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N E W S F RO M T H E F I E L D 1 6 Ameren Safety Fair Region 466 took part in the 2007 Ameren Safety Fair event held in St. Louis, Missouri. This was the first year that Nelson Tree participated in the Safety Fair, which is geared towards Ameren personnel and their families. Supervisor, Ralph Thurman, Don Cox, regional manager, and Craig Hofmeister, regional safety supervisor, were all on hand to represent Nelson Tree during the event. “Mary Hetz, Transmission Forestry Supervisor for Ameren, contacted me and asked if we would be interested in getting involved,” explains Ralph. “We were definitely interested and further discussions between Mary and myself led to the idea for our display.” Since the Fair is designed to educate children about the hazards of electricity, Mary and Ralph thought a display addressing the dangers posed by electrical wires near tree houses would be very applicable. “With the help of Paul Hughes from Ameren’s Berkley District, we were able to provide an awesome display showing the kids why they should never build or play in tree houses around electrical wires,” says Ralph. Ralph built a small-scale tree house, while Paul took care of the surrounding display details. The display was a big hit with the kids and Ralph, Don and Craig were on site to answer any questions. “We talked to people as they walked by,” shares Ralph. “And Bev had bracelets made that said, ‘Look up and live.’ We handed these out to everyone who stopped by our booth, along with ink pens.” Don Cox, Nelson Tree Service Regional Manager (left), and Supervisor, Ralph Thurman This was the first year that Nelson Tree attended the Ameren Safety Fair and we’re looking forward to being To: Ralph Thurman, Supervisor, Nelson Tree Service Dear Mr. Thurman: involved in this event during the years to come! Unseasonably warm weather and sunny clear skies set the stage for the 2007 Ameren Safety Fair held Saturday, October 6, 2007 at the General Office Building in St. Louis, MO. In just its third year of operation, the fair boasted record-breaking numbers with over 8,700 employees and their families in attendance. From the top of the bucket truck rides to the sound of race cars speeding by, the excitement and passion for safety was abundant. Through safety exhibits, skits, and even a personal protective equipment (PPE) fashion show, employees and vendor’s corporation-wide sowed their support and dedication to the Target ZERO campaign. The 2007 Ameren Safety Fair Committee would like to thank you for your participation and support. Due largely in part to exhibitors and vendors like you, the 2007 fair was a huge success, which continues to grow by leaps and bounds each fall. Please extend our gratitude and appreciation to everyone at your location that helped in any way with your exhibit. Without your continued enthusiasm and support our fair would not be the same. Sincerely, Jamie Dillon and Dave Zak Exhibits Committee Co-Chairs
N E W S F RO M T H E F I E L D National Grid Safety Walk Through Submitted by Don McKillips, General Foreman, Region 461 Bruce Pope, general foreman for region 463, made quite an impression on National Grid Superintendent of Distribution Forestry, James Maloney. Mr. Maloney recently observed a safety orientation conducted by Bruce for employees who were new to Nelson Tree Service, and to National Grid Central Division property. “Mr. Maloney was interested to see how we prepared our new hires to work safely and professionally,” explains Bruce. “So he decided to sit in on the process.” “I had ten new guys, plus a new general foreman, starting on the same day,” continues Bruce. “Rather than go through the orientation process individually, I decided to address the group all at once.” Bruce noted several advantages to presenting the safety information in a group setting as opposed to the individual orientations of the past. “Typically, when we met with a new employee, the orientation took about an hour,” says Bruce. “When we sat down as a group, one thing kept leading to another and the orientation was still going strong after two hours. It was much more thorough than what we’d been achieving previously.” Bruce attributed this thoroughness in part to the fact that the group setting fostered more participation among those attending the orientation. “National Grid recognizes Nelson Tree Service as one of the safest contractors on their property. As long as I’m a general foreman, I plan to do everything I can to maintain that level of safety and professionalism!” – Bruce Pope, General Foreman To: Kip Erickson, Regional Manager Nelson Tree Service Bruce Pope, General Foreman From: James P. Maloney, Superintendent, Distribution Forestry National Grid, Central Division A short time ago I had the opportunity to join your General Foreman, Bruce Pope, as he walked a group of new employees through a company orientation. I was impressed by the meeting that morning and I thought I’d pass along my observations to you. Rarely does a contractor take the hours required to properly orient a new employee as to what is required of them. But this instance was different. Pope walked his new people through each point, using paper documents and DVDs shown on a laptop, noting areas of particular attention and Nelson’s required courses of individual study and their due dates. He covered, along with other topics, PPE, WZTS, MAD, and B2B - everything from the commonplace to the rarely seen. The entire process lasting better than 2 hours. A very thorough job. What I found most noteworthy about all this was that productivity expectations were never mentioned. Every company constructs a safety program that either excels or degrades depending upon the person presenting it. Nelson provides its GFs and employees with a timely, comprehensive and fluid safety program. Pope’s championing of your corporate directives shows not only does he understand that safety must come before production but he desires his people to know that too. “Some people are uncomfortable asking questions and they may hesitate to speak up,” explains Bruce. “In a group, chances are someone else may ask the question for them. Also, sometimes one individual’s question prompts another question from another participant and you can go further with a topic.” The experience was so positive, that Bruce plans to stick with it in the future. “As we continue to grow and bring in new people, we’re going to continue with the group orientation,” says Bruce. “We’re definitely heading down the right road.” 1 7
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Page 5 and 6: F O C U S O N S A F E T Y Regardles
Page 7 and 8: F O C U S O N S A F E T Y Avoid Ele
Page 9 and 10: F O C U S O N S A F E T Y The MSDS
Page 11 and 12: F O C U S O N S A F E T Y Nelson’
Page 13 and 14: F O C U S O N S A F E T Y Cell Phon
Page 15: REGION 460 SAFETY COMMITTEE In just
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Page 21 and 22: S PA N S O F S E R V I C E Nelson w
Page 23 and 24: S PA N S O F S E R V I C E Tom Ryan
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Page 27 and 28: OUR GENERAL FOREMEN GF Wisdom Learn
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