White Tape on All 3-Pronged Electrical Tools & Extension Cords as of 1/1/21!

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

We begin a new quarter tomorrow on 1/1/21 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 1/1/21 through 3/31/21. 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!

Happy Thanksgiving to the IDI Family!

Good afternoon to all IDI employees,

We want to wish our IDI family and all of your families a happy Thanksgiving.  We hope that everyone has a nice relaxing day spending time with those that matter the most and giving thanks for everything we have. 

Have a Happy & Safe Thanksgiving!

IDI's Covid-19 Daily Job Site Safety Plan

International Decorators, Inc (IDI) is working hard to keep our employees safe and to prevent the spread of Coronavirus (COVID‐19) in our workplaces. We remain vigilant in keeping up with governmental agency and public health organization recommendations and requirements.  We want to provide as healthy an environment as possible for our employees, trade partners, suppliers, and clients.  IDI is providing guidance based on recommendations from the Centers of Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health (DOH), and the U.S. State Department.

 

Safety Advocates/Lead Field Supervisors – Every morning or shift during your Task-Based Safety Awareness Huddle ask the following questions to your whole crew and advise them that they can talk to you in confidence after the huddle.

·      Do any of you have a fever, cough, shortness of breath or flu-like symptoms?

·      Has any individual tested positive for COVID‐19?

·      Has any individual had exposure/close contact to someone known to have tested positive for COVID-19?  (What is close contact? - You were within 6 feet of someone who has Covid-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more.  You provided care at home to someone who is sick with Covid-19.  You had direct physical contact with a person who has Covid-19, such as you hugged them or kissed them.  You shared eating or drinking utensils with someone who has Covid-19 or they sneezed, coughed or somehow got respiratory droplets on you.)  

·      Has any individual traveled outside of the United States or gone on a cruise ship in the past 14 days?

 

If the answer is yes to any of the above, have that affected employee leave the job site immediately and immediately notify our human resource manager, Katie Clark (224) 279-8478.  Provide Katie with the affected employee’s name, symptoms and job site location.  Katie will then notify our job site Superintendent and will provide direction back to the Superintendent. 

 

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES 

Cleaning/Disinfecting 

·      All employees should routinely clean/disinfect their frequently touched work surfaces, such as
workstations, desk/countertops, door knobs, tools and equipment. 

·      IDI has spray bottles of disinfectant.  You can request this through your Superintendent.

·      No communal food will be permitted on the project site until further notice.

 

Worksite Hygiene 

·      We have disposable latex gloves in stock.  You can request them from your Superintendent.

·      Avoid touching your face, especially with dirty hands.

·      Sneeze and cough into a tissue (which is immediately disposed of), or the crook of your
arm; avoid using your hands.

·      Employees should wash their hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, where facilities exist to do so.  If there are no hand wash facilities at your job site, you can request hand sanitizer through your Superintendent.  

·      Put physical distance between yourself and other people (6 ft whenever possible).  Social distancing is a key element in the prevention of Coronavirus and in spreading Coronavirus.

·      Wear a face covering when 6’ social distancing is not feasible or when required by the job site.

 

Discuss COVID‐19 Symptoms with employees (may appear within 2‐14 days after exposure): 

*   Fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches, recent loss of taste or smell.

Employees should call their doctor if they: 

1. Develop symptoms and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID‐19.

2. Have recently traveled from an area with widespread or ongoing community spread of COVID‐19, such as out of the U.S. or went on a cruise ship. 

Have a Safe Day!

4th Volunteer Quarterly Safety Meeting - Video Format & Quiz Coming Soon!

Good afternoon to all IDI employees, 

As you know, IDI typically hosts in-person volunteer quarterly safety training meetings for all employees for the past 2 plus decades.  Due to Covid-19, we have been unable to host in-person safety training meetings for large gatherings of employees so we have been having to do things a little different for a while.  

Our 4th volunteer quarterly safety meeting that we usually hold in early November will be in the same format as our past 2 training meetings which means it will be a safety training video and a 10 question quiz.  All of the information will be emailed to everyone most likely next week including links to watch the video and a link to complete the 10 question quiz.  The safety training topic will be on Slips, Trips and Falls. 

At this point, unless there are some big changes for the positive with the virus situation, this video and quiz format will be the norm for a while.  We miss seeing all of you!  We miss the camaraderie that comes with everyone coming together.  Please keep on the lookout for future email blasts with more details about the 4th volunteer quarterly safety meeting.  

In the meantime, don't let your guard down in the battle against injuries.  Keep doing what you have always been doing in keeping an eye on each other and looking out for your brothers and sisters.  Make your daily Task-Based Safety Awareness Huddles matter as your Loved Ones Count On It!

As always, if you aren't sure of something, stop, take a breath and discuss with your lead field supervisor or Superintendent.  You can also call our Safety Director, Safety Pete with any safety related questions, to consult or just to check-in and say hello.   

Have a Safe Day!

Orange Tape on All 3-Pronged Electrical Tools & Extension Cords as of 10/1/20!

Good afternoon to all IDI employees:

We begin a new quarter for our Assured Grounding Conductor Program on Thursday, 10/1/20.  We are to switch over our cords from red tape to orange tape. To all Safety Advocates - 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 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 field 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 is 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 field 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 Grounding Conductor Program. The orange tape shall remain in place from 10/1/20 through 12/31/20. 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 have any questions regarding our Assured Grounding Conductor Program, please call our Safety Director, Peter Graham, at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

OSHA National Fall Prevention Safety Stand-Down Week! (9/14/20 - 9/18/20)

Good morning to all IDI employees,

Monday is the start of OSHA's National Fall Prevention Safety Stand-Down Week.  This is OSHA's 7th year of holding the Stand-Down and IDI has participated in this since it's inception.  OSHA's goal of the Stand-Down is to raise fall hazard awareness and prevent fall fatalities and injuries.  Falls are a leading cause of death for employees, accounting for 338 of the 1008 construction fatalities in the USA in 2018 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  IDI will be participating in the fall prevention stand-down again this year.  The founder of IDI, Tony Pintozzi Sr., opened the doors of the company in 1952 and ever since IDI was established, we have never had a fall related fatality.  In fact, IDI has never had a work related fatality and is something that Tony and the current leaders of the company, Butch Pintozzi, Bill Preston, Jim Gaszynski, Don Perrin and Matt Kiefer are very proud of!

The following is how IDI will be participating in the Stand-Down.  On Monday, 9/14/20, we need for our lead field supervisors & Safety Advocates to gather your crews together during your toolbox talk session and we want everyone performing the same toolbox talk from your manual.  The toolbox talk to perform is from the Fall Protection tab of your manual, topic # FP8 and the name of the topic is: What is Fall Protection?  During this session, advise our employees that the purpose of this toolbox talk session is for our participation in OSHA's National Fall Prevention Safety Stand-Down.  We are taking a time out for safety and recognizing that falls from elevations are a serious matter.  During this session, we are looking for all employees to participate.  Ask employees if they have ever witnessed a fall at a construction site, what that was like and what affect it had on them.  Ask if they know of anyone who has sustained a serious fall and again, discuss the affects it had on them, the affects it had on the victim's loved ones.  All employees should be sharing fall protection stories, safety tips and fall prevention related thoughts.  Also, many of the general contractors at the projects we are working at next week will be holding Fall Prevention Stand-Downs and we need for our employees to participate in those also.  Please remember to practice social distancing while gathering for the safety stand-down.

Falls from elevations are a serious matter and we need to take them seriously.  This Fall Prevention Stand-Down fits right in with our safety culture and our safety mission statement:  "Everyone Goes Home Alive And In The Same Condition As They Arrived; Your Loved Ones Count On It!  

We want to participate in this Stand-Down because we care about you!  You are part of the IDI family and family looks out for each other.

If you have any questions about this Stand-Down, please contact our Safety Director, Safety Pete at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

Status of our IDI Volunteer Quarterly Safety Meetings

Good afternoon to all IDI employees, 

As you know, IDI hosts in-person volunteer quarterly safety training meetings for all employees for the past 2 plus decades.  Due to Covid-19, we have been unable to host in-person safety training meetings for large gatherings of employees so we have been having to do things a little different for a while.  Our last in-person volunteer quarterly safety meeting held in our warehouse was in February 2020.  Our 2nd and 3rd volunteer quarterly safety meetings of 2020 that are typically held in May and August respectively, were held in a video type format with a 10 question quiz.  At this point, unless there are some big changes for the positive, it is looking like our 4th volunteer quarterly safety meeting, which is typically held in November, will most likely again be in video format with a quiz.  

We miss seeing everyone under the same roof.  We miss the camaraderie that comes with everyone coming together.  We will keep you posted over the next few months as to the exact format of our 4th volunteer quarterly safety meeting, but at this time, it is looking more and more as if it will be in video format with a quiz.  Please keep on the lookout for future email blasts with more details. 

In the meantime, don't let your guard down in the battle against injuries.  Keep doing what you have always been doing in keeping an eye on each other and looking out for your brothers and sisters.  Make your daily Task-Based Safety Awareness Huddles matter as your Loved Ones Count On It!

As always, if you aren't sure of something, stop, take a breath and discuss with your lead field supervisor or Superintendent.  You can also call our Safety Director, Safety Pete with any safety related questions, to consult or just to say "yo, yo Pete!"  

Have a Safe Day!

IDI Takes Its Safety Culture Out East to New York!

Good afternoon to all IDI employees,  

As many of you know, we have a painting and taping crew lead by Superintendent, Matt Larson, out in New York working at a huge project called Vassar Brothers Medical Center.  Our original crew started out east on 6/16/20.  They are working long hours and performing outstanding work.  To date, our employees have worked 4,870 incident-free hours on this project!  Below is a video showing their daily stretch & bend lead by drywall finisher, Vicente Casas.  Great job Vicente in taking the lead!

We are very proud of the whole team and all the safe work you are doing!  Way to go; way to represent IDI and show what we are capable of!

To view the video, you may have to click twice on the arrow.

Have a Safe Day!

Red Tape on All 3-Pronged Electrical Tools & Extension Cords as of 7/1/20!

Good morning to all IDI employees:

We begin a new quarter for our Assured Grounding Conductor Program on Wednesday, 7/1/20.  We are to switch over our cords from green tape to red tape. To all Safety Advocates - 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 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 your lead field 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 is 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 field supervisor. 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 Grounding Conductor Program. The red tape shall remain in place from 7/1/20 through 9/30/20. 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 have any questions regarding our Assured Grounding Conductor Program, please call our Safety Director, Peter Graham, at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

Potential Danger When Using Hand Sanitizer!

Good afternoon to all IDI employees, 

As you know, many of you are using hand sanitizer to disinfect your hands, due to Covid-19.  Below is the toolbox talk sent out to our Safety Advocates to perform this past Monday.  I am posting this on our safety blog for all to refer to if needed.  I feel this is a good reminder about the flammability of alcohol based products.  Please keep this in mind at home also.  Don't let this happen to you or your loved ones!

Have a Safe Day!

Preventing the Spread of Covid-19

Good morning IDI employees, 

As you all know, we are living in some unusual times with the Coronavirus affecting all of our daily lives.  I just want to put out a reminder so that we don't let our guard down and we keep up the battle against this virus. 

The following are the CDC Guidelines that we must follow to prevent the spread of the virus:

•  Practice social distancing - putting physical distance between yourself and other people (6 ft whenever possible).  

•  Stay home from work if you are sick (fever, cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness, flu-like symptoms) and report this to your Superintendent.

•  Stay home if you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19 or you have been out of the United States in the past 14 days and report this to your Superintendent.

•  Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.

•  If hand washing facilities are unavailable, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

•  Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

•  Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

•  Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash or use the inside of your elbow.

•  Clean and disinfect your frequently touched objects/surfaces, tools, equipment, computers, phone, doorknobs, hand-rails, etc.

•  Must wear a face covering that covers your mouth and nose when in public places and when at job sites when 6' social distancing cannot be maintained.  However, please keep in mind that many job sites have a 100% requirement for wearing face coverings at all times and we must follow those requirements. 

We hope that all of you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy.  We are proud of all the essential work you are all performing and we will all get through this together as a team/family!

If you have any questions about the above CDC guidelines, please contact me, Safety Pete. 

Have a Safe Day!

Green Tape on All Extension Cords & 3-Pronged Electrical Tools as of 4/1/20!

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

We begin a new quarter on, 4/1/20 for our Assured Grounding Conductor Program and we are to switch over to green tape.  To all Safety Advocates/Lead Field Supervisors - We need your help to keep our employees safe and to help keep us OSHA compliant by following our assured grounding conductor program. Please 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 field 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 field supervisor. 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 Grounding Conductor Program. The green tape shall remain in place from 4/1/20 through 6/30/20. You are not quite done yet! All employees now need to visually inspect all electrical cords and tools on a daily basis before use and if any defects are found, the cord needs to be immediately removed from service.

If you do not have green tape, please ask your Superintendent and they will coordinate getting it to you.

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 Conductor Program, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham, at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

Next Volunteer Quarterly Safety Meeting on 5/30/20!

Good morning to all IDI employees,

At our Saturday volunteer quarterly safety meeting held on 2/15/20, it was mentioned that our next volunteer quarterly safety meeting would be held on 5/9/20.  Due to that being Mothers Day weekend, we have rescheduled our next volunteer quarterly safety meeting to Saturday, 5/30/20 from 7:00am to 9:00am.  

Obviously, this is all pending the fluid situation regarding the Coronavirus.  We will provide further updates in regards to our next volunteer quarterly safety meeting as we get closer to May.  We will also provide more details about the safety meeting training topic in the near future.  

We provide safety training through our volunteer quarterly safety meetings because we care about you, your loved ones and the health of the company.  We provide this training because of our safety mission statement:  "Everyone Goes Home Alive and in the Same Condition as They Arrived; Your Loved Ones Count On It!"

We hope to see you on May 30th, 2020.  In the meantime, keep looking out for each other.  Take care of your brothers and sisters as we are all one family!

Have a Safe Day!

Vicente Casas - Employee of the Week for 2/24/20 at Cook County Renovation!

Good morning IDI employees,  

We have yet another employee getting some safety recognition.  Drywall finisher, Vicente Casas, was chosen by Walsh Construction's Safety Manager, Rex Engle, as the employee of the week for 2/24/20 at the Cook County Hospital Renovation job site.  Each week, Rex Engle selects a trades-person that has demonstrated the highest level of dedication to working safely onsite to be Employee of the Week. Vicente earned this recognition by playing a pro-active role in the safety culture at this job site.  

Vicente says that the reason he works safe is: "For his Family and Himself!"

Vicente is a Chicago Bears fan, loves playing soccer and I love Vicente's answer as to what would be his dream vacation - "Just to be healthy."  

Vicente - great job, way to make IDI proud!  

Please congratulate Vicente when you see him.

Have a Safe Day!

Walter Herrera - Employee of the Week for 2/3/20 at Cook County Hospital Renovation!

Good morning IDI employees,  

We have another employee getting some safety recognition.  Drywall finisher, Walter Herrera, was chosen by Walsh Construction's Safety Manager, Rex Engle, as the employee of the week for 2/3/20 at the Cook County Hospital Renovation job site.  Each week, Rex Engle selects a trades-person that has demonstrated the highest level of dedication to working safely onsite to be Employee of the Week. Walter earned this recognition by playing a pro-active role in the safety culture at this job site.  

Walter mentioned that the reason he works safe is: "For his Family!"

Gotta love Walter as his favorite sports team is the White Sox and favorite color is IDI red!

Walter - great job, way to make IDI proud!  

Please congratulate Walter when you see him.

Have a Safe Day!

Next Volunteer Quarterly Safety Meeting, This Saturday, 2/15/20!

Good morning to all IDI employees,

Just putting out a final reminder that our next Volunteer Quarterly Safety Meeting is this Saturday, 2/15/20 from 7:00am to 9:00am.  The safety training session will be held in it's usual location at our Barrington office at 28059 W. Commercial Ave. The safety training topics are:  Baker Scaffolds, Mini-Perry Mobile Workstands and Ladder Safety.  We will be raffling off three 1-day paid vacation days and you must be in attendance at the safety meeting to qualify to win. We will also be distributing the 2019 volunteer safety incentive items at this meeting.  

Our safety training meetings are all about you and your loved ones!  We provide safety training to help reduce the risk of injury and to help ensure that we are all living up to our safety mission statement:  "Everyone Goes Home Alive and in the Same Condition as They Arrived; Your Loved Ones Count On It!" 

We look forward to seeing you all on Saturday.

Have a Safe Day!

Anthony Driver - Employee of the Week for 1/27/20 at Cook County Renovation!

Good morning IDI employees,  

We have another employee getting some safety recognition.  Carpenter, Anthony Driver, was chosen as the employee of the week by Walsh Construction at the Cook County Hospital Renovation job site.  Anthony earned this recognition by playing a pro-active role in the safety culture at this job site.  

Anthony said that the reason he works safe is: "I look forward to everyone going home the same way that they came."

Anthony - great job, way to make IDI proud!  

Please congratulate Anthony when you see him.

New 2020 Field Safety Committee & When is a Debris Chute Required?

Good morning to all IDI employees, 

We held our first field safety committee meeting of 2020 this past Wednesday.  Your new field safety committee members are: 

Oliverio Anaya - representing drywall hangers & framers

Mark Gulbrandsen - representing acoustic carpenters

Jose Plascencia - representing drywall finishers

Rick Rizzi - representing painters

Chris Rojas - representing drivers & warehouse

James Thomas - representing carpenters & framers

We had some good discussion on safety and one of the items that came out of this meeting was - when is a debris chute required when dumping scrap out of a structure?  

The following are the OSHA regulations on this subject matter.

So, with that being said, materials cannot be dumped or dropped down to ground level out of a structure, building, etc., from a height greater than 20 feet without the use of an OSHA compliant debris chute. 

Also, if you are dumping scrap out of a structure from below 20 feet, you still need to ensure that there are no people below that could be struck by the scrap.  You should caution tape off the area on the ground surrounding the dumpster that the scrap is being dumped into to warn others to stay clear of the area.  You also need to take into account the wind conditions.  

Lastly, don't forget about your personal fall protection if you are the employee that is dumping the material.  You would need to be protected from falling out of the structure by an OSHA compliant guardrail or you would need to be appropriately using fall arrest equipment such as a safety harness & retractable lanyard and you need to be tied-off/secured to a 5,000 lb anchorage point that is part of the structure.  

Should you have any questions on this subject, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham.  

As far as your 2020 field safety committee; please use them as a resource.  The field safety committee meets 6 times a year and the goal of the field safety committee is to help ensure you have a safe career so that you can go home to your loved ones.  If you have a safety matter, an idea for safety improvement or something related to safety that you are needing help with, you should contact our Safety Director, your Superintendent, one of our Safety Advocates, or seek out one of our field safety committee members so we can have a round-table discussion on your safety matter so we can develop a plan to get it resolved.  

Have a Safe Day!

Task-Based Safety Awareness Huddles

Good morning to all IDI employees,

How are your pre-shift Task-Based Safety Awareness Huddles going?  Make this morning's safety huddle matter!

1.  Before work commences, all IDI trades together as 1 team.

2.  Safety Advocate leads the safety huddle.  

3.  Ask the team – are there any job site hazards that we should all be aware of?

4.  Then discuss as a team our plan of action/preventative measures due to the hazards.

5.  Ask each trade group what their tasks are for the day, location of the tasks and their plan to perform the tasks safely.  (Dig Deep)

6.  Ask if anyone anticipates they will be working in awkward positions, over reaching, abnormal exertion or ongoing repetitive tasks; pre-task stretching should be implemented.

7.  If there are ongoing repetitive tasks that are causing soreness that could lead to an injury, advise the crew to inform their supervisor. (think about job rotation or switching out tasks for ongoing repetitive tasks)

8.  Ask what we can all do to prevent complacency, feeling of being rushed, fatigue and frustration from setting in.  (4 Mind States)

9.  End the safety huddle with being motivational and with trying to get everyone focused on safety, mind on task, eyes on task, not being in the line of fire and keeping balance, traction and grip.  (4 Critical Errors)

10. Be a great leader!

Next Volunteer Quarterly Safety Meeting on 2/15/20!

Good afternoon to all IDI employees,

Just getting the word out that our next volunteer quarterly safety meeting is being held on Saturday, 2/15/20 from 7:00am to 9:00am at our Barrington office location at 28059 W. Commercial Ave.

We will provide more details about this safety meeting as we get closer to the meeting date.  We provide safety training through our volunteer quarterly safety meetings because we care about you, your loved ones and the health of the company.  We provide this training because of our safety mission statement:  "Everyone Goes Home Alive and in the Same Condition as They Arrived; Your Loved Ones Count On It!"

We hope to see you on February 15th, 2020.  In the meantime, keep looking out for each other.  Take care of your brother's and sister's as we are all one family!

Have a Safe Day!