PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
- JACK BLOCK
 Here
it is 2012 and everybody will be writing 2011 for at least another
three weeks until our mind catches up with the change. The year
is starting off with a lot of uncertainty. Our backlog isn't
as strong as it has been in past years but I am hopeful we can
change that.
It is an election year which usually means the politicians pull
out all the stops to get the economy going again. That may be
a game changer for the current economic forecast. As Mike Deger
has said to me, "We have been in this spot many times and
somehow pulled through". Well I hope Mike is again right
as is usually the case. It is going to take all of us to recognize
that we need work and to work at it. So, as I often do this
time of the year, I appeal to each and every one of you to get
out and sell. We don't have to be the best kept secret in the
electrical business. We have an unbelievable, second to none,
team assembled that is always ready. We just need everybody
to make it a personal goal to find a new customer this year.
There is work out there; it's just a matter of cultivating our
existing customers and searching for new ones. It's kind of
a "let's get this ship out of port and moving in a new
direction" approach to the market place.
There will be a lot of changes in 2012 that will present new
opportunities for our people to excel. That's what we do best.
We have always capitalized on changing times as well as changing
ideologies. We have always taken it as a new opportunity to
improve our position with our customers. Companies such as ours
can never stay stagnant. We have to keep evolving with one goal
in mind and that is to deliver "Customer Delight"
to everyone we encounter. I know we are all on the same page
in 2012 and we can, by working together, deliver another successful
year.
"I wish everyone a very Happy, Healthy, and Safe
New Year."
2011
SAFETY REPORT
-MIKE DEGER
 As
we close out the year we like to reflect on our performance. 2011
was a difficult year but we performed well in many areas. We especially
improved in the area of safety. As of this writing our safety record
for 2011 is:
* Seven (7) Accident Reports
* Two (2) Recordable Incidents
* Zero (0) Lost Time Accidents
Considering our hours were up thirty percent over last year and
the reports and incidents were both down considerably this is a
nice accomplishment. We estimate that our OSHA incident rate will
be approximately 1.25. This is close to our target of less than
1.0. We could have done even better if we watched where we were
walking! Four of the seven reports involved stepping on or over
obstacles and straining knees and backs. Let's watch where we are
going in 2012 and we will make our goal.
Our customers demand 100% compliance with their safety programs.
We require 100% compliance with the Block Electric Safety Program.
Safety requirements are always being updated and evolving. Each
customer and general contractor has their specific requirements.
A major part of customer delight in is complying with these requirements.
Recently we received a letter from Power Construction outlining
some changes to their safety program as follows:
* 100% fall protection when exposed to falls over six feet
*( Safety glasses worn 100% of the time
* The on-site competent person has had the OSHA 30-hour training
within the last 3 years.
* A designated corporate safety representative will visit the site
monthly.
* Jobsite specific safety plan with hazard analysis
* A daily huddle at the start of each shift to review safety risks
and controls
* A "Zero Tolerance" approach to disciplinary action.
We already have these items incorporated into our safety policies.
The one thing that stands out is the OSHA 30-hour training within
the last 3 years. Many of our supervisors have the OSHA 30-hour
training. If you have not taken the classes in the last 3 years
please consider taking the class again. You will need it to work
on Power projects and all the other major general contractors' projects.
Crissy can sign you up for the class at the Chicagoland Construction
Safety Council of which we are a member.
Have a happy and safe New Year.
NTSB CALLS FOR
NATIONWIDE BAN ON PEDs WHILE DRIVING
During its Dec. 13th board meeting, the National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) called for a nationwide ban on the use of personal
electronic devices (PEDs) by those operating motor vehicles. The
safety recommendation specifically calls for all 50 states and the
District of Columbia to ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic
devices (other than those designed to support the driving task)
for all drivers.
The safety recommendation also urges use of the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) model of high-visibility enforcement
to support these bans. The NTSB also recommended the implementation
of targeted communication campaigns to inform motorists of the new
law and heightened enforcement.
"No call, no text, no update, is worth a human life."
PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR SAFETY
-DREW BOYCE
Any safety program's success, despite how complete the program
may be or how good it looks on paper, ultimately depends upon employee
participation.
There are issues in the workplace over which your safety director,
human resources manager, superintendent, supervisor, and/or other
key personnel have very little control. Personal problems brought
to work from outside number among these issues.
It is difficult at times to leave mind-consuming issues at home
and not bring them to work, but personal problems brought to the
workplace can become extremely dangerous when we allow them to distract
us from what we are doing on-the-job. Reduced attention and concentration
levels hinder our awareness regarding the hazards that may be present.
Personal problems brought to work may substantially limit our ability
to function safely.
If you or someone you know at work are experiencing overwhelming
personal problems that may affect safe performance on the job, you
have a personal responsibility to communicate the situation to your
supervisor, safety director, or human resources manager. Together
you can decide what the best course of action should be. Some temporary
time away from the workplace may even be needed to address the problem.
If you are being treated for a medical condition that requires any
type of medication that can affect your ability to perform at work,
that information needs to be communicated to the appropriate key
management personnel in your organization as well.
Each of us must develop a "Safety Consciousness." Take
a few minutes, at the start of each day, to review the details of
your job and the areas where you could be hurt. There are many aspects
to your job assignments that will bear analyzing from a safety standpoint.
By conditioning ourselves to consider safety issues before we start
work, we can protect ourselves from serious injury and from the
possibility of injuring others. By focusing our attention on our
work tasks, we block out other distractions. If we determine that
this is impossible under the circumstances, we need to let someone
know who can remove us from the situation so that we are not a danger
to others or to ourselves.
Keeping the workplace safe is a goal that we all need to work towards.
Safety performance and safety awareness requires extra thought and
effort, but developing a "safety consciousness" is your
first defense against a serious disabling injury that could change
your life-style forever.
For your own safety, the safety of those who work with you, and
the security of our families, lets concentrate on our jobs, not
the problems that may follow us into the workplace. Thinking about
personal issues while at work is not beneficial to you, your coworkers,
or the company if you are unable to concentrate on your job.
Have a safe, healthy, and Happy New Year.
BIRTHDAYS
Lillian Kirk 01/03
Matt McShane 01/05
Abel Moreno 01/05
Tom Hackett Jr. 01/06
Dave Senko 01/06
Jeff McDonald 01/10
Roxana Hernandez 01/19
Dimitrius Thomas 01/23
Luis Cabrera 01/24
Nick Lendzion 01/24
Scott Block 01/29
NEW EMPLOYEES
Welcome to the new kids on the Block Team.
Michael Witten
Aaron Rendon
NEW ARRIVAL
Congratulations to Brian and Brittany Berry on the birth
of their daughter. Chloe Bernice was born on November 8, 2011 and
weighed 6 lbs. 5 ozs. and was 18" long.
TOP TEN SEARCHES OF 2011 ON YAHOO
If you searched for "iPhone" on Yahoo in 2011, get on
line. Not online -- you were doing that already -- but on line with
everyone else.
Yahoo, publishing one of those end-of-the-year lists that it's run
since 2001, said "iPhone" was at the top of its list of
top-10 searches for the year, ahead of "Casey Anthony"
and "Kim Kardashian." Here, first, are Yahoo's top searches
of 2011:
1. iPhone
2. Casey Anthony
3. Kim Kardashian
4. Katy Perry
5. Jennifer Lopez
6. Lindsay Lohan
7. American Idol
8. Jennifer Aniston
9. Japan earthquake
10. Osama bin Laden
Bing, with a long list of lists, said Justin Bieber was its most-searched
person this year. Ask.com, which invites users to frame searches
as questions, said its top trending question was, "Was Kim
Kardashian's wedding fake?" Facebook is out with a year-end
list too: most-shared news stories. The earthquake and tsunami in
Japan on March 11 were at the top. A piece about Facebook itself
-- the announcement of its new Timeline feature -- was No. 7. These
are those kinds of lists that get us all talking.
HOW TO MAKE RESOLUTIONS YOU'LL ACTUALLY
KEEP
Making a New Year's resolution is like setting any other
type of goal.
You have to choose wisely if you want to achieve something significant.
Remember that a good resolution, like a solid goal, usually has
a few definable characteristics:
* Focus. Set a definite target: "Lose 10 pounds by June"
is better than "Lose some weight."
* Challenge. Your resolution should be neither too hard, nor too
easy.
* Commitment. Share your resolutions with others who will help
you work on them.
* Presence. Write down your resolutions in detail, and post your
list where you'll see it often.
* Vision. Visualize the results you want to achieve every day.
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