Thursday, January 3, 2019

I.D.I. Forming New 2019 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 2018 Field Safety Committee has concluded 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 late January 2019, meaning that you would serve for 6 meetings during a 1 year period.  The meetings are typically held on a weekday at our office from 3:00pm – 4:30pm.  The meeting agenda typically consists of:

ü  A review of our safety goals.

ü  Recent incident/injury 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 or reduce them to an acceptable risk.

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 your Superintendent, to discuss your interest level and then contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham by e-mail at pgraham@4idi.com.  Here’s a little carrot! – each meeting includes pizza, some lame comedy from Safety Pete and some end of the year recognition.

Have a Safe Day!

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

White Tape on All 3-Pronged Electrical Tools & Extension Cords as of 1/1/19!

Good afternoon to all I.D.I. employees:

We began a new quarter on 1/1/19 for our Assured Grounding Conductor Program. We are to switch over our cords from the previous quarter's orange tape to white tape.  To all Safety Advocates & Lead Field Supervisors, please help keep our employees safe and help keep us OSHA compliant by following our assured grounding conductor program. Please inspect, test and color-code with white tape all extension cords and 3 pronged electrical tools.  All extension cords and tools 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 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 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 Conductor Program. The white tape shall remain in place from 1/1/19 through 3/31/19. You are not quite done yet! All employees now need to visually inspect all electrical cords and tools on a daily basis and if any defects are found, the cord or tool 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 need a roll of white tape, please contact your Superintendent. If you have any questions regarding our Assured Grounding Conductor Program please call our Safety Director, Peter Graham, at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!