Newpark Mats and Integrated Services (NMIS) is the largest, most experienced manufacturer of heavy-duty composite matting systems in the world, providing leading-edge composite matting solutions to industries including oil & gas, utilities, pipeline, general construction, military, heavy haul, entertainment & film, sports arena and facility management, as well as other premium markets that require the durability and longevity of thermoplastic material for site access or temporary surfaces.
B42L Travels the Tri-State
Throughout the last three months, our training team has worked with NMIS to set up training in New Philadelphia, OH, Clarksburg, WV, and Cuddy, PA regions for all of its employees. B42L is proud to announce with collective efforts from NMIS’s safety team (Ben Boyd, George Lourimore, Steve Smith, Ray White), B42L has been able to train and prepare over 200 employees in life saving CPR, AED and First Aid training. NMIS is our largest partner and we are proud to work with such a dedicated company that values safety above all.
The first of two trainings in the Newpark Ohio yard. This group consisted of over 50 spanish speaking employees
Training in New Philidelphia, Ohio
The logistics with such a large group of people was a smooth process with the help of experienced and dedicated Site Managers and Superintendents. In the larger trainings, B42L’s training specialists Lucas Boyd and John Cragg were accompanied by OH Site Manager Abraham Rodriguez and Superintendant Ramon Heredia. With the help of Abe and Ramon, B42L was able to conduct training for over 80 employees in Spanish! Language barriers can be one of the hardest obstacles to overcome in the education and safety training field and we are very fortunate and appreciative that Abe and Ramon were able to help translate.
Newpark Ohio Superintendent Ramon Heredia providing english to spanish translation
Training in Clarksburg, WV
Down in West Virginia, B42L worked in close contact with WV Site Manager Josh Bailey and Superintendent Sarah Cripps to deliver effective training to over 40 employees. The West Virginia trainings took a lot of time and thought to set up being this area is arguably the busiest region of the Tri-State area in which Newpark works. It is reassuring that even when work is busy, Newpark chooses the safe way. Trainers Gabriel Boyd and Lucas Boyd were effective, efficient and the West Virginia team is now more prepared to save a life. It is important to realize as a manager that where there are more people working, there is also a higher chance that an accident or emergency could take place. We feel very confident that the group in West Virginia is prepared for numerous situations and thank the efforts of all involved.
Training in Cuddy, PA
In Cuddy, PA, B42L worked with Supintendants Rob Sauers and Terry Campbell to train over 35 employees in both the RMP and containment divisions. Our Cuddy group holds a special place in our hearts as trainers Samuel, Gabriel and Lucas all worked out of the very same yard when they were introduced to the oil and gas industry back in 2014 as skilled labor hands on a containment crew together. As a crew, the brothers worked in all regions and learned the ins and outs of the oil and gas industry while being able to work safely and as a team.
A break out of hands on training for CPR is conducted in every training with B42L
CPR AED and First Aid training is becoming more of an expecation and benefit for the oil and gas industry. When an individual is out onsite with this skill set, he can be the first to respond and save a life. Cell phone reception, GPS signals and closed roads all pose an immediate complication when summoning advanced medical responders. The more people onsite that have these skills, the higher chance that an emergency can be responded to right away. We want to acknowledge and thank Newpark for its commitment to keeping its employees prepared for emergencies. Newpark goes above and beyond to equip, empower and inspire the industry in being not only the leading composite matting company in the world, they are also setting the standard when it comes to safety.
Still to Come
B42L will be visiting Newpark’s North headquarters office in Pittsburgh, PA to train the management and administrative team in life saving CPR AED and First Aid. It is important that a management system has knowledge and understanding of the health and safety hazards associated and present in the industry to continue to create controls and engineer new ideas to create a safer working environment. We applaud Newpark and are excited for a long future with this group. There is success on the horizon for both B42L and Newpark, so let’s move some mats and save lives, before it’s too late!
Mark 16:15 “Go everywhere and tell the Good News to everyone”. Whether you are an avid follower of the scripture or receive your daily updates via the Bible app, this passage not only describes the Pittsburgh Christian Fellowship, but it is part of their mission! The vision of the church is to teach people to reach their world with the Good News of Jesus Christ while connecting with a community of believers. The church is nicely nested on top of Mount Oliver located on Brownsville road. Their team is also lead by Senior Pastor Chris DeMark who is supported by his wife, Belinda DeMark, and two daughters, Joyus and Faith DeMark. This bunch spends every day reaching out to others, providing them a safe and welcoming place to worship.
Fellowship reaching the masses
The Pittsburgh Christian Fellowship provides many opportunities to become involved including Sunday Services, events throughout the year and a Podcast featuring none other than Senior Pastor Chris DeMark. Chris became Senior Pastor of the church in 1994 and since has provided ample opportunity for others to join in his mission.
Along with providing masses and summer programs and picnics, the church coordinates and connects individuals who may be struggling by accepting the following fundraising offerings:
Tithes
Missions
Emergency
Youth
Children
Mens
Womens
Like we said, if you cannot find time for a Sunday mass, simply listen to one of the recorded podcasts and get YA JESUS ON!
Paths crossing at the right time
Belinda is a current employee of Highmark Inc. in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. She noticed an online article that was posted about another employee who frequently provided churches the opportunity to become CPR/First Aid certified. Without hesitation she reached out to Lucas Boyd, at the time also a Highmark Employee. Together, they planned a weekend where leaders in the church and volunteers could receive life saving training in CPR/AED/First Aid.
One of the biggest reasons why The Pittsburgh Christian Fellowship wanted to get certified was due to the high volume of youngsters who attend on weekends and in the summer. Having all members trained in case of an emergency was a must! B42L (Before It’s Too Late LLC) came in and trained 9 individuals how to properly perform life saving skills. Right place and right time? It is odd to think about it but what would have happened if Belinda did not have the courage or thought to give that article a read?! Now we won’t say that higher intervention had anything to do with the class taking place, but it is very incredible that Belinda decided one day to click an article and found an answer to her problem.
Skills that SAVE LIVES
As every chapter preceded, the group asked questions on how best to attack a multitude of situations. Wanting to ensure each participant was able to respond to just about anything, we can tell you many “what if” scenarios were quickly answered. The group was able to have open discussion and practice their skills with real life walkthroughs. We covered some of the following topics:
Recognizing and Responding to Emergencies
Cardiac Emergencies including Cardiac Arrest – CPR
AED basics and skills
Choking recognition and skills
Sudden Illnesses
First Aid and wrapping a wound skills
Environmental Emergencies – heat/cold related
In addition to certifying the group in these skills, each member walked away with B42L’s “assurance plan” (life saving tool that refreshes skills used in CPR on the spot). The members of this parish didn’t decide to request a class for compliance reasons or to check a box for safety training. Rather, each member had a deep interest on how they could each be better equipped to serve their community. This type of GOOD FAITH makes it certain that the church and its message is most definitely spreading the word and is doing the right thing, no matter what.
Giving back
The Pittsburgh Christian fellowship gives so much and asks for very little in return. Recently, the church had a roof problem where the damage done has caused leaking and ceiling tiles to deteriorate. The church plans on having designated offerings to raise money to replace the tiles and fix the leaky roof! If you are interested in donating please reach out to Pastor DeMark!
For nearly a century, the Ellwood Group has grown through innovation and strategic acquisitions. It should also be noted that the group is the leading supplier of quality metals and custom-engineered components for worldwide applications. The Ellwood group has a tremendous footprint that now covers more than 25 locations across North America. From the looks of it over time, it is easy to say they live up to their mission statement, “Our mission is to use our metallurgy know-how to provide critical engineered solutions”.
The group has functions including:
Steelmaking
Forging
Machining
Distribution
Cladding & Fabrication
Casting
R&D
With such a vast line of offerings, The Ellwood Group makes it a point to not only serve their customers, but treat everyone as FAMILY. The group has committed to its employees by celebrating other’s successes and supporting in times of needs. Moreover, each of the 25 locations are treated like HOME and is properly stewarded. To give you an idea of how big this group is, we decided to breakdown the markets you can see their work in:
Like we said, The Ellwood Group has sizable capabilities and footprint. Each plant and location has an integral function and role for the group’s unique customer base.The Ellwood Quality Steels branch was founded in 1985 and the melt shop was to be the premier producer of the highest quality clean steel ingots around. This location holds a 45 ton electric arc furnace that is a sight to see.
Their electroslag and vacuum allows the location to re-melt ingots to serve the most demanding applications thought of. This location is unlike any other as it also provides cutting-edge metallurgical lab equipment that is used in R&D techniques. While we love highlighting the capabilities of the plant, we should also talk about how their team gets the job done.
Safety is Success
ELLWOOD has a commitment to getting the job done right and protects its employees in the process. Like we said, things could get a little heated if you’re operating with a 45 ton arc furnace. Quite often, companies especially as large as ELLWOOD, may take safety as a last minute check box. That isn’t how Ellwood Quality Steel runs the show though. In fact, their goal is not only to comply with industry standards, but exceed them. There are multiple ways the group gets this done.
Management Leadership and Employee Involvement
Worksite Analysis
Hazard Prevention and Control
Training
Each facility goes above and beyond with their safety culture, regulation, and processes. Ellwood Quality Steels recently just had 15 of their staff members become trained in the life saving skills of CPR/AED/First Aid. Now we did mention that the group’s goal is to exceed compliance regulations, and a group this size with all differing job functions hit incredible standards.
Bobbie Myers is Ellwood Quality Steel’s first line of defense when it comes to safety. She is the Safety and Environmental Manager for this location and made it a point to set up a class for her staff. Bobbie provides value by supporting on EHS projects, conducting EHS Audits, Safety Training and BBS development. With all of this on her plate, she reached out to Before It’s Too Late LLC and made sure she was covering Emergency Preparedness. You never know what could go wrong, especially when you’re working with Steel!
The class covered multiple topics for both Adult and Pediatric Situations of Cardiac Arrest and First Aid emergencies. This class was taught to a group who works for a Steel company but can always feel prepared using their skills in their own homes and communities. Here are a few topics we were able to cover:
Ellwood Quality Steel employees and management takes CPR/AED/First Aid class with B42L (Before It’s Too Late LLC)
Recognizing and Responding to Emergencies
Cardiac Emergencies including Cardiac Arrest – CPR
AED basics and skills
Choking recognition and skills
Sudden Illnesses
First Aid and wrapping a wound skills
Environmental Emergencies – heat/cold related
Each member of the class was able to sit through a lecture portion that was aided with videos and interactive critical thinking scenarios. In addition to the more “classroom style” learning, we also had each member get down to business and practice their skills as if an emergency was actually taking place. The Ellwood staff practiced doing chest compressions and rescue breaths and also were able to use a simulated AED (Automatic External Defibrillator). In addition to those skills, we covered First Aid for choking and wrapping a wound!
Each member immediately treated the day as a learning opportunity and took charge of the scenario at play! Ellwood Quality Steel also was able to take advantage of B42l’s assurance plan. A life saving piece of PPE that serves as a real time refresher.
https://dev.b42l.com/shop/product/cpr-wrap/
Slippery Rock Safety Connections 02
As we recognize Bobbie’s group we also want to highlight some similar safety roots between The Ellwood Group and B42L.
Bobbie Myers was a graduate from the highly recognized safety program at Slippery Rock University! With all of B42L’s staff also walking through those same safety doors of at the Strain Behavioral Safety building it was a great time seeing Slippery Rock Alumni doing great work well after their time as students. The SRU Safety Program has ROCK SOLID graduates providing ROCK SOLID work and SAFETY to some of the world’s most important industries!
B42L enjoys connecting with Slippery Rock University graduates and aiding in any way possible. Whether you run a church group, own a fitness studio or are in a more traditional Safety Position like Bobbie, please connect! It is important to understand that cultivating a safety culture is not one person’s responsibility.
B42L Campus Ambassador 2019-2020 School year
Check out how we continue to provide Slippery Rock value with our campus ambassador role! B42L provides discounted classes for Slippery Rock University students on a monthly basis and has provided scholarship opportunities for individuals who work with us!
If you know plastics, then you should know the name Saint Gobain. This plastics group is the world’s leading producer of some pretty high performance polymer products and has made a positive difference in just about every major industry you could think of. The group has embedded their product in bearings of race cars and even radar devices used in military aircrafts. Like I said, if you know plastics, you know Saint Gobain.
The French founded company was established in 1665 which means not only are they delivering high grade products and services but they have been doing so for over 300 years! Through business acquisitions and the innovation, Saint Gobain now serves customers in 67 different countries and employs over 170,000 workers. One of the reasons why this giant plastics group performs so well is their focus on safety. Saint Gobain invests in their workforce by providing the highest quality of training programs! They were recognized as one of the world’s top 100 industrial corporations and as a leader in an array of engineered materials.
Safe Working Environments
Being the best at engineering solutions starts by providing safe working conditions for employees. If you think you could become an industry leader while not practicing your processes safely, you are out in left field alone.
Safety has to take top priority when working with machinery, or in environments with high risk. Engineering plastics is complicated to say the least. The steps that simple materials undergo before becoming the finished product illustrates how ingrained safety needs to be. That means workers at Saint Gobain are prepared and provided with proper PPE (personal protective equipment) and training.
Safety is not just about wearing your ear plugs and steel toed boots though. Safety is coming in to work every day and doing your job the RIGHT way! With that in mind, accidents and incidents occur and human error can never be avoided 100% of the time. Saint Gobain employees have adopted a safety culture that is unlike any other.
Emergency Preparedness and CPR/First Aid
Now we just pointed out that Saint Gobain is a world leader in their solutions and also takes safety as serious as the average Steeler fan takes Super Bowl Sunday. One factor that is hard to quantify is safety moral and safety culture.
Safety culture is the collection of the beliefs, perceptions and values that employees share in relation to risks within an organization, such as a workplace or community.[
The safety culture in any major plant starts from the ground up. Engaging the workforce to practice safely and voluntarily practice with purpose is a Safety Directors dream. Saint Gobain’s Cleveland plastics plant should furthermore be the go to example of what it means to adopt safety culture.
EHS leader Andrew Proya, oversees the safety of his plant and employees. He recently reached out to get his staff trained in First Aid/CPR/AED. Now let’s make sure we mention that there are OSHA standards set in place forcing plants to have staff members trained. SEE OSHA standard 1910 for details BUT…..
23 Saint Gobain employees volunteer to join plant emergency response team!
The interesting thing about Andrew’s group is that over 20 participants volunteered to join the emergency response team. Each member sat through a 4 hour training session that covered topics of CPR/AED/First Aid. The class certified individuals in life saving skills (American Red Cross Certified Instructors and material). Not only did Andrew achieve a compliance standard, but his workforce went out of their own way personally to become involved. This CPR/AED/First Aid class was provided by Before It’s Too Late LLC better known as B42L.
Here are some of the topics we covered:
Recognizing and Responding to Emergencies
Cardiac Emergencies including Cardiac Arrest – CPR
AED basics and skills
Choking recognition and skills
Sudden Illnesses
First Aid and wrapping a wound skills
Environmental Emergencies – heat/cold related
These group members had a plethora of subtopics in their course and all had the opportunity to test skills out. This class again allowed participants to learn a skill and then test their knowledge in real world application simulations. Because these skills are renewed on a two year basis, B42L also provided their new Assurance Policy for the plant cost free. If you are interested in seeing this assurance policy, check it out below:
NOTE: Our “Assurance Policy” should only be viewed by individuals who want to ensure their program continues to be the leader in their respective industry***
As we recognize Andrew’s group, we want to also highlight
some similar safety roots between Saint Gobain and B42L.
Andrew Proya was a graduate of the highly creditable
Slippery Rock University Safety Management program. B42L’s entire staff is also
proud alumni of the university and most of that program as well. Slippery Rock
University has one of the most respected and credible safety programs in the
United States. The program has some ROCK SOLID graduates providing ROCK SOLID
work and SAFETY to some of the world’s biggest players.
SRU Grads connect! Saint Gobain EHS professional leans into safety training with Before It’s Too late LLC (B42L) Lucas A. Boyd
B42L enjoys connecting with Slippery Rock University
graduates and aiding in any way possible. Whether you run a church group, own a
fitness studio or are in a more traditional Safety Position like Andrew, please
connect! It is important to understand
that cultivating a safety culture is not one person’s responsibility.
Check out how we continue to provide Slippery Rock value with our campus ambassador role! B42L provides discounted classes for Slippery Rock University students on a monthly basis and has provided scholarship opportunities for individuals who work with us!
Does
anyone else remember being in grade school and out of nowhere, the entire
building’s alarm system was activated? “Here we go again.” I would say. Yes, I
am talking about our monthly fire drills at school. No matter the weather, time
of the day, or special events going on, those pesky teachers always found a way
to make us stop what we were doing for a routine fire drill. Although these
very redundant and at times what felt pointless exercises were taught, I didn’t
realize how important fire safety was. It also didn’t help that my main source
of fire safety awareness came from Dwight Schrute while watching The Office. Come
on though, rookie mistake on Ryan’s part leaving his bread in the toaster for
that long.
Fast
forward about 10 years, I was working as a hand in the oil and gas fields and
was taking safety training when the topic of fires and emergency action plans
was brought up. After learning about the different fires that took place and
different ways to fight a fire, I was shocked of the different types of fires
that could be created and the different ways you should fight each fire. This is
useful information that should be taught at an earlier age in my opinion, its
never too early to start thinking smart and safe!
Below, we
will be discussing the 3 most popular fire extinguisher types on the market and
when to use each of them if a fire starts. Feel free to use this short post as
a crash course into the fire-fighting sector, but always feel confident to call
your local emergency fire response team if a fire starts.
The most common types of fire
extinguishers used on different types of fire fuels are:
Water fire extinguisher
Water fire extinguishers douse fires by taking away the heat element of the
fire triangle. They’re used for Class A fires only.
Dry chemical fire extinguisher
Dry chemical extinguishers extinguish the fire by interrupting the chemical
reaction of the fire triangle. They’re most effective on Class A, B and C
fires.
CO2 fire extinguisher
Carbon dioxide extinguishers take away the oxygen element of the fire triangle.
They also remove the heat with a cold discharge. They can be used on Class B
and C fires.
With this in mind, fire extinguishers have been developed and classified in order to combat such fires. Below is a chart of the 3 most popular fire extinguishers to deal with fires:
Type of Extinguisher
What the fire extinguishers are used for:
Class A fire extinguisher
These extinguishers are used for fires involving ordinary combustibles, such as wood, paper, cloth, trash and plastics.
Class B fire extinguisher
These extinguishers are used for fires involving flammable liquids, such as grease, gasoline and oil.
Class C fire extinguisher
These extinguishers are used for fires involving electrical
equipment, such as motors, transformers and appliances.
We now
have a basic understanding of what extinguishers fight what fires. But what
about when you are face to face with the fire? That is the very scary and at
times overwhelming point where your knowledge and skills will be put to the test.
This post also stresses that fire extinguishers should not be used to fight
larger fires, please leave that to the professionals. These tools can be used
for fires that have just started and are containable.
The acronym
PASS is an easy way to remember how
to use a fire extinguisher:
P- Pull
the pin
A- Aim at
the base of the fire
S- Squeeze
the lever steadily and evenly. Squeezing too hard can waste the fire-fighting
agent
S- Sweep the
nozzle side to side, continuing to aim at the base of the fire
What do we do from here?
Well, now
that we have a basic understanding on how fires are started, the types of fires
that take place and which fire extinguishers should be used, I recommend seeking
further education and going through a fire safety course from a trained
professional or your local fire-fighting department. At the very least, take a
look at the extinguisher you have in your homes, work place, or local community
centers. Are these the right extinguishers for a fire that might occur? Please
make sure you if a fire breaks loose, calling professionally trained first
responders is always the preferred route.
Was this helpful?
If you found this article interesting, exciting or useful, please check out more safety related articles at https://dev.b42l.com
Remember
playing Super Mario growing up? After collecting coins and stepping on Goombas
and turtles Super Mario continued his conquest to save dear Princess Peach. He
approached a tube. You pressed down on the joystick and down he went. What did
we forget to do? A confined space entry assessment. Mario could have died!
So what is a confined space?
By definition a
confined space has three unique characteristics:
It is large enough to enter and work
Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit
Is not intended for continuous human occupancy
So yes, that pipe
Mario dropped down into had one way in, and one way out (limited access/egress).
Let’s continue to read to see what other
hazards Mario faced.
What are the hazards of confined spaces?
Confined Spaces
are inherently hazardous places you wouldn’t want to just hang out. Before
entering any confined space, you must evaluate the space and determine if it isPermit
Required or Non-Permit Required.
Non-Permit Required Confined Space
These spaces fit
the definition of a confined space, however there are no additional hazards.
Permit Required Confined Space
A Permit
Required Confined Space is a confined space that also contains or has the
potential to contain additional hazards including:
What are some real-life examples of confined
spaces?
Tunnels
Wells
Manholes
Tanks
Culverts
Silos
Vaults
Open
trenches/Holes greater than 5ft in depth (vertical spaces)
Cellars
Etc
So yes, we can
confirm that Mario was for sure in a Permit Required Confined Space.
We
can guess that tube was greater than 5ft
It
also had limited oxygen levels. I don’t remember seeing any windows or
ventilation
Bowser
was down there. He shoots fire from his mouth.
What to do if I come Across a Confined
Space?
First and foremost
you need to identify if the space is Permit Required or Non-Permit Required.
Conduct a hazard assessment to identify all possible hazards the space has.
“So I’ve determined it is Permit Required”
What Mario should have done!
Before entering
any permit required confined space there are a few things to do.
Identify
and document the hazards of the space (Normally this is filled out on a checklist/permit)
Test
the air for oxygen levels, combustibility, and toxicity in that order
Ventilate
the space if needed. Retest the air after the space has been ventilated and periodically
while work is being performed.
Lockout
any equipment in the area that could start up and cause harm
Write
and post an entry permit to address all hazards
Ensure
all team members are trained on confined spaces.
Prevent
access to anyone who is unauthorized to enter
Set
up emergency rescue systems such has a Tri-Pod rescue system, or a horizontal lifeline.
Identify
roles and responsibilities of everyone involved (entrant, attendant, rescue, supervision
etc)
Use
additional PPE as needed
Set
up a communication method between the entrant and attendant
Here is a flow chart on how to determine
if your space is a Permit Required Confined Space!
Additionally if
your company/business provides self-rescue in any situation OSHA mandates CPR training
be conducted. See 1910.146(k)(2)
Schedule training
for your company today!
https://dev.b42l.com/business-scheduling/
Looking back on
it now, we really put Super Mario in a ton of grave danger. Imagine waking up
one day, turning on your game system and all it says was, “Super Mario died due
to confined space entry accident”. Don’t cut your life short. In the real world
we don’t get three lives before the game is over. For full guidelines of confined
spaces refer to CFR 1910.146.
