Archive for the ‘Presidents Message’ Category
Important Announcements
Gribbins Insulation is pleased to announce…
Ryan Henderson promoted to Senior Estimator
Ryan Henderson, Senior Estimator, hard at work.
Ryan started with the company almost 11 years ago and has been an important participant in our growth and success. Upon joining us in 2001, Ryan had no experience or knowledge of the insulation industry and came to us with a graphic design background. Over his career he has gained the expertise to successfully estimate and project manage most any project we encounter, most recently as the Estimator/Project Manager on The Ford Center in Evansville, and the UK Hospital addition in Lexington, two of our major commercial jobs in recent history.
Trevor Atherton becomes an Associate Safety Professional (ASP)
Trevor accepting the Indiana Governor's Workplace Safety Award in March 2011.
Trevor Atherton, the Gribbins Safety Manager, is well on his way to becoming a Certified Safety Professional after passing the first of two rigorous examinations from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. With this first step complete, he is now considered an Associate Safety Professional, or ASP, and may move forward with studying for the final exam. Trevor has been instrumental in our exceptional safety performance and the many recent safety accolades, including being named one of America’s Safest Companies by EHS Today magazine.
We congratulate Ryan and Trevor as they continue making a difference in our efforts to be the premier insulation contractor in the Midwest.
What is Mechanical Insulation?
Do you think insulation only belongs in walls? Time to learn more. New e-learning modules are now available at www.nterlearning.org, as part of the Department of Energy’s Mechanical Insulation Education and Awareness Campaign (MIC). MIC is a program offered by the Department of Energy in conjunction with the National Insulation Association and the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers.
Mechanical insulation can play a significant role in reducing facility energy loss and saving money in the process. Insulation also provides: excellent return on investment, workplace safety, environmental protection, condensation control, and noise control. Five self-paced e-learning modules are available, as well as a mechanical insulation glossary and design guide. The series is totally free – simply sign up with an email account and password.
CURT Winter Safety Workshop
As a winner of the Construction Industry Safety Excellence award from CURT, Jim Gribbins, president of Gribbins Insulation, will present the Gribbins safety program and best practices during the 2012 CURT Winter Best Practices Workshop in New Orleans on Wednesday, February 8, 2012. His speech will focus on the 
merits of the Gribbins safety program and how a subcontractor like Gribbins works cooperatively with the general contractor and owner-client to meet safety goals on all different types of projects.
The full agenda may be downloaded here.
The Construction Users Roundtable is an association of leading corporations dedicated to the promotion of cost effective construction methods. The members, as major consumers of construction services seek to foster improved construction safety performance through recognition of the achievement of excellence and the promotion of proven effective work practices. www.curt.org
Pinnacle Award Presentations
Jim Gribbins and Trevor Atherton
As the winner of the 2011 Pinnacle Safety Award from the Indiana Construction Association, Gribbins Insulation will present safety best practices at the ICA Statewide Safety Forum and the ICA/INDOT/IOSHA/ISP Safety Joint Cooperative Forum at 10:00am on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, at the association office in downtown Indianapolis. All ICA members are invited to attend the meeting.
Jim Gribbins, President of Gribbins Insulation, and Trevor Atherton, Safety Manager, will discuss features of our safety program that have helped us win two ICA Pinnacle Awards in the past three years.
Please RSVP to ICA at ica@inconstruction.org or call 317-472-6777.
Indiana Construction Association
Trevor Atherton previously presented an overview of our safety program with Vice President Brian Willett at the ICA Southwest Safety Forum in Evansville, Indiana, on January 4, 2012.
Driving in Snow and Ice
These are tips from the Indiana Construction Association on driving in snow and ice. Stay safe on and off the job!
The best advice for driving in snow and ice is to avoid it if you can. If you can’t, it’s important to orient your mind to safely operate your vehicle by making sure your vehicle is prepared, and that you know how to handle the road conditions. Below are a few tips to help make your drive safer in snow and ice.
Drive Safely on Icy Roads:
- Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
- Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, gently ease off the brakes.
Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists. - Keep your lights and windshield clean.
Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills. - Don’t use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
- Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently-traveled roads. These areas will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas.
- Don’t pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you’re likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind them.
- Don’t assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and frontwheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.
If Your Vehicle Starts to Skid:
- Remain calm.
- Take your foot off the accelerator.
- If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
- If you have anti-lock brakes, do not pump them, but apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse; this is normal.
- Steer to safety.
If You Get Stuck:
- Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.
- Use a light touch on the gas to ease your car out.
- You may want to try rocking the vehicle. Give a light touch on the gas pedal and then release it. Repeating these actions will start a rocking motion and could free you up to get going.
- If necessary, use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.
- Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels to help increase traction.
Just keep in mind that with the winter season comes adverse weather conditions. It is important to always be prepared to operate your vehicle in a defensive manner and watch out for the other vehicles on the road. Driving on snow and ice can be very tricky but can be done safely. Just remember to “Think Safety and Act Safely.”
Construction Industry Safety Excellence Award
On November 8, 2011, the Construction Users Roundtable honored Gribbins Insulation as one of the 2011 Construction Industry Safety Excellence award winners. Megan Knoll, Director of Marketing, accepted the award for us during the CURT National Conference at The Wild Horse Pass Resort in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Construction Users Roundtable (CURT) is an association of leading corporations dedicated to the promotion of cost-effective construction methods. The members, as major consumers of construction services such as Marathon Petroleum and Duke Energy, seek to foster improved construction safety performance through recognition of the achievement of excellence and the promotion of proven effective work practices.
The Construction Industry Safety Excellence (CISE) awards program seeks to encourage efforts to improve safety by recognizing safety leaders in all segments of the construction industry. Award applications were distributed to CURT members as well as leading national contractor associations and local construction user councils throughout the United States and Canada.
CURT Executive Vice President Gregory Sizemore presented the CISE awards to three categories of contractors, as well as three owners and five construction projects. Other winners included such well-known companies as Eli Lilly, Proctor & Gamble, and Merck & Co. See the full list of winners here: http://www.curt.org/Awards-Safety-CISE-Awards.aspx
At Gribbins Insulation, maintaining a safe working environment is the responsibility of every employee, from the company president to the newest hire. All employees have the right and responsibility to fully understand each of their assigned tasks, stop work if they spot an at-risk condition, and return home to their families in the same condition as they arrived at work. As Trevor Atherton, our Safety Manager, emphasizes, “Our safety program works. Not a single lost workday case since 2007. We are proof that even a mid-sized insulation contractor can develop and maintain a successful and extensive safety program.”
This is the third safety award we have received in the past month, and we expect to receive another next week.
Zero Injury Safety Awards: On October 26, we received three Zero Injury Certificates of Merit from the National Maintenance Agreement Policy Commitee for our 194,000+ hours of work at the Alcoa Warrick Generating Station, at the Duke Energy Edwardsport jobsite, and IP&L in Petersburg, Indiana.
Named one of America’s Safest Companies: EHS Today, a national magazine devoted to safety and health, honored us as one of America’s Safest Companies at the awards ceremony on October 31.
Local 18 Apprentice of the Year
Congratulations to Jeremy Cutright,
honored as Apprentice of the Year among the Local 18 graduating class at the ceremony on June 10, 2011. Jeremy has worked for Gribbins Insulation throughout his career as an insulator. J.D. Smothers, the Terre Haute Area Manager, considers Jeremy to be “extremely talented” and a valuable asset on jobsites. Married with two children aged 8 and 5, Jeremy enjoys fishing in his free time. He is pictured here with the piping system mock-up he built for the practical portion of the final test. Congratulations to Jeremy!
Safety!!!
Safety is one of my personal core values for doing business in the construction industry, and it is also one of our company’s core values. I expect every employee, from the estimator to the field employee to the receptionist, to consider safety in every single action. Our safety department is charged with the goal of going beyond the minimum safety requirements and maintaining a high level of safety awareness on and off the job. Ultimately, it is every employee’s responsibility to ensure the safety of themselves and their coworkers.
National Safety Month
June is National Safety Month, and you will notice extra safety postings on our company Facebook page. Take advantage of these safety resources (part of our membership in the National Safety Council), and raise your level of safety consciousness to protect yourself and your fellow employees. Learn all about National Safety Month here.
Safety Program
After such a successful year in 2010, our safety program continues to be an industry leader through both its results and its honors.
2011 Statistics – thru May 29
- Over 100,000 hours worked
- 0 Lost Work Days
- 0 Restricted Activity Cases
2011 Awards…so far
Indiana Governor’s Workplace Safety Award for Overall Safety in Construction: Our first time to win this award. Read more here and see a picture of Safety Manager Trevor Atherton accepting the award from Indiana Commissioner of Labor Lori Torres.
Marathon Petroleum Illinois Refining Division Manager’s Contractor Safety Excellence Award: Our sixth consecutive year to win this award for safety performance and attitude during our work at Marathon’s plant in Robinson, Illinois.
Metro Indianapolis Coalition for Construction Safety (MICCS) Safety Achievement Award: our third consecutive year to win this award from an Indiana organization devoted to construction safety.
The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC) Thomas J. Reynolds Award for Excellence in Construction Safety: Our fourth consecutive win.
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Core Values and Safety Success
Happy New Year to our employees, customers, and partners. To start off 2011, I want to emphasize the importance of our mission statement and also define our core values.
Mission Statement
Maximize customer satisfaction by providing the highest levels of safety, quality, and productivity, while maintaining personal and professional integrity, leading to employee fulfillment and company profit.
Core Values
Although we have lived by these principles since we opened our doors in 1985, I believe that clarifying and publishing the values give them a more significant presence within our company.
Integrity
Profit should be the result of good business. We say what we mean and do what we say, inspiring trust in our customers, our partners, and our employees. We strive to “do the right thing” in all situations.
Safety
With a goal of zero accidents, safety is part of our culture, a value considered with each decision made by management, administrators, foremen, and field employees. Through our award-winning safety program, our employees are encouraged to keep safety at the forefront of every action, whether in the office, at the jobsite, in the car, or on the weekend.
Quality
We are deeply committed to providing the highest quality materials and service for every project. Through our close relationships with our suppliers and active participation with the union, we utilize the best insulation materials, ensure excellent training for our field employees, and get the job done right the first time.
Productivity
With respect for integrity, safety, and quality, we are dedicated to completing our work efficiently and professionally, on time and on budget. We understand the competitive nature of our industry, and we intend to provide the greatest total value for our customers.
Innovation
For continued success, we must embrace new ideas and encourage employees to look for improvements in everything we do. We utilize the latest technologies and advancements in our industry to provide the highest quality in the most productive and environmentally-conscious way.
Safety Program
I want to congratulate our safety manager, Trevor Atherton, the safety team, and all of our employees on another safe working year. We are thrilled to report the following 2010 safety successes:
2010 OSHA Recordable Rate of .68: The average incident rate for construction in 2009 was 4.3 and for specialty contractors, the average rate in 2009 was 4.6.
Increase in Safety Meetings: The number of safety meetings conducted increased by 6% in 2010, as well as the number of attendees.
Five Safety Awards: Also, you may have seen on Facebook and on our website that we were honored with five safety awards in 2010! Click here to learn more about each award.
Weekly Toolbox Talks are now published on our website and on our Facebook page.
Incentive Changes
As was reviewed in the first Toolbox Talk of January, the earning qualifications in our incentive program are changing for 2011 and beyond. Click here to read the full post from Trevor explaining the new methods for earning safety points.
Safety experts throughout the nation are encouraging changes to incentive programs to ensure that the programs reinforce positive behavior. We are committed to maintaining an innovative and industry-leading safety program, so we are upgrading our incentive program according to the advice of the experts. Please contact Trevor at 812-422-3340 or tatherton@gribbins.com with any questions.
25th Anniversary Open House
Thanks to all who attended our 25th Anniversary Open House on Wednesday, September 29th. The 100 or so attendees were treated to plenty of food and cake from local businesses. I truly appreciate all employees who attended the event, especially those employees who do not work at the Evansville office. Our customers and vendors were each given a customized “chair in a bag” as a parting gift, and that chair is now available for employees in our safety incentive catalog.
Check out some pictures from the 25th anniversary celebration below and also on our Facebook page.
If you are a Facebook user, I encourage you to follow Gribbins Insulation. This is a very easy way for you to get quick information about the company. The Gribbins posts include safety announcements, jobsite pictures, and industry news. We currently have over 50 people following us on Facebook.
Top Specialty Contractor
Finally, I want to announce that Gribbins Insulation is once again ranked in two different industry lists as a leader in specialty construction. Midwest Construction Magazine ranked us #71 among all specialty contractors in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin. 
In ENR’s (Engineering News Record) annual ranking list known as “The Top 600 Specialty Contractors,” we are ranked number 542 in 2010, down from 493 in 2009. We have appeared on the annual ENR list since 2003, and we intend to continue that trend.
