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TRMA raises crane safety to new heights
M a r c h2 0 0 9
At the request of TRMA mem-ber companies, Bonna Hastings, a nationally recognized expert on crane safety and operator certifica-tion, conducted a two-day training session at the safety center for plant supervisors and independent contractors on new regulations and standards.
Hastings, who works for American Crane Training Services, says it is essential that supervisors know what to look for before allow-ing crane operators to begin work. They need to know that the crane is set up properly, that it won’t tip over and that it can handle the load, he said.
“Supervisors typically place all of the responsibility on the crane operators and avoid these training classes if they can,” said Hastings, “and it’s a real eye opener for them to learn that they can be held responsible under new standards if there’s an accident.”
Indeed, the owner of a rigging company in New York was indicted on criminal charges including man-slaughter and criminally negligent homicide in the 2008 crane collapse that killed seven people. “The old standards were vague on this point and it was hard to pin down who was to blame when there was an accident, but the new standards are very specific,” Hastings said.
That’s just the sort of informa-tion Josephine Hogue was seek-ing from Hastings’ class. Hogue,
who serves as Contractor HSE Coordinator at LyondellBasell, knows more than most about the competency of crane operators because she was an operator for 20 years. She makes sure operators know what they’re doing and fol-low procedures before they set foot on the property. Hogue attended the training to learn about the new standards. “We want to make sure that we are current and that we meet or exceed requirements,” she said.
Larry Evans, an environmen-tal health and safety supervisor at Aux Sable Liquid Products, is at the other end of the spectrum. He knew little about cranes or their safe operation. “But we have a lot of cranes on site between us and outside contractors and our primary concern is to keep all workers safe,” he said. Evans learned a lot from Hastings and rated him an “excel-lent instructor.”
Crane regulations come from OSHA and the standards, which OSHA cites in the regulations, are set by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Jerry Caamano, TRMA vice president, says member companies were aware of the new standards and tougher certification require-ments for crane operators and requested the training for their supervisors. “TRMA members are committed to safety and training,” he said.
Special Asbestos Training■ TRMA is sponsoring three refresher training courses in April for people who need to renew their certifications for working with asbestos. Training for Class I and II asbestos abatement workers will be held April 21 and for Class I and II contractors and supervisors on April 23. Both are 8-hour classes. A half-day session for Class III repair and maintenance workers whose work will likely disturb materials containing asbestos is scheduled for April 28.
All training will take place at Three Rivers Safety Center at 1615 W. Jefferson St., Joliet. To enroll, contact Kathleen Ament at 815.774.6071 or at [email protected].
TRMA Officers for 2009■At its most recent meet-ing, the TRMA Board of Directors elected new offi-cers to serve in 2009.
Jim Beaulieu, Stepan Company Site Manager, was elected Chair. Serving as Vice-Chair is Jim Rink, Caterpillar Operations Manager. The Treasurer is Rudy Mahalik, Jr., President of PDM Plumbing, Heat & Air. And Rick Szalach, ExxonMobil Joliet Refinery Manager, will serve as the immedi-ate past-Chair.
Bonna Hastings
Josephine Hogue
Larry Evans
Published MonthlyThree Rivers Manufacturers’ Association116 N. Chicago St., Suite 101, Joliet, IL 60432-4204815.774.6070 F: 815.723.6972 www.trma.orgEditor: Jerry Caamano ([email protected])
THREE RIVERS MANUFACTURERS’ ASSOCIATION
New Design: Tell Us What You ThinkWith this issue, we’re introducing a new look and content
for the TRMA newsletter. Our goal is to provide more news about TRMA activities and opportunities. We welcome and encourage your feedback and suggestions. Contact Kathleen
Ament at [email protected].
Don’t let the quiet fool you, says Laura Price, program man-ager for Dream It. Do It.–Will County (DIDI).
“It may seem quiet, but there’s been a flurry of activity the past six months to prepare for a public launch of our campaign to promote the well-paying careers in the manu-facturing and distribution sectors of the local econo-my,” Price said.
A marketing plan was developed based in part on research gleaned from 25 focus groups. A Web site is being built and an informational brochure was published. Local workers are being recruited to pro-vide testimonials about their career paths and job videos will be pro-duced for the Web site.
Price is also seeking examples of how local companies are embracing the “green revolution” and benefit-ing their communities.
Dream It. Do It.–Will County will be funded pri-marily by local businesses and organizations so fund-raising strategies and quan-tifiable metrics to measure success are under develop-ment. Once preparations are complete, a kickoff event will officially launch the campaign.
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association estimates that Illinois industries will need 30,000 workers
each year to offset normal attrition and
the huge wave of retiring Baby Boomers. Just where these new workers will come from is an open question.
The focus group research done locally confirmed “an overwhelming across-the-board lack of awareness about careers in manufacturing and distribution” and “an across-the-board negative perception of manu-facturing.” That should dispel all doubts about the need for Dream It. Do It.–Will County, said Price.
DIDI: ‘A Flurry of Activity’
Laura Price
Advertisers in the TRMA newsletter reach a select readership of manufactur-ers and associate members in Will and Grundy Counties. Options include dis-play ad space or inclusion of an insert (copies furnished by you) about your products and services.
RATES1/4 page . . . . $1501/2 page . . . . $2501 page insert . . $125
Your Ad Here: In the TRMA ‘Update’
Ryan SasisP 773-558-9353 [email protected]
Concentra.com
We’re here. For you.
Are You Trying to Improve the Health and Safety of Your Employees?
Concentra Health Solutions can help. For almost 30 years, we have delivered results to America’s employers and have grown into the country’s largest provider of occupational medicine. Our process is simple:
We learn all we can about your business to identify 1.specific needs, both of you and of your workforce.We design a unique solution that may consist of any 2.of the following:
Health care (primary, urgent, specialist, etc.)Physical therapy and rehabilitationPre-employment care (physicals, drug screens, immunizations, etc.)Environmental and safety services (industrial hygiene, ergonomic evaluations, etc.)Preventive care (Wellness programs, targeted intervention programs, etc.)
You decide how you want the solution 3.implemented and delivered. We will meet all your reporting needs, and our delivery options range from a permanent onsite facility to one-off clinics, which we can provide nationwide via our fleet of Mobile Medical Centers.
DIVISON UPDATEHuman ResourcesWill County’s economic diversification likely slowed its descent into reces-sion and may lessen the impacts compared to the rest of Illinois, according to Pat Fera, manager of the Workforce Investment Board of Will County. That was one of several posi-tive messages Fera deliv-ered at TRMA’s Human Resources Division lun-cheon on Feb. 24.
Fera also forecasts con-tinued job growth in the health care sector and says that not all jobs being vacated by retiring Baby Boomers will be elimi-nated—some will be filled. Moreover, passage of a capital bill by the Illinois Legislature this spring will create construction jobs.
There’s no question, though, that the recession has taken hold and Fera predicts that the unem-ployment numbers will increase for at least the next six months. They’re currently at 7.5 percent, but if calculated the way they used to be, before the Reagan Administration changed the method, unemployment might be as high as 14 percent, Fera said.
Fera expects that her agency will receive stimu-lus money for job train-ing and summer youth employment programs and hopes that these will entice young adults who’ve quit school and work to seek employable skills. Otherwise, she said, these folks are just head-ed to prison.
Maintenance DivisionApr 21 Asbestos Worker Refresher
7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.Apr 23 Asbestos Supervisor/Contractor
Refresher, 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.Apr 28 Asbestos Class III Refresher,
7:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m.Apr 16 Excavation Competent Person
Training, 7:15 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Safety DivisionMar 12 First Aid, CPR & AED For
Industry, 7:15 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Safety Center
Mar 19 Hazard Recognition Training, noon–3:00 p.m.
Apr 9 First Aid, CPR & AED For Industry, 7:15 a.m.–4:30 p.m. at the Safety Center
Apr 18 Confined Space Entry Training, 7:15 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Human Resources DivisionMar 17 Organizational Diversity,
8:30–11:30 a.m.Mar 17 Workplace Harassment
Correction, 12:30–3:30 p.m.Environmental DivisionMar 24 Use of IR Camera for LDAR
Program, noon–2:00 p.m.
Q: Does Three Rivers Response Cooperative ever get the opportunity to put its training to use?
A: Yes, most recently on Feb. 8, 2009 when a switch malfunctioned at a waste treatment tank at Caterpillar causing 6,500 gallons of diluted waste oil to leak into the Des Plaines River. Caterpillar followed established protocols in noti-fying the proper agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard contacted Three Rivers Spill Cooperative.
Cooperative team members from ExxonMobil Joliet Refinery, Flint Hills Resources and Stepan Company responded and deployed a contain-ment boom to protect sensitive areas. As the result, there were no adverse environmental impacts. The Coast Guard’s field representatives were highly complimentary of the cooperative’s performance.
The Three Rivers Response Cooperative was
created 15 years ago by TRMA member com-panies as a first response team to contain acci-dental industrial discharges into area waterways. The cooperative’s team conducts a drill each year to test and hone its skills. The exercise is monitored and graded by first responders and state and federal agencies.
Ask Jerry Caamano: Oil Spill Training
Meeting Calendar
Canal Terminal
CITGO Petroleum Lemont Refinery
Dow Chemical Company
ExxonMobil Joliet Refinery
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Flint Hills Resources
IMMT International
INEOS NOVA
Interstate Chemicals
Stepan Company
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Members of the Cooperative
Annual Dinner and Safety Awards: Thursday, April 30Joliet Holiday Inn Banquet and Conference CenterAnnual Golf Outing: Monday, June 8Morris Country ClubInformation and reservations: Kathleen Ament at [email protected].
Notice:Information from this publication may be reproduced, without prior permission, if the Three Rivers Manufacturers’ Association is credited as source.
All training takes place at:TRMA Safety Center, 1615 W. Jefferson St., Joliet (one block east of Larkin Avenue)
PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE
PAIDPERMIT #190
JOLIET IL
Three Rivers Manufacturers' Association116 N. Chicago Street, Suite 101Joliet, Illinois 60432-4204
Change Service Requested
Aerial Lifts Scissor Lifts Dura-Base Mats 12-135 Feet 19-53 Feet Temporary Road System
All Terrain Cranes Rough Terrain Cranes Crawler Cranes 90 – 500 Ton 90-120 Ton 80-825 Ton
Stevenson Crane Service, Inc.
410 Stevenson Drive 16675 Van Dam Road Bolingbrook, IL 60440 South Holland, IL 60473 T: 630-972-9199 T: 877-972-9199 W: stevensoncrane.com E: [email protected]
Now Open in South Holland to Better Serve the South Suburbs and Indiana
InsideCrane Safety CourseDream I t . Do I t . UpdateTraining/Meet ing ScheduleQ&A: Oi l Spi l l
Save the DateAnnual Dinner: Apr i l 30Golf Out ing: June 8
THREE RIVERS MANUFACTURERS’ ASSOCIATION
