There are many arguments both for and against having the goal of experiencing no injuries over a year’s time or indefinitely on the job. At the management level and the field level, many employees feel that experiencing zero injuries over a long time is incredibly unrealistic.

Because of perception, many employees are put off by the amount of effort it would take to achieve zero injuries. This should not be the case. No one should be put off towards safety due to a company setting zero injuries as its goal.

Click HERE for more.

End dump, articulating dump trucks or just regular dump trucks are found on almost every single construction site and many other kinds of work sites.

While the task of getting loaded, hauling material, dumping the material, and repeating sounds simple, there are a lot of associated hazards with the operation of this equipment.

It is important not to be complacent as the operator of this equipment or as the ground personnel working around this equipment.

Click HERE for more.

Roger Hermsmeyer Obituary (1942 – 2022) – Clio, CA – Press Democrat (cleveland.com)

Fentanyl deaths resulting from our open border policy to the South are killing 100,000 United States citizens each year.  That is the equivalent of a jumbo jet crash every day killing all passengers on board.  Every day!!  Vote!

200,000 illegal border crossings each month from Mexico, is the equivalent of 22 jumbo jets carrying 300 passengers every single day into the United States. Vote!

PLA-The City of Santa Rosa is poised to present and vote on a Project Labor Agreement for public works construction.  Because of the ECA’s ability to influence local policies, we have been asked to bring a few folks to a meeting on Tuesday to discuss some possible exceptions that will be considered to include in the PLA going to Council in September.  I am grateful for being asked to influence the content of the PLA, and hope our meeting goes well on 8-16-22.  Thank you also to Team G, GCC, GBI and Argo for agreeing to participate in this very important meeting with the City of SR.  More to come—-

From Bill Olmo and the American Subcontractor Association of California from 20 years or so ago, their position statement policy on PLA’s: Click here and here

From United Contractors-their position/policy on PLA’s-

file:///C:/Users/John/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/DQK8R2Z3/United%20Contractors%20-%20Official%20Position%20on%20PLAs%20(08.2022).pdf

 Covid reminder- On February 9, 2022, Governor Newsom signed a new law requiring employers to provide supplemental COVID-19 paid sick leave during 2022 through September 30, 2022.  The law, SB 114, unlike the supplemental paid sick leave law passed in 2021, provides for no offsetting tax credits for employers to assist with the added costs this paid sick leave places on businesses across the state.  Here are five reminders for California employers about the law and its related deadlines as we approach its September 30^th expiration:

Housekeeping is a basic foundation for not only a safe workplace but also a productive one. When housekeeping is poor at a worksite, employees are more likely to be hurt on the job.

The unsafe conditions present due to poor housekeeping is often a contributing factor or a direct cause for workplace injuries.

It is important to realize the impact housekeeping has on your ability to work safe.

Click HERE for more.

Our eyes are one of our greatest assets. They give us the ability to see the world around us. If we do not protect our eyes from injuries while at work, we could easily lose that ability.

There are an estimated 2,000 eye injuries every single day on the job according to the Centers for Disease Control. These incidents cost employers over $300 million dollars per year.

It is important to eliminate or engineer out the hazards that could pose hazards to our eyes at work. Many hazards to our eyes on a worksite cannot be fully eliminated so proper eye protection is also critical.
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Click HERE for more

No one has all of the answers. If you do, you are under-utilized and underpaid. For the rest of us, there are always going to be times when we need help from someone else. It is important to feel comfortable asking for help when you need it or mentoring others when they need assistance.

Click HERE for more.

1. Always wear your seatbelt when in a vehicle or heavy equipment. Seatbelts are critical to preventing serious injuries and death while driving or operating. Motor vehicle crashes are still the number one cause of fatalities on the job in the United States.

Click HERE for more.

Well Established General Engineering Contractor in the North Bay seeks competent Estimator to join our team!

Salary / Wages: Depends on Experience

Full-Time Position with competitive benefits package including medical, dental, 401k, paid holidays.

Requirements:

• Minimum of 2 years’ experience in residential and/or commercial projects.
• Proficient in Excel (required) and HCSS construction software.
• Work hand in hand with the project management and field supervisory departments.
• Must have a clear understanding of construction site work plans, scope of work, and Geotechnical specifications.
• Set up and attend site walks, bid reviews or other with general contractors, property owners or land developers.
• Compiles various documents to generate a proposal, including quotes from vendors/suppliers, estimates from subcontractors, etc.
• Knowledge of insurance requirements for private and public heavy civil construction projects.
• Knowledge of permitting requirements for private and public heavy civil construction projects.
• Commitment to building & maintaining client relations.

contact: marianne@Broderickge.com

Office: (707) 996-7809

For most of us, we have been doing our jobs long enough to know what the right way is to do something and what falls short to “good enough.”

When it comes to workplace safety “good enough” does not cut it. When addressing hazards, having this mindset will lead to exposure to risk that will eventually result in incidents and injuries occurring.

It is important to take the time to not only identify hazards but also taking the proper time and energy to mitigate them.

Click HERE for more.

June 10, 2022

I am proud to be the head of the 2022 ECA Nominating Committee. As such, I am asking for your assistance. Every year, the ECA brings forth nominees for our awards, as well as folks that want to be involved on our ECA committees and our Board of Directors to help guide our industry. We truly do make a difference and we do so with your support.

I am asking you for the following:

1. Attached are the previous award winners for Contractor of the Year for the ECA. Do you have a  recommendation for Contractor of the Year for 2022? If so, please send me a message with a sentence or two as to why your “pick” is a good one.
2. Same request for Affiliate of the Year. Attached are the previous winners.
3. We also induct two Hall of Fame honorees every year-one living, and one posthumous. I would really appreciate any possible candidates you believe demonstrate a lifetime of achievement in our industry and community. They do not necessarily have to even be members of the ECA to be selected.
4. Finally, it is up to me and my committee to identify and submit people who would be good Director for our Board of Directors. Every year we have several Directors who have “termed out” and we like to bring in young management people who would benefit their firm with some exposure to how Board work, and who could benefit the industry with thoughtful discussions of issues that are always before us as Directors.

Click here for previous award winners.

Click here for 2022 Board of Directors

All of the above categories will be discussed in July and August by my Nominating Committee. I will present our recommendations to the Board for their discussion and consideration in September, of 2022. Final decisions are made by the Board of Directors in October 2022.

Please get involved at this level. These honorees and Board Members are what steers the ECA. I would appreciate your input. Should you have questions or want to discuss privately a potential nominee, please give me a call.

Thank You

Josh Cleaver

BoDean Company