[Granite Newsletter] | Volume 7 - Issue 1 - 2013 Page 1 Granite Newsletter Volume 7 - Issue 1 January 2013 Safety Quote of the Month “SAFETY ISNT JUST A SLOGAN, IT’S A WAY OF LIFE” Security Health EHS HR/Integrity Awards In this Issue Safety Quote of the Month.............................. 1 Slips, Trips and Falls ...................................... 2 Flu Season Is Upon Us................................... 4 Ask EHS ......................................................... 5 EHS Event Phumy MI Outage, Vietnam ......... 5 Refocus on EHS – Medway Power Station..... 6 Global Human Resources.............................. 7 Awards and Recognition................................. 9 Perrin Ranch Windfarm Submitted by Greg Barker Ask EHS
Slips, Trips and Falls Slips, trips, and falls constitute the
majority of general industry accidents.
Second only to motor vehicle accidents;
slips, trips and falls are the most
frequent accidents leading to personal
injury. Slips trips and falls can result in
head injuries, back injuries, broken
bones, cuts and lacerations, or sprained
muscles.
A "slip" occurs when there is too little traction or friction between the shoe and walking surface. A "trip" occurs when a person’s foot contacts an object in their way or drops to a lower level unexpectedly, causing them to be thrown off-balance. A trip most often results in a person falling forward, while a slip most often results in the person falling backward. A "fall" occurs when you are too far off-balance.
There are many situations that may cause slips, trips, and falls, such as ice, wet spots, grease, polished floors, loose flooring or carpeting, uneven walking surfaces, clutter, electrical cords, open desk drawers and filing cabinets. Loose, irregular surfaces such as gravel, shifting floor tiles, and uneven sidewalks, can make it difficult to maintain your footing. Most slip, trip and fall incidents are preventable with general precautions and safety measures.
Some of the Factors Contributing to
Slips, Trips and Falls Include:
Wet or Slippery Surfaces The
following are some simple ways to
reduce the likelihood of a slip and/or fall
on wet or slippery floors:
• Use anti-skid adhesive tape in high traffic areas
• Use absorbent mats in entrance ways during inclement weather. (Caution: Unanchored mats may cause slip hazards themselves. Make sure that mats lie flat and that the backing material will not slide on the floor.)
• Display wet floor signs when appropriate, note that signs are a great awareness tool but should not be the only means of control. Clean up spills and wet floors as soon as practical.
• Have a procedure to deal with spills and ensure spills are reported and cleaned up immediately.
If you must walk on a slippery surface:
• Wear proper footwear for better traction on slippery surfaces
• Take slow, small steps • Use rails or other stable objects
that you can hold onto
Environmental Conditions No matter
how well the snow and ice are removed
from sidewalks, parking lots and the
surrounding streets, people will
invariably encounter some slippery
surfaces when walking outdoors in the
winter. Many cold-weather injuries are
the result of falls on ice-covered streets
and sidewalks.
• Dress warmly and wear boots
with non-skid soles (avoid plastic
and leather soles).
• During the daytime, wear sunglasses to help you see better and avoid hazards. At night, wear bright clothing or reflective gear. Dark clothing will make it difficult for motorists to see you--especially if they aren't expecting you.
• When entering a building, remove as much snow and water from your boots as possible. Take notice that floors and stairs may be wet and slippery. Walk carefully.
• Use special care when entering and exiting vehicles--use the vehicle for support.
Streets and sidewalks that have been cleared of snow and ice should still be approached with caution. Look out for "black ice." Dew, fog or water vapor can freeze on cold surfaces and form an extra-thin, nearly invisible layer of ice that can look like a wet spot on the pavement. It often shows up early in the morning or in areas that are shaded from the sun.
Insufficient or Inadequate Lighting
Insufficient light can make it difficult to
see obstacles and notice changes in the
walking surface and is associated with
an increase in accidents. Move slowly
where light is dim and pay increased
attention to your path of travel. Moving
too fast increases the likelihood you will
misjudge a step or encounter a hazard
before you have a chance to notice it.
Moving from light to dark areas, or vice
versa, can cause temporary vision
problems that might be just enough to
cause a person to slip on an oil spill or
trip over a misplaced object.
Climbing or Descending Stairways
Nearly half of all falls occur on stairs.
Keeping stairs in good repair is essential
to preventing accidents. Make sure that
stairways have secure handrails and
guardrails, even surfaces, even tread
heights and are free of deteriorating
coverings such as frayed carpet. To
prevent an accident, awareness and
prevention is key. Here are some simple
ways to prevent a fall incident on
stairways:
• Whether going up or down stairs, always use the handrail
• Make sure stairways are well lit, with on/off switches at the top and bottom
• Make sure stairways are clear of any obstacles
• If you are wearing footwear such as high heels or sandals, use extra caution while going up and down
• Routinely check stairs for loose or worn carpeting
• Report outdoor stairways if you notice ice, snow or water accumulation
• When carrying objects up and down steps, be sure you are able to see where you are stepping and hold onto the handrail if possible
The chance of fall accidents in stairways increases with inattention, illness, fatigue and haste. Take care when ascending and descending stairways.
Housekeeping Issues in Working and Walking Areas
Proper housekeeping in work and walking areas can contribute to safety and the prevention of falls. Not only is it important to maintain a safe working environment and walking surface, these areas must also be kept free of obstacles which can cause slips and trips. Obstacles could include clutter, obstructions across hallways and material stacked or dumped in passageways, etc.
Avoid stringing cords or lines across hallways or in any walkway. If it is
necessary to do so, it should be on a temporary basis (i.e., power cords, telephone lines, etc.) and, then the item should be taped down, run overhead or a ramp should run over any cords and hoses.
Regular frequent inspections of working and walking areas should be conducted to identify environmental and equipment hazards which could cause slips, trips and falls.
Flu Season Is Upon Us How does the flu spread? Flu viruses are thought to spread mainly from person to person through the coughing, sneezing, or talking of someone with the flu. Flu viruses also may spread when people touch something with flu virus on it and then touch their mouth, eyes, or nose. Many other viruses spread these ways too.
People infected with flu may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5-7 days after becoming sick. That means you may be able to spread the flu to someone else before you know you are sick as well as while you are sick. Young children, those who are severely ill, and those who have severely weakened immune systems may be able to infect others for longer than 5-7 days.
Cleaning to Prevent the Flu: The flu
virus can “live” on some surfaces for up
to 24 hours. Routine cleaning of
surfaces may reduce the spread of flu.
What kills flu viruses? Flu viruses are
killed by heat above 167° F [75° C].
Common household cleaning products
can also kill the flu virus, including
products containing:
• Chlorine
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Detergents
• Alcohols
What are Everyday Preventative
Actions? Everyday preventive actions
are steps that people can take to help
slow the spread of germs that cause
respiratory illness, like flu. These include
the following personal and community
actions:
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. This will block the spread of droplets from your mouth or nose that could contain germs.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and
mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick
people.
• If you or your child gets sick with a respiratory illness, like flu, limit contact with others as much as possible to help prevent spreading illness. Stay home (or keep your child home) for at least 24 hours after fever is gone except to seek medical care or for other necessities. Fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.
• If an outbreak of flu or another illness occurs, follow public health advice. This may include information about how to increase distance between people and other measures.
Medway Power Station On January 6, 2013 the EU2 management team had a launch meeting with the crew assigned to the Madrid office facilities. Over 90 minutes, we reviewed different aspects related to the quality, productivity and Granite regional and global statistics. At the heart of the discussion was the re focusing on safety. Reflecting on EHS statistics; their impact and the meaning on the work we do. The management team took this opportunity to share with the crew the philosophy that we proposed for this year related to EHS. In the same way that during 2012 all activities communicated and developed were based on . The proposal for Feedback
2013 is: Confidence
In that sense we discussed: • How much confidence do I have
in myself to perform my job? • How much confidence do I have
in myself to say that I don´t know how to do a task?
• How much confidence do I have to seek or give help to my partners?
• How much confidence do I have to alert or be alerted without being embarrassed?
• Do I have confidence in my leaders to warn potential failures or damage it?
• Do I trust my leader's ability to resolve issues?
How much confidence do I have that I am doing my job good enough to inspire others (internal and external customers? To rehired me?
• Confidence that my know how has an impact on my own safety?
Let's be aware: We have 365 opportunities to do our best! We started in Medway!
Additional activities included a raffle, “Minute to Win It” games for exciting prizes, and an X-Factor contest where Staff and Field employees prepared video presentations of their group/ department. The winners were finance, operations, followed by IT taking 3rd place. The payroll and billing departments won 4th and 5th places, respectively.
1st Place Winners – Finance Department
“Minute to Win It”
Domestic US Benefits Update The Granite Benefits Center hosted its first annual enrollment in December. Employees called or logged into the new Benefits Portal to enroll for their 2012 benefits. Personalized Benefits packets were then mailed to employees’ homes, thoroughly
explaining the benefits options, costs and changes. The most significant changes this year included: cost increase offset by discount for those participating in Granite Living Well, increase to the Aetna Dental Plan annual limit from $1,200 to $1,500, eligibility for Same Sex Domestic Partners and their children and simplifying prescriptions drugs by moving MEDCO Rx to Aetna Rx (PPO only). As the company makes strides toward a stronger culture of wellness, GSI will continue to expand its benefit platform to support our employees’ efforts to live their best. We encourage advocacy, active participation and feedback.
Granite Living Well
The Granite Living Well Program kicked off in the US in October 2012. We have partnered with Viverae to offer an innovative web-based approach to understanding your current health status and ways to make positive changes to reach your health goals. As an added incentive, if you are a US employee and on Granite health insurance, you are eligible for a 12% health insurance premium discount after completing an on-line health assessment and biometric screening. Viverae also offers webinars, health coaching and many other ways to help you be successful in your wellness endeavors. You earn points for participating in these offerings. The points can be redeemed to purchase merchandise, tickets and can even be donated to a charity of your choice. For more information, please email [email protected], visit www.myviverae.com or call 888.VIVERAE (888-848.3723).
Earl's leadership of his team in day to day events and audit preparations has made the GE Aero Syracuse Tooling Warehouse a standout in high Quality operations and an example for others to follow. His hard work culminated in GE Aero Energy, Global Field Services recognizing Earl and his team for Above and Beyond Quality Performance in running an Overall Best Practice Site. Additionally, Earl traveled to another tooling warehouse in need of Quality and Organizational improvements providing train and insight. Since this training, we have seen marked improvement from the local team.
ROY BEKHAAZI QUALITY
AIMEE
Roy has been acting as SM for Iraq (over 1 year) as well as Regional Operations Manager (managing resources) for Middle East. He successfully led the localization efforts UAE (30 EEs), Qatar (65 EE) and Saudi (45). He led the FE hiring in Iraq to meet customer needs. Roy is always willing to roll up his sleeve and help out to get things done.
SILVERSILVERSILVERSILVER
DUSTIN SAASTAD PRODUCTIVITY
AMERICAS
Dustin Saastad was assigned as the Site Lead for Bishop Hill I& II for GE Wind Services. His experience to date had been as a PSA Lead, Local Hire Warranty Tech at Ashtabula. Bishop Hill was Dustin’s first assignment as a Traveling Technician. His staff at Bishop Hill consisted of a rolling turnover of GE personnel dispatched out of the Pipestone and Albert Lea Dispatch Centers. He was also tasked with bringing the Invenergy (owner) Technicians up to speed. This was done all while coordinating with the GFO Installation Team on the turnover of 183 units on the first full 1.6/100 site. In addition to the in and out technician support at the site level, Dustin dealt with a turnover of Service Area Managers (Rich Normandin to Jim Ranes) and a multitude of GE Site Managers (Mike Dishman (Pipestone), Rick Maday (Albert Lea), Jason Kusters (Pioneer Trail) and Eric Smith (Top Crop) who were Dustin’s support network. In the end, Dustin exceeded all expectations, even for someone of much more experience. He received outstanding feedback from not only the GE Services Managers but from the GE-Invenergy Customer Resolution Manager as well.
CHRIS HAHN PRODUCTIVITY
AMERICAS
For the great job performed at Xom LaBarge earlier this year. The site execution team highlighted the value Chris brought by keeping the project organized and enabling the customer to bill over $330K in extra work cost. Great job!
VANESSA JOHNSON PRODUCTIVITY
AIMEE
For outstanding performance in support of the Hungary Task Force to clean-up payroll issues for the Hungarian employees. For going above-and-beyond her daily responsibilities and working outside normal office hours to assist in auditing and updating payroll from May-Aug. Over 3000 adjustments had to be made in 5 weeks to make sure the Hungarian payroll was fully reconciled. Her determination, hard work and high quality standards were essential to make sure this was able to be done accurately and completely within a short time frame.
For exceptional performance in support of the Hungary Task Force in providing a leadership role in organizing and driving actions among the HR and Field Ops community. David’s hard work, dedication and accountability were instrumental in this team being successful. He personally made sure all items were followed-up and completed in a quality and timely manner, which was critical in order to meet the deliverables set forth by the leadership team.
ROBERT SADLER PRODUCTIVITY
AIMEE
Since taking the role as Project Control Lead for ROW (AIMEE) in March 2011 Rob has taken significant steps to improve the productivity of the project control team in the region. Rob has driven a culture within the region to provide a consistent product and service to include training, the usage of templates and reporting.
RYAN RICHMOND PRODUCTIVITY
AMERICAS
Ryan's leadership over the past several months, helping the HR, Payroll and Ops teams clean up several complex payroll issues in several countries, has been invaluable. His willingness to step in, his ability to motivate others and his sense of humor throughout has been much appreciated! Thank you, Ryan!
RYAN PLEASANT QUALITY
AMERICAS
Ryan’s nomination for a GPA is based on adherence to the Nuclear Human Performance principal as it relates to “Attention to Detail”. Ryan’s attention to detail prevented a potential rigging error and injury in the coffer dam during the CRD exchange at Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Station. Ryan is a CFCC graduate, newly trained CRD technician and completes his CFCC obligation on Dec 9, 2012.
JOHN MOREL PRODUCTIVITY
AMERICAS
John’s nomination is based on his “Questioning Attitude” which challenged and prevented an undervessel process / standard from being broken at Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Station. If broken, the project would have incurred additional cost. Prior to the tagging of the 42 Control Rod Drives (CRDs) for Control Rod Blade (CRB) only uncoupling, John challenged his GE Engineer twice regarding the usage of an unsigned/unapproved core map.
MIKE BENEFIELD & DAVID YORK
SAFETY GMP
Mike and David were installing a fan on the fwd. roof of the turbine enclosure, while another contractor was welding on outside of exhaust. They noticed the hole watch for the exhaust job was acting odd. They decided it looked like a seizure and started yelling to the welding crew. The welding crew members ran to their co-worker and helped her. Mike and David exhibited top awareness and response to a life threatening situation and helped save a life.
BRONZEBRONZEBRONZEBRONZE
CAROL LOGAN PRODUCTIVITY
AIMEE
For extra effort in supporting the Hungary Task Force to clean-up payroll issues for the Hungarian employees. For providing support outside her normal role and responsibilities to support this effort, which required over 3000 adjustments for 78 employees from May-September in 5 week timeframe. Her willingness to support the team was essential to make sure everything was able to be completed in the short turnaround time set in our deliverables to the employees in Hungary.
DAVID GONZALEZ QUALITY
AMERICAS
The CSA Policy 6.0 team recognized David as one of the most accurate they’ve ever seen…. Great job!
For his excellent performance for GE Service Manager Joe D'Amato. Phil is a new employee, but he quickly mastered his responsibilities and became an asset to GE's team. Thanks to his great work Service Manager Joe D'Amato will be using Phil on all his future projects.
JAMES HARVARD QUALITY
AMERICAS
For outstanding customer service and excellence in support of the PGS ExxonMobil 2012 outages. James managed three separate major inspections across three sites; a 7FA at Baton Rouge, 6B at Baytown and 7FA at Beaumont. Each site has very unique and lengthy entry requirements which were managed through great dedication and teamwork with the resource team. Through excellent focus and execution of safety by granular task by task hazard analysis and mitigation; 23,622 hours were accumulated with no First Aids or Recordables. All of the above was accomplished through great customer service as shown by the NPS average score of 91%.
JAIME VALDEZ QUALITY
AMERICAS
Jaime received a 100% rating in Net and Gross inventory accuracy, at the Sweetwater Wind Parts Warehouse, for the 2012 fiscal year.
DREW BALLOU QUALITY
GMP
For his ability to perform duties onsite as needed when needed with no complaining or frustrations and very little supervision. Drew always has a positive attitude and has become a vital Welder/TM. He is not only a very good employee and Skilled at his Trades, but Drew will complete one job and go do welding at another job and then come back to the original job without complaints. It's difficult to find this caliber of employee with such a good attitude.
ISAAC FRANCO QUALITY
AMERICAS
After taking over the parts replacement program for the GE Aero Bakersfield tooling center, Isaac has streamlined the order process and greatly improved the quality with which the work is done. Parts are now being ordered quickly and accurately reducing the time involved and eliminating reorders. Isaac took a program with serious faults and has made it run smoothly.
JAMES DAIR & DANIEL EMLAW QUALITY
AMERICAS
As part of the Granite team at the GE Aero Syracuse Tooling Warehouse, James’ hard work and attention to detail greatly contributed to outstanding day to day Quality operations and meticulous audit preparations helping to make Syracuse an example for others to follow. This consistent diligence culminated in GE Aero Energy, Global Field Services recognizing our team for Above and Beyond Quality Performance in running an Overall Best Practice Site.
SOFIA SHEVCHENKO QUALITY
AIMEE
For overall safety excellence, work ethics, professional behavior recognized by GE PGS, driving the rest of the crew.
JAMES HILL QUALITY
AMERICAS
James was assigned to support the correction of the 100M cable drop issue and additional retrofit work for GFO (Ron Homenuck-Site Manager). He led a team of 3 granite Wind Services Techs in the completion of all task. All retrofit work was completed in a timely and professional manner and James was awarded a customer evaluation score of 5’s in all categories.
DARREN KLEINERT QUALITY
AMERICAS
Working through several manning transitions, training of new employees/Team members, and the loss of the Maintenance Team Lead, Darren stepped up and assumed the leadership role for the Settler’s Trail/Pioneer Trail Maintenance team. In doing so, Darren has increased productivity, strengthened our relationship with the customer and strengthened to overall performance of the team.
AMYIA AMMONS QUALITY
For her performance at Hatch Nuclear. For going over and beyond to make sure the job is done right and on time. Additionally Amiya took
AMERICAS ownership of in-processing personnel and exceeded the plants expectations of GE requirements to in-process personnel. She is a true asset!
CHEONG CHONG & YU KAREN HUANG
QUALITY AIMEE
For successfully completing the rigorous PMP Certification process.
JAMES CHRISTIE QUALITY
AMERICAS
James has been supporting the Project Control Group in a very challenging region for nearly five years. James builds project plans for Canada as well as the old US Central region. James territory has been slow to adopt changes from GE HQ and Jim has been caught in the middle, oftentimes taking homemade schedules and producing compliance. He continues to go above and beyond. Great job Jim!
IVONA GAJDACKOVA QUALITY
AMERICAS
For scoring all 5s on the SFF.
NATHAN HERRINGTON QUALITY
AMERICAS
Comments from the customer prompting Nathan’s award: Today we are closing out the Hines 4A HGP / Package 4 Compressor Upgrade. While, there are still some loose ends to close out w.r.t. billing, I would like you to know that Nathan Herrington has played a very important role in the success of this outage. Nathan openly admitted on his first day that this would be his first job as a PCS. I appreciated his candidness. From Day 1, Nathan has been working very closely with Progress Energy and supporting the financial tracking of this job. He also did not stop there. He was willing to support whatever was asked of him. Nathan allowed me and the other FE’s time to focus on the Mechanical aspects of the job. Nathan even supported digitizing data-sheets and helping ensure FME documentation was maintained. I truly appreciate his support and want you to know that I would welcome the chance to work with Nathan on future jobs. …and Nathan did a nice job. He has a can do attitude. Was willing to help the project in any way possible. He also did his job and supported me. We had over $1,600,000 in extras. Nathan stayed on top of it. He would always be welcomed on my projects.
GORDON LUCAS QUALITY
AMERICAS
For his outstanding performance and for being a key member of the Exelon Nuclear Team either at site or remotely. For his support of the overwhelming site needs and his positive and welcoming attitude.
TOM MEYER QUALITY
AIMEE
Tom recently completed two training sessions. One session was conducted in Dubai, UAE and most recently he completed a three week new hire PCS training class. During the two sessions Tom provided superior training to approximately 20 employees including six new employees.
GERYL ROLAND QUALITY
AMERICAS
For being the consummate professional and always completing things on time and accurately.
BONNIE LANGLEY QUALITY
AMERICAS
Bonnie took over a double major outage that was in bad shape and turned it around. Great job!
DOW CHEMICAL CREW QUALITY
AMERICAS
These employees worked extraordinary hours, demonstrated exemplary team work, high quality of work and were dedicated to safety….all while completing this job ahead of schedule. Great job team!
Crew members recognized include: Derek Heersink, Joseph Dowds, George Heggie, Alexei Filippovitch and Jake Zhang.
MICHAEL THRASHER QUALITY
AMERICAS
Michael received a perfect 10 NPS score from the GE customer for exemplary quality service he provided during an emergency job.
JAY BAKER SAFETY
AMERICAS
When arriving at a customer site to perform work, Jay reviewed the area where the work was to be performed. The work area was located in a 20 foot underground vault with no ventilation and 2nd point of egress. Jay stopped work, contacted EHS and other members of his team work a solution where he could fulfill the customer needs while placing Safety first.
RINA GALEONE & RACHEL VINCENT QUALITY
AMERICAS
Rina Galeone and Rachel Vincent demonstrated extraordinary teamwork by going above and beyond in helping each other accomplish key high profile projects within short timeframes including logistics arrangements for the Granite Leadership Meeting, Staff Performance Management Program Briefings, Holiday Opportunities to Give, and US Holiday Activities among their other day-to-day responsibilities. All of these activities contribute to continued Staff employee engagement and performance.
OPERATION MOVE TAMPA
In case you weren’t aware, GSII Headquarters in Tampa recently moved locations. The following individuals were recognized for their efforts to make this event a success: Kelly Briere, Randy Santana, Gwendolyn Thompson, Rina Galeone, Alan Hamilton, Sriram Iyer, Chris McKay, Rick McGregor, Harrison Jones, Rob Fleishman, David Cruz, Kim Sais, Anne Porrino, Jennifer Shoemaker, Dustin Zeier, Rob Nicol, Sean Dougherty and Amit Shankar.
GMP Professional DevelopmentGMP Professional DevelopmentGMP Professional DevelopmentGMP Professional Development Turbine Mechanic Level 3 Gas Robert Hudson
Turbine Mechanic Level 2 Gas Brandon Thomas, Jeffrey Buzzard
