Easterday Construction

Safety Update

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We just filled out our OSHA 300A form for 2009 and I’m pleased with the results.  The OSHA 300A form is the summary of work-related injuries and illnesses.  We had one reportable injury with no lost days.  Not bad for all of the hours logged last year.

There are multiple categories including Deaths (0 Whew!), Total Number of Days Away From Work (0), and Total Number of Days of Restriction (0).  Injuries and illnesses break out a lot of things other than injuries, including Skin Disorders (0), Respiratory Conditions (0), Poisoning (0) and Hearing Loss (0).  Zeros across the board on these issues. 

This form will be used internally for training purposes.  (The one reportable accident has already been discussed with those involved as well as others that weren’t there in order to prevent similar incidents in the future.)  It factors into our insurance rating.  It is also a factor in our STEP rating.

Congratulations to everyone at Easterday Construction Co., Inc. for another safe year!

Merry Christmas!

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Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!

This is the last post before Christmas and I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!  I don’t know if having everything coated in ice qualifies as a white Christmas, but there’s some snow under there too.

The Christmas Pug was stolen from a card we received from Cal-Pro Fence.  Thanks guys.   Becky and I used to have a pug, though we would have never gotten A.J. to sit still long enough to wear a hat for a picture.

This has been a tough year for everyone, but I want to thank the clients that have stuck with us.  I also want to thank the ECC staff that have worked hard this year.  Here’s hoping next year is a better year for all of us!

Merry Christmas to everyone and Best Wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year!  Safe travels for those of you that will be out in the weather.  To the rest of you, be safe at home.

Kevin

Metal Buildings and “Green” Construction

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Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings (PEMB’s) are one of the most environmentally friendly forms of construction for large scale projects. Almost by definition, the PEMB is optimized to provide the required building function with the minimum of waste. Couple that with the fact that steel is a recyclable material and this adds to the green aspect of PEMB construction.

 We recently received a letter from Butler Manufacturing Company (BMC) talking about the new EcoCalculator and how it applies to PEMB construction. The letter included the following quote: “Our type of construction customarily instills a level of predictability in terms of cost, erection time and quality,” said David E. Evers, PE, vice president of research and development for Butler Manufacturing and chairman of the Energy Committee for the Metal Building Manufacturers Association. “The growing interest in applying metal building structural, roof and wall assemblies to ‘green’ buildings has led to their inclusion in the development and acceptance of a tool known as the EcoCalculator for Assemblies developed by The Athena Institute, in association with the University of Minnesota and Morrison Hershfield Consulting Engineers (http://www.athenasmi.org/tools/ecoCalculator/indec/html). This remarkable software provides architects, engineers, contractors and others instant access to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for hundreds of common building sections, including a number of typical metal building assemblies.”

Metal Building construction is one of the “green” ideas that makes sense. Easterday Construction Co., Inc. has been a Butler Builder for over 30 years and has always been pleased by the quality of the BMC product. This is one of the construction ideas that was “green” long before green grew to its current popularity!

Safety Inspection

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Last week we were working on a reroof project on the east shore of Lake Maxinkuckee for one of our good clients.  Superintendent Bob Cooper noticed a car parked in front of the site, observing our work.  He went out to check on it and found one of our competitors in the car with a Safety Consultant he had hired.  Apparently our competitor had just had a visit from OSHA resulting in fines.  He had hired the consultant to assist with the OSHA compliance on the current issues as well as to prevent future problems.

Upon some further discussion it was determined that the consultant was a former OSHA inspector.  They were touring around looking at projects and discussing the safety violations they saw.  Why were they spending so much time in front our our site?  Because he was using us as an example of how to do it right!  Our fall protection was in place.  Our housekeeping was good.  When he heard about our safety program, tool box talks, etc. he suggested that our competitor talk to us.  “Sounds like this company does it right!”

We strive to do the right thing on our projects.  We don’t want to see anyone get hurt.  I cringe when I go by some job sites and see poor safety measures employed.  I am pleased when our efforts are recognized by our clients and our peers.  Earlier this year we achieved Silver Status in the ABC S.T.E.P. program.  <certificate>  We will strive to maintain that level or move up next year.

Happy Anniversary!

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Becky and I were fortunate to have the opportunity to help celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Will and Kathy Pearson this past Sunday.  Both have been employees of Easterday Construction Co., Inc. for many years.  Congratulations to Will and Kathy and best wishes for many more.