Red Tape on All 3-Pronged Electrical Tools & Extension Cords as of 7/1/21!

 Good afternoon to all IDI employees:

We begin a new quarter for our Assured Grounding Conductor Program on Thursday, 7/1/21.  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 7/1/21 through 9/30/21. 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 have any questions regarding our Assured Grounding Conductor Program, please call our Safety Director, Peter Graham, at (847) 417-1689.

Have a Safe Day!

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

 Good afternoon to all IDI employees:

Summer is upon us and the heat is getting turned up!  Just putting out a reminder of what to look for as far as heat exhaustion symptoms, prevention methods, etc.  We don't want our employees sustaining heat exhaustion type injuries as they are preventable.

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 are 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.
4. Don't forget to protect your skin - wear sunscreen.

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. Everybody working in the heat should be communicating and checking on each other

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!

OSHA National Fall Prevention Safety Stand-Down Week! (5/3/21 - 5/7/21)

Good morning to all IDI employees,

Next Monday is the start of OSHA's National Fall Prevention Safety Stand-Down Week.  This is OSHA's 8th 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 401 of the 1061 construction fatalities in the USA in 2019 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, 5/3/21, 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, and if so, what was that 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.

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!

2nd Volunteer Quarterly Safety Meeting of 2021 - Video Format & Quiz Coming Soon!

Good morning 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 2nd volunteer quarterly safety meeting of 2021, that we usually hold in early May, will be in the same format as our past 4 training meetings, which means it will be in a safety training video format and a 10 question quiz.  All of the information will be emailed to everyone most likely by 5/1/21, including links to watch 2 safety training videos and a link to complete a 10 question quiz.  There will be 2 safety training topics including Hazard Recognition and Fire Extinguisher Safety. 

We are hopeful that with the Covid-19 positivity rate being lower and with the increase in the population getting the vaccine, that we will be able to meet in-person towards the end of summer for our 3rd volunteer quarterly safety meeting.  

Please continue to do your part to help stop the spread of this nasty virus so we can all get together under one roof, including - washing your hands frequently, using hand sanitizer, disinfecting commonly touched surfaces, practicing 6' social distancing, wearing a face covering when within 6' of someone or when required by the job site and staying home when you aren't feeling well.  

We miss seeing everyone!  We miss the camaraderie that comes with everyone coming together.  Please keep on the lookout for future email blasts with more details about the 2nd volunteer quarterly safety meeting.  

In the meantime, 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 breather and discuss with your lead field supervisor or Superintendent.  You can also call our Safety Director, Safety Pete with any safety related questions.    

Have a Safe Day!

IDI's - Safety Advocates of the Year for 2020!

Good morning to all IDI employees, 

As you know, every year going back to 2008, IDI acknowledges our outstanding Safety Advocates of the Year and we typically do this by unveiling a banner at our 1st volunteer quarterly safety meeting of the new year in February.  Due to Covid-19, we have not been able to hold in-person volunteer quarterly safety meetings.  So, with that being said, below is our new banner that is hanging in our warehouse containing the names of our 2020 Safety Advocates of the Year:  

The following are the criteria to be named a Safety Advocate of the Year for 2020: 

1. Had to be a Safety Advocate for the whole year (started the year as a Safety Advocate and ended the year as a Safety Advocate)
2. Must have worked a minimum of 1,600 hours
3. Attended all 4 volunteer quarterly safety meetings
4. Turned in all toolbox talks & safety inspections by 12:00pm on 1^st business day worked
5. No injuries to themselves
6. No injuries to employees at the Safety Advocate’s job site, that were a violation of a company policy
7. No issued written safety warnings to themselves or employees at their job sites
8. Consistently performs quality Task-Based Safety Awareness Huddles
9. No positive drug & alcohol tests
10. Has an overall positive attitude towards safety

Congratulations to our 17 Safety Advocates of the Year.  Your efforts are what make us the industry leader in safety,  We are successful because of you!

When you see our Safety Advocates of the Year, please give them a good ole' attaboy!

If you have any questions about the above, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham.

Have a Safe Day!

Green Tape on All Extension Cords & 3-Pronged Electrical Tools as of 4/1/21!

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

We begin a new quarter on, 4/1/21 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 4/1/21 through 6/30/21. 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!

IDI's 100% Eye Protection Policy!

Good afternoon to all IDI employees,

As you all know, IDI requires eye protection to be worn 100% of the time while on job sites. IDI provides eye protection such as safety glasses and/or goggles at no cost to our employees.  We rolled out this 100% eye protection policy in March of 2015 which was 6 years ago.  We have had tremendous results with this policy in place as we have not had a single eye related injury requiring medical care since this went into effect.  Prior to the 100% eye protection policy going into effect, IDI required safety glasses for various tasks, but not all the time, and we would get a few debris in the eye type medical injuries a year.  We also had 1 very serious eye related injury in January of 2015 involving an employee using a hammer and a very small metal fragment broke away from the face of the hammer and darted directly into our employee's eye, causing the need for immediate emergency surgery.  Fortunately, the employee did not lose his eye.  

If you are a prescription glasses wearer, you need to keep in mind that prescription glasses are not impact resistant and can shatter if struck by a flying object such as a fastener pin. Prescription glasses do not meet the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) requirements for eye protection on construction job sites.  Also, prescription safety glasses typically do not have side shield protection.  The following are a few options to help prescription glass wearers to meet the 100% eye protection requirement.  We provide over-the-spectacle or OTS safety glasses to wear over prescription glasses.  If you need a pair of the OTS safety glasses, just request them from your Superintendent and you will be provided with a pair.  Another option that many employees already do is to buy prescription safety glasses. If you are going this route, please talk to your eye doctor or prescription safety glasses provider to ensure the prescription safety glasses are ANSI Z87.1 approved.  Also, you would need to ensure that your prescription safety glasses have side shield protection or that they are the wrap around style.  You could take a pair of our safety glasses with you to the eye doctor or provider to help describe this.  It is my understanding that you can purchase prescription safety glasses at a reasonable or very low cost through your group medical insurance vision plan as I have been told this by many employees who have gone this route.  

We cannot allow our employees to wear regular prescription glasses as their only eye protection method while on job sites and we have to enforce our policy for your protection.  

Our 100% eye protection policy was put in place for your protection.  We want for all of our employees to be able to go home from work at the end of the day, injury-free, with both eyes and no vision loss as your loved ones are counting on it!

If you have any questions about our 100% safety glasses/eye protection policy or anything else related to safety, please contact our Safety Director, Peter Graham at (847) 417-1689 or via e-mail at pgraham@4idi.com.

Have a Safe Day!