What does the number 2,288,417 mean for TP Mechanical?
Congratulations Messer Construction for winning two awards of merit from MTSU!
Messer Construction Co. has been selected by the Associated General Contractors of Middle Tennessee to receive two awards of merit for construction management of the West Police Precinct and Student Union Building at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
Messer received these awards during the annual Build Tennessee Awards Celebration in February.
MTSU’s new Student Union was designed and built to be a campus centerpiece that fosters collaboration among students and faculty. Construction of this nearly 200,000-square-foot-building in the heart of MTSU’s busy campus met all of the university’s safety, budget, quality and schedule goals.
Notable features include a bookstore, six new food service venues, a 640-seat food court and 102-seat casual dining restaurant, along with an 840-seat ballroom with green room and two dressing rooms, an 84-seat parliamentary room, and a 95-seat movie theater. High-end finishes can be found throughout the Student Union, including thousands of feet of stainless steel hand rails and a millwork/woodwork package that exceeded $1 million.
article link via: Company honored for work on MTSU Student Union on The Murfreesboro Post.
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Follow the Arrows | Flow Direction
As you go about fulfilling your daily job responsibilities, it can be easy to fall prey to a sense of routine causing you to lose your focus and attention to detail. This can happen to the most experienced employee or the new guy on the block. Our workforce has installed miles of pipe and thousands upon thousands of piping specialties and devices. However, through many of our client’s eyes, our company is only as good as the last project we completed or the current project we are performing for them.
Losing that focus and attention to details results in the cost of troubleshooting and rework to correct a problem. This impacts not only the bottom line for the profitability of that project but can also cost us long-term by damaging relationships with owners, end-users, general contractors, architects, engineers, etc.
For example, even though it seems like a pretty simple concept, piping specialties and devices get installed backwards more often than most would think. First and foremost, it is important to understand the flow of the system. If unsure of the correct system flow, check the drawings or check with the superintendent. 
Check valves, strainers, balance valves, control valves, etc. generally have the required flow direction indicated on them. For example, while some strainers and balance valves look the same, the required flow through them is opposite. If the installer is not paying close attention, the valve can get installed in what would appear to be the correct orientation, but once you look at the flow designation on the valve, it clearly indicates the opposite flow direction.
The cost of troubleshooting and rework to correct the problem could be easily avoided by simply following the arrows. If direction of flow can’t be found, or is not indicated on the device, you can refer to the submittal for installation details. And again, it never hurts to ask, we are surrounded by a wealth of knowledge and experience in our workforce.
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Coping with Cold Weather
Cold weather is here to stay for a few months – keep your guard up against cold weather injury.
Keep your body temperature at or about normal (98.6° F)
- Wear layers of clothing both inside and outdoors
- Wear cotton or lightweight wool next to the skin and wool layers over your underwear
- Keep dry by having proper rain gear available and a pair of good, waterproof boots
- An extra pair of clean, dry socks can really come in handy
- Don’t forget to protect your neck and ears; you can lose a lot of heat from these two areas
- A good pair of gloves is essential
Signs of frostbite
- Skin will become white
- Reduced circulation
- In the worst case, blisters will form but you won’t feel any pain
First aid for frostbite
- NEVER rub the frozen part of the body with snow
- Add extra clothing or use a blanket to cover the frozen area
- Get out of the cold and into a warm location
- The frozen area may be immersed in warm water but NEVER use hot water
- If the condition does not improve seek professional medical attention
Portable heaters
- If they are not properly maintained they can cause accidents
- Carbon monoxide can result from defective ventilating and from incomplete fuel burn
- All portable heaters should be checked by a competent person before being put into use
- Locate fuel containers, regulators, piping and hose where they will not be subject to damage
- LP gas containers not in use should be stored upright, in a specified outside location and protected against damage
- Containers in use must be kept in an upright position and secured
- Always be sure to protect the valves from physical damage
TP MECHANICAL THE 2012 WINNERS OF THE ABC ANNUAL SAFETY AWARD
Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) holds an Annual Safety Awards Program where they recognize members and their employees who demonstrate outstanding safety performance and leadership in workplace safety. The program for the ABC Ohio Valley Chapter was held on January 17, 2013 at The Wright Patterson Air Force Base.
The criteria considered for the Safety Award consist of program improvement, management commitment, employee involvement, proactive measures, near miss reporting, lessons learned, OSHA 10 & 30 hour employee training provided, new hire orientation, company EMR is less than 1, additional safety training which goes above and beyond, implementation of best practices, what makes the company stand out among its peers, and having a drug free workplace. Each year members submit their application and the ABC national office selects the winners.
TP Mechanical was honored to receive the Safety Employer of the Year Award for 2012. The ABC national selection panel selected TP Mechanical on having a superior safety commitment from upper management, employee involvement and making “Safety First, ALWAYS First” their number one company core value. Scott W. Teepe Sr., the CEO of TP Mechanical accepted the award.
TP Mechanical was also honored by ABC with the Level V and Platinum Level Safety Certificates for 2012. Bill Riddle the President of TP Mechanical accepted these awards. These awards are presented to the member who has an incidence rate of 25% or below BLS NAICS code average, OSHA Form 300 & 300A are viewed, companies EMR is below 0.800 for application year and no fatal or catastrophic accident within the application year or the previous three consecutive years resulting in an OSHA citation. This is the 12th consecutive year TP Mechanical has been honored with the Platinum Level Safety Certificate.
