Tag: Safety

TIC crew members assist with emergency gasoline leak containment

One of the greatest benefits of the safety culture we’ve created here at Thomas Industrial Coatings is knowing that, in case of an emergency, our people have the knowledge and tools necessary to handle the situation. That’s why we were incredibly proud to hear that members of one of our crews recently played a key role in preventing disaster at a job site.

When a crane operator on our J. E. Roush Dam project in Huntington, IN alerted TIC’s Greg Perry to a report of a 300-gallon container filled with gasoline seemly abandoned on the dam’s roadway by a passer-by, he collected other members of his crew, Frank Henriquez and Matt Shannon, to address the problem. Fire extinguishers in hand, the three stopped all traffic at both ends of the project and assessed the situation. With fluid leaking from the container, emergency services were called and a spill kit was put into use in an attempt to keep more gasoline from escaping on to the road. Once the Fire Department and Homeland Security arrived, Greg, Frank and Matt assisted in containment by using buckets and an empty 55-gallon drum they had on hand until the original container could be drained enough to be secured and hauled away.

Thanks to their quick thinking and reliance on their knowledge of safety procedures, Greg, Frank and Matt were able to prevent any damage or injury that could have been caused by this spill. Their handling of the situation speaks volumes of both their dedication to safety and TIC’s commitment to hiring and training the most capable people we can find for our crews. Thanks, fellas, for a job well done. We couldn’t be more proud.

Improving workplace safety through properly coated concrete flooring

When you’re building or renovating a warehouse, manufacturing plant, factory, storage facility or other commercial or industrial structure, it’s important to put yourself in your workers’ shoes.

As industrial professionals, we all struggle every day to find ways of making the workplace safer for the people that make our businesses work: our employees. So when you’re building or renovating a warehouse, manufacturing plant, factory, storage facility or other commercial or industrial structure, it’s important to put yourself in your workers’ shoes as you decide what steps to take to improve safety.

In fact, one answer might lie right below your feet.

Better safety through concrete coatings

Concrete flooring may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to improving safety, but having a professional coatings contractor apply the right coating can lead to a big boost in your workplace safety efforts.

A quality epoxy concrete coating will improve foot traffic by creating a slip-proof surface, leading to fewer accidents in the building. The new surface is also fire, chemical and impact resistant, which can come in handy depending on the work your company does. And while being easy to clean doesn’t seem like a safety feature, consider that having less dirt, dust, and grime in your facility means better health for your crews. If your employees can focus on their work rather than how cruddy they feel, they’re safer and more productive. 

Creating a pathway to safety

Another benefit of concrete floor coatings is in the design of your workplace. By applying colored stains to predetermined areas, you can better direct company workflow through your facility by creating sectors with specific purposes. Imagine how much safer someone might be if they could see the path the warehouse forklifts take and stay out of their way, or if they couldn’t wander into a danger zone without noticing the bright red flooring underneath them. 

Safety isn’t the end of the story

Improved workplace safety is just one of the benefits a quality concrete floor coating can bring to your industrial or commercial facility. If you’ve been considering flooring options for your building, plant, or factory, get in touch with a Thomas Industrial Coatings representative and discuss the pros and cons. You might be floored by what you find out.

A new project and a safety award received: TIC looks back on June

June was another banner month for Thomas Industrial Coatings. With the Huey P. Long bridge widening project just finished, we’re showing no signs of slowing down as we move on to the New Mississippi River Bridge being built in our hometown of St. Louis.

Thomas will be providing the surface preparation and coatings application to this new bridge construction project set to help relive local traffic congestion, as well as play a major role in the realignment and reconstruction of Instate 70. Last month saw us getting started in our role as we hoisted our 12,000 pound hydraplatform to the road deck so that we will be able to access the cable anchorage points along both sides of the bridge.

As always, our commitment to safety is a top priority with TIC. Safety Director Todd Cook and Safety Coordinator Andrew Everding have been hard at work performing site safety evaluations to identify any potential safety concerns that might affect our crew on this new project. Of course, that didn’t stop them from taking a short break to enjoy the view from the New Mississippi River Bridge, as you can see in the photo.

And speaking of safety, in June, TIC was honored to have once again been awarded the CREST Top 10 Finisher by the Finishing Contractors Association. This award is given to contractors who show incredible excellence in their dedication to the safety training of their employees. For the second year in a row, we’ve placed among the ten safest companies in the world, and we couldn’t be prouder of the work we’ve done to complete such an achievement.

The future is certainly looking bright for Thomas Industrial Coatings. We’ve got a lot more news to share with everyone, so keeping watching this space for further updates, or subscribe to our newsletter to find out more.

A safety Valentine from Thomas Industrial Coatings to you

Roses are red, violets are blue, and it’s always safety first for the TIC crew. But Thomas Industrial Coatings doesn’t need a special day full of candy-filled hearts or flowers to celebrate our commitment to safety, not when we have a staff highly-dedicated and certified professionals who show their love for a safe workplace each and every day of the year.

For instance, you may remember when we started incorporating the Board of Certified Safety Professionals’ Safety Trained Supervisor program into our training in June of 2012. We were looking for a way of pushing our already strict safety goals even further for our managers and supervisors. By educating and supporting these employees through the STS program, they’re now better trained to monitor job sites for hazards, ensure regulatory compliance, and train their own crews in workplace safety practices than they ever were before.

By the end of 2012, 14 members of the Thomas Industrial Coatings staff had achieved STS certification. We’re proud to say we’ve already increased that number to 16 this year, and we’ve got plans to make sure it keeps growing as the year goes on. We’ve done so well, in fact, that we’ve been listed on the BSCP’s STS Sponsorship Program page, and that means more to us than any rose-carrying teddy bear we might receive.

All of this just underlines our love for a workplace that ensures every member of our staff remains healthy and safe throughout their work day. We think that’s a much better message than you’ll find in any greeting card, don’t you?

Industrial painters getting safer by the hour

Today, Thomas Industrial Coatings’ safety director and Certified Safety Professional, Todd Cook, gave a three-hour STS, or Safety Trained Supervisor, preparation course to fellow managers and supervisors.

The STS certification is an effort by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals to make every job-site safer. This specific certification is for first-line managers and supervisors to ensure that safety is always paramount for job-site leaders.

“By the end of the year, everyone in management will be STS-certified,” said Todd Cook, Safety Director and Certified Safety Professional at Thomas Industrial Coatings. “This is yet another step towards being as safe as we can possibly be.”

Those in attendance include Jon Lewis, Mike Reed, Andrew Everding, Ross Boyd, Eric Nenninger, Dane McGraw, Josh Teddleton, Wayne Long, Andy Hamersen, Donnie McComack, John Lohkamp, Doug Rothweiler, Derek Goff, Steve Kuehler and Tony Wheelock.

Thomas Industrial Coatings named second safest industrial painter in US

Thomas Industrial Coatings is proud to announce that we were listed as one of the top ten – number two to be exact – safest industrial painting companies in the United States by the Finishing Contractors Association (FCA).

As noted by the FCA, the CREST Awards are designed to objectively evaluate contractors based on key leading and lagging measure using metrics that are associated with efforts that cause excellent safety performance.

Some considerations include:

  • years a company has had a written safety program
  • methods used to familiarize employees with the safety program
  • number of full-time safety representatives
  • number of supervisors, foremen and managers
  • number of management personnel that have completed advanced safety training
  • number of management personnel that attended competent person training

Thomas Industrial Coatings was awarded for our work in the 150,000+ category.

Congrats and thank you to each and every person that wears the Thomas name. We should all be proud.

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