Metal Stud Guardrails Must be 18 Gauge or Thicker!

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

It was brought to our attention by a well-known large general contractor that OSHA has been issuing citations to construction companies for installing metal stud guardrails that are made up of light gauge metal studs.  According to an OSHA interpretation letter that was sent to us by the general contractor, metal studs can be used as guardrails, however, they need to meet the OSHA requirements for guardrails.  The metal studs can't have sharp edges or corners which can cause lacerations and more importantly, they need to be able to withstand 200 lbs of outward and downward force on the top-rail and 150 lbs of outward and downward force on the mid-rail.  The big issue with light gauge metal studs is that they might not meet the outward and downward force requirement especially if there is a kink in the metal stud or if the light gauge metal stud is spanning a wide opening such as 4' feet or more.  A light gauge metal stud, especially one with a kink in it could fail causing a person to fall and sustain a serious injury or fatality.

Below is an actual photo of a light gauge metal stud guardrail that a company was issued an OSHA citation for.  The issues found in the photo are:  #1- on the right side of the photo, the top-rail is protruding out past the guardrail stanchion post as to where a worker could walk by and get snagged on it causing a laceration.  #2 - there are sharp corners (regardless of the top-rail protruding out) that would need to be bent downward/inward so the sharp corners are not exposed.  #3 - this is a light gauge stud which according to OSHA, may not keep a worker from falling as the top-rail may not be meeting the 200 lbs of outward and downward force OSHA requirement especially if the stud has a kink anywhere on it.

 

The following is what we would need to do if we are installing a guardrail.  We can you non-defective, wood 2 x 4's as our top-rail and mid-rail.  We can use metal studs, however, they must be 18 gauge or thicker, have no kinks or defects and we would be required to not allow the top and mid-rails to protrude out past the stanchion posts.  Lastly, we would need to bend the corners downward/inward so that no one is exposed to sharp edges which can cut them. 

 

Please keep this in mind the next time you are working around a metal stud guardrail or if you are installing a metal stud guardrail; for your protection and for those performing at your project.  Following these procedures will help keep us in line with our Safety Mission Statement which is:  "Everyone Goes Home Alive and in the Same Condition as They Arrived; Your Loved Ones Count On It!" 

 

If you have any questions, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham at pgraham@4idi.com.

 

Have a Safe Day!

Extension Cord - Safety!

Good morning I.D.I. employees:
How are your extension cords looking?  For your safety, it is required that you inspect your extension cords everyday before use.  You should be looking for tears in the outer insulation, missing ground prongs and the cords should have no exposed copper wires.  If you find any defects with your extension cords such as the three items mentioned above, the cord would need to be removed from service and reported to your supervisor.  Also, all extension cords should be in compliance with our assured ground conductor program and should have red tape on them towards each end of the cord.  Please see a Safety Coordinator at your job sites as they have cord testers and red tape to help maintain compliance. Also, we don't want our extension cords to be a trip hazard to you or to others working around you.  Extension cords should not run along the floor across hallways and corridors.  They should be strung up overhead whenever possible.

If you have any questions regarding extension cord safety, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

These extension cords are in safe condition for use and in compliance with our assured grounding program!

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

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, tiredness and weakness. 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.

We need to keep an eye on each other and 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!

July 20th Safety Meeting Postponed!!!!!

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

We are postponing our July, 20th quarterly safety meeting.  The meeting will most likely be held in September.

As we move closer to the 7/20/13 Saturday meeting date, we are coming to find out that we are going to have a large number of employees working on that Saturday during the meeting and they won't be able to be in attendance. We therefore are cancelling the meeting for now and we will reschedule it when the summer rush is over.

Please help to spread the word to our painters and tapers so that they don't show up at our office on Saturday, 7/20/13 as there will be no meeting on that date.

Once we have the new meeting date scheduled, we will ensure to advertise it and get meeting notices out to everyone ahead of the safety meeting date.

As always, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham with any questions.  He can be reached at (847) 417-1689 or by e-mail at pgraham@4idi.com.

Have a Safe Day!

Painters & Tapers Only - Quarterly Safety Meeting, Saturday, 7/20/13 at 7:00am

Good afternoon to all I.D.I. employees:  Just a reminder of our upcoming volunteer quarterly safety meeting which will be held on Saturday, July 20th from 7:00am to about 9:00am.  The meeting is being held for the painters and tapers only as far as field personnel and it is also offered to the drivers, warehouse and office personnel.  We provide safety training as a benefit to our employees to help prevent you and our other family members from sustaining injuries. The quarterly safety meetings help us to sustain an overall positive safety culture and help steer us towards achieving our safety goals.  As you all know, our #1 and #2 safety goals are to have No Fatalities and Zero Lost-Time Injuries.  We are asking you to help us with these safety goals by voluntarily attending the safety meeting.  We hold these safety meetings on a quarterly basis in order to help keep safety at the forefront of everyone's mind.  At the safety meeting, we will discuss some injuries that occurred since we last met along with corrective measures to help prevent a reoccurrence, working in the heat, repetitive strain type injuries including job rotation and some other safety related items.

The meeting will be held at our usual meeting location at our Barrington office located at 28059 W. Commercial Ave in Barrington, IL.  

Please help spread the word!

As always, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham, with any questions.  You can reach him by e-mail at pgraham@4idi.com.

Below are a few photos from our last quarterly safety meeting held in April, 2013.  

Have a Safe Day!

Red Tape on All 3-Pronged Electrical Tools & Extension Cords on 7/1/13!

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:  All Safety Coordinators should have been provided a roll of red electrical tape.  We begin a new quarter on Monday, 7/1/13 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 7/1/13 through 9/30/13.  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!

Employees With Their OSHA 30-Hour Card (Current Within The Past 3 Years!)

Good afternoon to all I.D.I. employees:  Over the past few years, we have been encouraging our employees to enroll in the OSHA 30-hour Construction Safety Course.  Many general contractors that we work with require that we place employees at their projects that have their OSHA 30-hour card current within the past 3 years.  Today, we want to recognize our employees that have taken the OSHA 30-hour course and that are current within the past 3 years.

We have 15 employees in this high standard category and they are:  Jesse Aguirre, Paul Baca, Earl Bingman, Cesar Chavez, Daniel Dominick, Angel Flores, Chris Frankowski, Brian Frederick, Tom Gracyk, Praxedes Lagunas, Adam Lichon, Gary Newton, Jason Ondera, Chris Pickrum and Adalberto Suarez.

Congratulations to all of you on successfully completing this course.  The OSHA 30-hour course is a huge time commitment and we know it.  By taking this course, you have demonstrated with your actions, your commitment to the company, to your Superintendent and to yourself and you have showed us what you are all about.  We also have several other employees that have taken the OSHA 30-hour course, however, they are not current within the past 3 years.  The OSHA 30-hour card never expires but many general contractors set a 3-year current standard.

Why should you enroll in the OSHA 30-hour Construction Safety Course?  For starters, this 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 as it teaches invaluable life skills that you can take with you and use anywhere for the rest of your life as this card never expires.  This course also looks terrific on a trade person's resume.  Many employers are getting choosier when it comes to seeking out new hires and having your OSHA 30-hour card is what may make you the front runner.

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-hour 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 it 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 online through some internet services.  We recently negotiated a $159.00 price for the course through Grainger.  If you choose to take the course online through Grainger, please contact our Grainger Territory Sales Representative, James Gill, Jr. at (224) 216-0986 to get the $159.00 pricing and he will advise you how to get signed up for the course.  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 always contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham and he can provide you with more information to help you.  You can reach Peter by e-mail at pgraham@4idi.com.  After you take the 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.

Lastly, if you have taken the OSHA 30-hour course and if you have not provided us with a copy of your card, please send a copy of your card to Peter Graham so we can document this on your I.D.I. safety record.  

Make yourself standout in the crowd!

Have a Safe Day!