting, testing and color-coding 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 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 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 Grounding Program. The white tape shall remain in place from 1/1/14 through 3/31/14. 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, an 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!

Driver Hand-held Cell Phone Ban in Illinois

Good afternoon I.D.I. employees:

The following is a short article that was in the Chicago Tribune on January 1st, 2014.

 A driver who zooms down the road with one hand on the wheel and the other propping a cellphone against an ear soon could find that choice a costly one — a new state law taking effect Wednesday, 1/1/14, bans the use of hand-held devices while driving in Illinois. Motorists still can chat and drive, but only if they use hands-free technology such as a Bluetooth device, earpiece, headset or speakerphone. Otherwise, they'll need to put it in park or face fines that start at $75. A handful of towns, including Park Ridge, will issue warnings for the first few weeks of the year, but state police say they'll offer no such grace period. Under the law, first-time offenders would face a $75 fine. That cost rises to $100 for a second violation, $125 for a third and $150 for each subsequent offense. After four violations, the Illinois secretary of state would have the power to suspend a driver's license.

I am sure all of you are aware of this new law, however, we just want to put our a reminder for your safety and for your loved ones.  Also, please don't forget the Illinios law in regards to no texting or e-mailing while driving. 

Have a Safe Day & Drive Safe!