Volunteer Quarterly Safety Meeting on Fall Protection - Tomorrow at 7:00am!!!

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

One final reminder that we are holding our 4th and final volunteer quarterly safety meeting, tomorrow morning, Saturday, 12/6/14 at 7:00am at our Barrington office.

The safety topic is on Fall Protection!

This is your last chance to earn volunteer safety incentive points for our current year.  We will be mailing out the incentive catalogs to everyone in about 2 weeks. 

Hope to see everyone at the meeting. If you have any questions regarding the safety meeting, please contact Safety Pete at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

Volunteer Quarterly Safety Meeting Reminder - Saturday, 12/6/14 at 7:00am!

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

Just another reminder of our upcoming safety meeting.  All employees are invited to attend our 4th and final volunteer quarterly safety meeting for 2014 which will be held on Saturday, December 6th at 7:00am. 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 September 2012 volunteer 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 and for your loved ones. This is also your last chance to earn volunteer safety training incentive points for our 2014 program as this is our last meeting of the year. Each attendee will earn 200 points for attending the meeting. We will be mailing out the volunteer safety training incentive catalogs in mid-December to all employees that participated in the program. We look forward to seeing you on December 6th. 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!

Cold Weather Stress Prevention!

Good morning to all I.D.I. employees:

It's Captain Obvious here again to point out that it is darn cold out especially for this time of year when the average high temperatue for the day is supposed to be 47 degrees.  Most of us are not acclimated to this this type of weather yet as it came on quickly instead of the gradual lowering of the temperature which allows are bodies to get hardened or used to it.  Working in the cold can cause several types of cold stress injuries. People who are exposed to lower temperatures are at risk for injuries ranging from frostbite to serious loss of body heat (hypothermia) which could result in brain damage or death.

The following are some things we can all do to prevent cold stress type symptoms: 

Dress warmly, in layers. Preserving an air space between the body and the outer layer of clothing will help retain body heat. Choose fabrics such as cotton or wool, which insulate but also allow sweat to evaporate. It is especially important to protect the feet, hands, head, and face. These parts of the body are farthest from the heart and are the hardest to keep warm. Almost half your body heat can be lost through the head, so cover it up as well.

Keep dry. Wetness greatly increases the chance of cold stress. Always have extra clothing available if there's a chance you could get wet. Keep your feet dry, they are very susceptible to frostbite.

Take a break. You may think it's wise to keep on working in cold temperatures. After all, working makes you break a sweat and you feel warmer. But if you become fatigued during physical activity, your body loses its ability to properly retain heat. This causes rapid cooling which can quickly lead to cold stress. When you take a break, be sure to replace lost fluids and calories by drinking warm, sweet, caffeine-free nonalcoholic drinks and soup. If you are getting overly fatigued in cold weather, or if you are developing frostbite type symptoms discuss with your Field Supervisor and/or Superintendent about taking a short break.

Eat right. A proper diet provides your body with the nutrients it needs to withstand cold stress. A restrictive diet may deprive your body the ability to work well in cold temperatures.

Learn what to look out for.The effects of cold stress may not be apparent to everyone. The first symptoms of hypothermia are uncontrollable shivering and the sensation of cold. The heartbeat slows and may become irregular, and the pulse weakens. As the condition worsens, severe shaking or rigid muscles may be evident. The victim may also have slurred speech, memory lapses, and drowsiness. Cool skin, slow, irregular breathing, and exhaustion occur as the body temperature drops even lower. This is a serious condition requiring immediate medical attention.

Frostbite can occur without accompanying hypothermia. Frostbite occurs when the fluids around the body's tissues freeze. The most vulnerable parts of the body are the nose, cheeks, ears, fingers, and toes. Symptoms of frostbite include coldness and tingling in the affected part, followed by numbness; changes in skin color to white or grayish-yellow, initial pain, which subsides as the condition, worsens, and possibly blisters. Frostbite can cause irreversible tissue damage and requires immediate medical attention.

If you work in lower-temperature environments, always be alert for the possibility of cold stress. Follow these guidelines to help protect yourself from cold stess. Remember that it doesn't have to be freezing for cold stress to occur. Take steps to protect yourself. 

If you are working outside or in spaces that are not protected from the exterior environment, communicate with your field supervisor and Superintendent of any cold-weather safety related concerns or issues that you may have.  Keep an eye on each other and look out for your brothers and sisters that are working around you.  Should you have any questions about working in the cold, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

Final Volunteer Quarterly Safety Meeting - 12/6/14!

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

All employees are invited to attend our 4th and final volunteer quarterly safety meeting for 2014 which will be held on Saturday, December 6th at 7:00am. 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 September 2012 volunteer 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 and for your loved ones. This is also your last chance to earn volunteer safety training incentive points for our 2014 program as this is our last meeting of the year.  Each attendee will earn 200 points for attending the meeting.  We will be mailing out the volunteer safety training incentive catalogs in mid-December to all employees that participated in the program. We look forward to seeing you on December 6th. 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!

Falling Tape Measure Kills Construction Worker!

 

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

 

We just want to share a tragic story with everyone as this hits home with the point of why we require hard hats 100% of the time.  We require hard hats 100% because we care about you!  Please keep this story in mind as you are getting out of your vehicle at job sites. 

 

Have a Safe Day!

 

New Safety Coordinator Manuals - Being Distributed!

Good morning I.D.I. Safety Coordinators,

Your current Safety Coordinator manuals are approaching being 1-years old and are probably starting to run out of safety inspection forms and toolbox talk signature rosters.  The 3-ring binders also start to get delapidated after a year's use.  We have prepared new Safety Coordinator Manuals and we are in the process of getting them distributed to our Safety Coordinators with the goal of having them in all of your hands by the end of our fiscal year which is 10/31/14 so you have them to use for the first Monday in November.  The manuals are being brought out to our Safety Coordinators at the various job sites by our Superintendents, Drivers and by Safety Pete.  If you do not receive your new manual over the next 2 weeks, please ask your Superintendent or our Safety Director about it and we will get one to you. 

We have removed some of the older toolbox talks and replaced them with some new ones that are more relevant to the types of hazards you face, equipment and/or tools that you use to offer more protection to our employees.

Safety Coordinators play a vital role in helping us to sustain our positive overall safety culture.  The 5-10 minute safety toolbox talk sessions that get performed by the Safety Coordinators on Mondays are critical in helping us in the battle against injuries.  The Monday safety toolbox talk sessions get the week started off on the right foot and help set the tone for our employees to have safety at the forefront of their minds when performing tasks.  Please take the role of being a Safety Coordinator seriously as you may prevent a fatality or serious injury and you may never know it. 

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

 

Have a Safe Day!

Orange Tape on All 3-Pronged Electrical Tools & Extension Cords on 10/1/14!

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

We begin a new quarter on Wednesday, 10/1/14 for our Assured Grounding Program. We provided orange tape for distribution to the Safety Coordinators at our volunteer quarterly safety meeting that was held on 9/6/14.  To all Safety Coordinators - tomorrow, 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 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 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 10/1/14 through 12/31/14. 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 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!