Have a Responsible Summer

Posted on by TP Mechanical

Presented by TP Mechanical | Provided by HORAN

This August 18 to September 4, law enforcement will be stepping up their “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. This means police officers will be focused on spotting impaired drivers and pulling them over.

There were nearly 10,000 people killed in alcohol-impaired motor vehicle crashes in 2014, according to the CDC. This accounts for nearly 33 percent of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. Keep this sobering statistic in mind when attending gatherings with alcohol, like barbecues, beach parties or work events.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) created a smartphone app to help drivers who cannot safely drive home. The app can help tell you where you are, help you call a taxi or help you call a friend. Other useful apps include Uber and Lyft, as both can get you home if it’s not safe for you to drive.

For more information on the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign, visit the NHTSA website.

Safety: Ladders & Stairways

Posted on by TP Mechanical

There are some hazards on the job site that seem obvious and some that need a little more attention from workers.

While the importance of ladder safety is communicated heavily at job sites, there are some workers and managers who unknowingly neglect to speak about the dangers of stairways.

According to OSHA, there are more than 24,000 injuries and as many as 36 fatalities per year due to falls on stairways and ladders used in construction.

The good news is that many of the accidents around ladders and stairways are preventable when the proper measures are taken prior to starting a job.

With Ladders

  • Use the correct ladder for the task
  • Never load ladders beyond the manufacturer’s rated capacity
  • Ensure that metal ladders are kept way from electrical work and overhead power lines
  • Have a worker partner inspect for any defects
  • Look for structural damage, grease or other slippery contaminant

With Stairways

  • Stairways must be free of dangerous objects, debris and materials
  • Cover stairs with threads to avoid a slippery surface
  • Stairways with four or more risers or that rise more than 30 inches need to have a least one handrail
  • Stair handrails must be free of hazards like splinters and nails

Camping Fun and Safety

Posted on by TP Mechanical

Presented by TP Mechanical | Provided by HORAN

Forest Camping - TentFor many people, a nice vacation means sandy beaches and exotic cultures. But not every trip can be a “dream vacation.” Fortunately, it’s possible to get away from it all without having to spring for hotels and airfare.

Camping is a great way to take in some much-needed rest and relaxation on a shoestring budget. A camping trip can provide the same sense of freedom a few hours from your home that you would get from visiting another country.

In addition to being low-cost, camping does not require much in the way of advance planning, and can easily be coordinated and undertaken with family or friends. Most campgrounds will even allow you to bring a pet along, freeing you from another vacation-related hassle.

Despite the benefits, camping also has some risks. Observe the following safety tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Forest Service to ensure that your trip goes off without a hitch.

  • Get vaccinated. Check with your medical provider to make sure you’ve had all of the recommended vaccines.
  • Be mindful of food storage and preparation. Pack food in tight, waterproof bags or containers, and keep it in an insulated cooler. Do not mix cooked and raw foods. Wash hands and surfaces often. Use hand sanitizer if water is not available.
  • Build fires in a safe area. Fires and fuel-burning appliances must be far enough away from the tent to prevent ignition from sparks, flames and heat. Make sure your fires are always attended.
  • Wear appropriate clothing for the conditions and season.
  • Think before you drink! No matter how clean or pure water looks, it’s likely to contain parasites and microorganisms that can cause discomfort and sometimes serious illness. Purify it with chemical treatment, or bring bottled water.
  • Watch out for bugs. Insects can be an issue at many campsites. Avoid attracting stinging insects by wearing light-colored clothing and avoiding perfumes or colognes. Keep a good supply of bug spray with you to repel mosquitoes, which can carry diseases.
  • Beware of poisonous plants. Familiarize yourself with any dangerous plants that are common to the area. If you come into contact with a poisonous plant, immediately rinse the affected area with water and apply a soothing anti-itch lotion such as calamine.

Safety first. We don’t just say it, we live it.

Posted on by TP Mechanical

At TP Mechanical, from CEOs to project managers, from site supervisors to office staff, every TP Mechanical team member devotes time, energy and heart to our company’s promise to send everyone home to their families every single night. We do this by going above and beyond the standard requirements to create not just a safety program, but a safety culture.

While our track record speaks for itself, the thing that truly sets us apart within the industry is our Experience Modification Rate (EMR). The EMR is computed by comparing a company’s annual losses in insurance claims against its policy premiums over a three-year period. The industry standard hovers around an EMR of 1.0. So where does TP Mechanical rate on this scale?

Glad you asked… TP Mechanical boasts an EMR rating of 0.56. By truly committing our operation to safety protocols, our clients enjoy substantial financial savings when it comes to insurance-related costs. It’s like car insurance – safer drivers who have fewer accidents pay less. Through our team member’s combined efforts in job safety, they aren’t just saving TP Mechanical money; they are actively involved in helping the company make money.

“Twenty percent of workers’ compensation claims account for eighty percent of what insurance companies pay out,” states Larry Melocik of Melocik & Company, a workers’ compensation consultant. As a self-insured company, TP Mechanical has to ensure that everyone is on-board.

We are proud of our employees for ingraining TP Mechanical’s first core value of “Safety First, Always First.” Our employees have earned a number of awards for their efforts, including:

  • AGC Safety Award | State of Ohio Specialty Division for Contractors working 500,001 – 700,000 Hours Annually
  • AGC National 2nd place Award in the Special Division
  • BX Ohio Safety Achievement Award
  • OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP)
  • TP Mechanical surpassed 2.8 million man hours worked without a lost-time accident, as of November 29, 2013

Safety Matters at TP Mechanical!

Posted on by TP Mechanical

TP Mechanical makes safety a way of life! As participants in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) we’ve implemented meticulous safety and health management practices that address hazard prevention and control, worksite analysis, training, management commitment and worker involvement. We voluntarily submit to rigorous evaluations to identify ways that we can continue to improve our system. Our first core value is “Safety First, Always First,” and we will relentlessly pursue the highest standard so that we can send each of our employees home to their families every night, injury-free.

TPM-SafetyFirstAlways2_1-30-13We are proud to announce that, thanks to our team’s dedication to safety, we have worked 2,780,103 hours without a lost time accident!

To find out more on our safety program visit us at http://www.tpmechanical.com/about-tp/safety.