june2010newsletter for web.pub

Emcon Services Inc.
The Link
Volume 5, Issue 2
June / July 2010
NAOSH Week Poster Contest
These posters were submitted by the children
from the Corporate
Office. This is their outlook on SAFETY!
Thanks to all the
children that took the
time to participate.
Training on the new
mini excavator
Left—
Chloe Burnham, Age 11
Inside this issue:
More NAOSH Week 2
Safety Awards
Area 2 & 3
4
Bits N Pieces
5
Community Support
6
Grad 2010
7
Updating the Fleet
8
Area News
9-12
UBC Grad
12
Employee Education
13,14
Training
15
Safety Tips!
16
Washing the
Paulson Bridge
Below, Emily Geier, Age 7
Right,
Andee
Walker.
Age 4
Below, Addison Geier, Age 2
Below, Victoria Baxter, Age 22 months
More NAOSH Week Activities
The above jackets were distributed to crews within our company during NAOSH Week.
In continuing down our path to creating a better safety culture in the workplace, Emcon
Services Inc. has purchased and distributed Hi-Viz Rain Jackets for all field staff and operators.
These jackets are a fluorescent lime green color and all have the current approved WorkSafe BC markings. Not only will they provide enhanced safety and visibility for all of our
employees, but they will provide a more professional appearance while working on the
roadway, especially in inclement weather.
Another step forward in worker safety.
Bridge Crew
in
Parksville
receive their
Safety Jackets
Page 2
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Birchbank
Road Crew,
Trail BC
receive their
Safety
Jackets
Parksville Road
Foreman, Ron Kirk
(left) &
Superintendent, Oliver
Watson, Parksville, BC
handing Safety Jacket
to Dennis Sarabia,
Quality
Assurance Trainee
“How Safe are You” Survey
Out of the 32 employees that were provided with the survey in the
Kootenay Boundary area, 29 were completed.
The vast majority of the surveys had positive comments. The main
item that was evident on most of the surveys was that the Emergency
Plan in each yard is only reviewed and practiced once a year. A
suggestion was made to designate an Emergency Captin each yard to
do random tests throughout the year.
Good Ideas and Congratulations on the 90% participation in the
survey.
Volume 5, Issue 2
Page 3
The following people have been nominated for recognition by their peers
in Areas 2 & 3 for their excellence in safety during NAOSH Week.
Emcon Services Inc. provided cold drink containers to the nominees.
Shown left is Damian Girard, Quality Assurance
Trainee, receiving his cooler from Greg Ehman,
Operations Manager, Cumberland.
Shown on the right is Rob Heaslip, Road Superintendent, Nanaimo handing Dave Rintala, Operator,
his award.
Ted Williams, Operator, Cumberland
proudly shows off his Safety Award.
Kody Martel, Mechanic Apprentice, Parksville, was
nominated for following safe work practices.
Kody, left, received his Cooler from his supervisor,
Larry Prince.
Page 4
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Other Safety Award Nominees:
Camera Shy!
Nasch Aguiar, Bridge Superintendent, Cumberland
Don Brittain, Operator, Parksville
Paul Laughlin, Bridge Crew, Cumberland
Eric Arkwright, Mechanical Apprentice, Cumberland
People—Bits N Pieces
Debbie Schmold moved to
the Comox Valley with her
husband and son about a
year ago from Calgary. She
has an extensive background
in accounting and accounts
payable with various
construction and drilling
companies in Alberta.
Welcome Debbie to the
Cumberland office!
Ian and Jolene Stanchuk have had
their first baby, a girl, Sophia Jessica
Stanchuk weighing 7 lbs 9 oz. Ian is
a Bridgeworker 3 on the Birchbank
Bridge Crew.
Bud Stanchuk, who just recently retired from the Birchbank Road Crew,
is the proud Grandpa.
Congratulations to all!!
Victor (Dasheng) Wang has just arrived in the Corporate Office
in Merritt. Victor previously worked for a small computer shop in
Vancouver and has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration
with Certificates in Computer Sciences. Victor is married to Jennifer
and they plan to relocate to Merritt from Vancouver in the near
future. For all your computer needs contact Victor!
Welcome Victor to the Emcon Family.
Greg Ehman, Operations Manager,
Area 3, Island Division and his wife,
Kristie and their three children will
be moving on to Golden to work for
HMC Services Inc. in July.
Best Wishes to Greg
and family!
Volume 5, Issue 2
Welcome Justin Burgers and his
family to the Island Division. Justin
will be taking on the very challenging
position of Operations Manager for
Area 3.
Justin will be moving to Courtenay
sometime in July.
Page 5
New Emcon Coverall Shop
After 10 years of working in the open, a new waterproof Coverall Shelter has been added along with an
insulated sea container for storage and assembly
space.
This new shop is located on the property adjacent
to the Emcon Services Corporate Building in Merritt.
Hard at work on the foundation
Trucking materials to site
Community Support
Emcon Services encourages support for the communities in which we live and work.
Recently the Corporate Office donated chairs and paper to Skalula, Workshop. This is
a government funded operation which provides a workshop for the challenged in our
community. Some of the activities they are involved in is making stakes for the local
mills and providing clean, usable rags to mechanical shops in the community.
The Corporate Office also donated some extra chairs to the local Health Care Auxiliary
Thrift Shop. In turn these were sold to a needy senior and funds from that sale will
be returned to the community at one of the many health related facilities in Merritt.
Playground for Kids!
Letter from Tracy Noseworthy, President, Perley School Parent Advisory Council to Emcon Services, Grand
Forks.
“Please accept our heartfelt thanks for your generous donation to our
playground install project. The install is now complete and we are
happy to say that we came within our projected budget due in part to
your help. This was a huge undertaking and your support helped us run
a very efficient project.
Once again, a BIG THANK YOU from the Perley School Parent Advisory
Council (PAC) for supporting children in our community.”
Page 6
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Grad 2010 Bursary Recipients
Kevin Griffiths, Rossland
Secondary School,
Rossland, BC receiving
Emcon Bursary.
Derek Mintz
Ballenas High School
Parksville, BC
Haley Sofonoff
Grand Forks Secondary,
Grand Forks, BC
Marlo and daughter Morgan
Fosbery, Merritt Secondary
Merritt, BC
Calvin Bull & Grad
Date Danean
GP Vanier Secondary
Courtenay, BC
Jordie Christy
Merritt Secondary
Merritt, BC
Desiree Heaslip,
Wellington Secondary
School, Nanaimo, BC
Once again this is the time of the year that our children and grandchildren
have completed 12 years of public education and ready themselves for the next
step on the highway of life. Some choose to enter post secondary education or
trades, while others venture out into the workplace. We honor those students
at this time—Congratulations to all on your accomplishments!
Those with pictures submitted are noted above and those that are “Camera
Shy” are listed below.
Craig Kitchen, Boundary Central Secondary School, Midway, BC
Jordan Mitchell, Stanley Humphries Secondary School, Castlegar, BC
Nelson Burnham, Merritt Secondary School, Merritt, BC
Page 7
Nicole Popoff
Grand Forks Secondary
Grand Forks, BC
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Additions to the Equipment Fleet—
Keeping the Commitment to Renew
This crane truck has arrived in Parksville for the
bridge crew. Area 2 was sharing a crane truck
with Area 3 as they did not have a stinger truck.
The bridge crew is pleased with the new
addition to their fleet as it will provide more
flexibility for scheduling.
A new Case CX36 mini excavator has arrived on the Island. This unit will replace rental units that were being
used for bridge projects, and cleaning lead drains on
the TCH and Inland Island Highways. These drains are a
constant problem as they get plugged from logging
truck debris and chip truck materials, resulting in major
drainage, water ponding and hydroplane issues on the
main highways.
A new Western Star Sterling tridem truck was
purchased to accommodate the new Tow
Plow. The plow has been ordered and the
truck is currently being outfitted for this coming winter. Once the truck is ready to work,
the training will be scheduled.
Involved in fitting out and setting up this truck
in the Cumberland Shop is Erik Arkwright, a
3rd year apprentice under the watchful eyes of
Howard Bull, TJLH and Darrin Wasiliew.
The first of the new trucks has now been outfitted for the upcoming winter season. The work was
done in the Parksville shop with Dave Thorpe overseeing the project. Our newest TJM, James Lysne
completed most of the work on this unit.
Some hydraulic checks are still to be done, along with a computer install to be done by outside forces.
This is the first of the new trucks to be completed and as this was a prototype it took longer than expected as many issues had to be worked out, including removing and
re-positioning of the extendable underbody to allow a Tenco box
install. This work was done in between regular jobs and scheduled
around holidays. The other three trucks should be completed faster
now that the kinks have been worked out.
Fitting out these new units has involved the young mechanics in some
different projects with challenges and problems to resolve and provides
a great learning opportunity.
Page 8
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Spring Time in the Kootenay Boundary Area
Spring and Summer bring with it a number of activities very different
from those we do in the winter.
Bridge washing is one of those activities done in spring. On the left we
have Ian Stanchuk, Area 9 Bridgeworker, in the man basket washing the
Paulson Bridge. On the right the
Area 9 Bridge Crew is repairing the
overhead beam on the Westbridge
Bridge.
Replacing cattle
guards is another
spring time activity.
On the right Derek
Watson checks out
the finished project.
Below sweeping activities in
the Beaverdell area with the
newly acquired Elgin Broom.
On the left Dave Johnson
operating the Athey Loader
cleaning in front of the
guardrail.
Below the Midway Road Crew at
Work on Christian Valley
Gravelling.
Below Dave Johnson is working
on the Paulson Detour Grinds.
Above Walter Chernoff,
Beaverdell, repairing &
cleaning up the grader
getting it ready for work.
Page 9
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Border Road Project
Border Road is a new road being built by the Grand Forks Road Crew.
The road will enable the residents to access Grand Forks inside the
Canadian Border. Currently the residents have to go through US Customs at the Cascade Border Crossing in order to come to Grand
Forks, hence the name, Border
Road.
Completion is scheduled for sometime in July. On the left Rob Woykin
is operating the grader and Peter
Voykin, right, is operating the
packer.
Madalene Espenhain is doing her best to complete
Emcon's Succession Planning.
Pictured right are her daughter, Kylee, with her new baby
brother, Justin Nolan. Justin was born in the Trail Hospital
on July 6th weighing in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces.
Congratulations to the Espenhain family!
Major Paving Program
A major road base repair and paving program for Highway 4 in
Parksville has been started. Oliver Watson is supervising this
project to repair and replace the failures in the area.
The project consists of grinding,
excavation, replacement of pit run,
crushed gravel and paver laid pavement .
This is part of a $350,000 major summer paving program planned for Highways 1, 4,
19 and 19A in 2010.
Page 10
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Grader Arrives
A new 14 M Cat grader has just
arrived on the Island. This unit
will be outfitted with a wobbley
wheel attachment in the Cumberland Shop. This unit will then be
shipped to Gold River.
Training of three operators will
take place upon it’s arrival. Once
the training is complete the grader
will be put to work on the Head
Bay Road to Tahsis.
Green Initiatives
In keeping with Emcon’s commitment to saving energy and taking an active part in
the current Green Initiatives the Cumberland shop has changed the existing lighting
from the halogen type to a new florescent style lighting. These new lights are
brighter and cast less shadow, as well as being more cost effective to replace and operate. There is a partial rebate by a government energy savings rebate system as
well.
Other green initiatives are telephone conferencing for safety, mechanical and other
meetings; the use of LED lighting systems for all new arrow board trucks and rotating
lights, and on older units by attrition; trying out a new switch which shuts down and
starts up trucks with old arrow boards, so that they can run on projects without the
truck having to be idling for long periods; and also replacing assembly room and
other communal areas with motion sensor light switches, to save energy when the
room is vacated.
“Other green
initiatives are
telephone
conferencing
for safety,
mechanical
and other
meetings;”
Christina Lake Triathlon — “Thanks for your support”
An excerpt from a letter from the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary:
“On behalf of the organizers and the Christina Lake and Grand Forks Recreation Commissions I would like to thank Emcon Services for its sponsorship of the 2010 Pharmasave
Christina Lake Triathlon.
We are very grateful to Emcon for assisting with course preparation by sweeping the roads
prior to the event and for the loan of equipment for the volunteer course marshals. Safety
is a primary concern and Emcon’s support has been vital.”
Lilly Bryant, Program Services Coordinator
NOTE: Our in-house athlete, Pam Gaudry from the Corporate Office,
participated on a team in the triathlon. The team ended up in 5th place.
Way to go Pam!
Volume 5, Issue 2
Page 11
Kennedy Lake Works
The Kennedy Lake works involved the removal of a small concrete abutment wall
and was replaced with anchored guardrail. Bridge crew members, Mitch Jensen,
Grant McClellan, Lloyd Price, Steve Penney and Trent Brown worked diligently on
this project.
Kennedy Lake
Project
Shouldering Subcontract
“This project was
headed up by Hans
Van de Vosse with
Alex Wang ….”
Arc Asphalt Recycling Inc, out of Kamloops, BC procured
the contract for a Hot in Place Recycling contract in
Sayward, BC.
Arc subcontracted the shouldering works to Emcon. This
project was headed up by Hans Van de Vosse with Alex
Wang and Damian Girard supplying QA services.
Operators on this project were Gord Forester, Bob Smith
and Eric Hedstrom.
A very successful project.
UBC Graduate
Brian Rizzardo has just graduated with Bachelor of
Science in Pharmacy. He has worked diligently over
the past six years completing the requirements for
graduation and has accepted a position as a locum
with a Pharmacy chain .
He will operate from a Vancouver base travelling to
locations throughout the province, many of which his
parents, Frank and Almerina Rizzardo, lived in during
their years with the Ministry. Brian is not afraid of
new challenges and we are certain he will do well in
his chosen profession.
Congratulations Brian!
Page 12
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Partnering with School District
The Cumberland shop
partnered with the Comox
School District to provide
an opportunity to students
entering the mechanical
field to experience the
trade first hand.
A certificate of appreciation
from the School District
was forwarded to Cumberland for their support of the
Work Placement
Opportunities Program.
Apprentice Program
Successful completion of the various levels of the Apprentice Heavy Duty Equipment
Mechanic program has been achieved by:
Roy Terishita, Grand Forks, BC Roy obtained an 85% grade on his first exam. Roy
now moves into his second year. Congratulations Roy!
Kody Martel, Port Alberni. Kody has achieved an 82% grade on his first year exam.
Kody has been working in the various shops, including Parksvillle and Nanaimo,
throughout his first year. Congratulations Kody!
Eric Arkwright has completed his second year with a 90% average and is working
on his third year. Eric works out of the Cumberland shop.
Congratulations to all on your achievements!
Roy Terishita
Humour, Laughter and Fun bring more Health and Happiness
Volume 5, Issue 2
Page 13
Crane Certifications
Congratulations to those that have passed their Crane Certification tests to date.
Island Division, Area 2 & 3
Paul Laughlin, Trade Leadhand Bridgeworker, Cumberland
Howard Bull, Trade Leadhand Mechanic, Cumberland
Grant McLellan, Trade Journeyman Bridgeworker, Parksville
Steve Penney, Trade Leadhand Bridgeworker, Parksville
Dwyane Randall, Bridgeworker Apprentice 3, Cumberland
More Crane Certification tests have been booked for Fall 2010.
Educating Our Employees
Congratulations to Tara Bursey on her successful completion of the Effective Business Writing
course.
TRAFFIC CONTROL TRAINING
Kathy Brodman provided a Traffic Control Training course in Birchbank June 7 & 8. Those scheduled for
training were:
Ian Stanchuk
Ken Santano
Jack Pereverzeff
Ray Wilson
Mike Schrader
Shawn Stratton
Bill Langman
RESPONSIBLITIES OF Joint Health & Safety Committee
A WorkSafe BC course on the responsibilities of a Joint Health & Safety Committee
was provided by a private consultant in March. Those who attended and received a
certificates are:
Stu Travis
Darby Gildersleeve
Ross Shepherd
Nasch Aguiar Barry Dales
Below
Wade Wheaton &
Kent Porter
Rob Heaslip
DUE DILLIGENCE
Damian Girard and Alex Wang attended a Due Diligence for Supervisors and Managers Seminar in Courtenay on June 16, 2010.
TRAIN THE TRAINER SEMINAR
Kent Porter and Wade Wheaton, Grand Forks, succesfully attended this session held in Kelowna by the Construction Safety Network.
On going Spring Training Sessions that have been held or are ongoing:
WHMIS - updating on new product sheets
First Aid & Transportation Endorsement—only required every three years as of January 1, 2010
Hearing Testing—establishing a base line to ascertain if work environments are impacting hearing
Volume 5, Issue 2
Page 14
Training, an ongoing process
NEW MINI EXCAVATOR TRAINING
Training and evaluation on the mini excavator taking place on the Island. Hans Van de Voss
and Dave Rintala are both experienced excavator operators. Dave and Hans assessed three
crew members from Cumberland and Campbell River crews on their competency on operating
this new piece of equipment. This included basic operations, climbing, operating in and loading
on and off of the trailer.
Interim permits were granted to two
operators, Jeff Smith and Eric
Hedstrom, who will now need 40
hours actual operating experience
on this machine before being reassessed for a full operator permit.
QA’s Get Information to Pass Along!
Calibration Measurements
Damian Girard & Dennis
Sarabia—Checking out the
hydraulics
CALIBRATION TRAINING
Dave Thorpe and Darrin Wasiliew go over Calibration issues with Damian Girard, Alex Wang and
Dennis Sarabia, QAs from the Island division. They are all at various stages of competence and have
been doing calibrations on various different types of units. This was a good time to do a “back to
basics” course, which also allowed for discussion, review and follow up of some of the problems
encountered. Those have been the level of competence, mechanical and operational issues involved
in the process. An outline of the topics follow:
* Why do we calibrate [classroom ]
* How the different systems works [classroom]
* Trouble shooting [class and shop]
* Hands on review of equipment [in shop]
* Follow up checks throughout winter [caliprompter demo]
Volume 5, Issue 2
Page 15
FIT TO WORK
Emcon Services Inc.
Unit 105
1121 McFarlane Way
Merritt, BC V1K 1B9
Phone: 250-378-4176
Fax:
250-378-4106
Editor: Jacquie Hall
Email: [email protected]
We’re on the Web!
www.emconservices.org
Road & Bridge
Maintenance Contractor
Most any kind of work—not only manual labour—can contribute to tight,
stiff muscles. You should feel less tired and less tense at the end of your shift
if you maintain good posture.
HEAD, NECK SHOULDERS—Keep your head upright with ears directly over
your shoulders. This reduces strain in the neck and upper back muscles.
LOWER BACK— Preserve the curve of your spine in it s natural “S” shape.
For lower back support, place a rolled towel or cushion between your lumbar
and chair back. No slouching!
HIPS, LEGS—Keep hip and knee angles at about 90 degrees so your knees
are no higher than your hips. Keep feet resting comfortably flat on the floor.
ARMS, WRISTS—Keep the back of your wrists straight, arms relaxed. Keep
elbows at 90 degrees so forearms are
parallel to the floor.
More Tips:
 Adjust your posture slightly every 20—30 minutes.

Periodically stretch your back, arms, lets and hands to
ease tension and boost energy.

If you’re seated for long periods, take phone calls or
meetings standing up.

Include some deep breathing while you stretch.
PREVENT INJURIES FROM SLIPS, TRIPS & FALLS
Taking the time to reduce injuries from slips, trips of falls is an important investment. Simple
things such as keeping the yard / work area clean, watching for uneven surfaces and wearing
appropriate footwear can be all it takes to prevent a serious injury.

Use your eyes to sweep your walk path looking for:
 Uneven Surfaces
 Puddles of water or other slippery surfaces
 Trip hazards such as curbs or parking blocks

Maintain yard and work areas so that surfaces are even and free of slip and
trip hazards, such as ice, electrical cords, tools and liquid spills.
Wear footwear suitable to the job (CSA approved)
Always use three point contact for truck entry/exit (a person jumping or
falling from a height of 4 feet would hit the ground with a force of between 7
and 12 times their body weight. For example a 200 lb person would hit the
ground with a force of 1400 to 2400 lbs.


Don’t fall for it!
Safety can distinguish you. Lack of safety can extinguish you.
** Tell us which piece of equipment showed up twice to win a prize! Email your answer.