IN THE TRENCHES
December News Update
MN LIMITED FINDS NEW ROOTS IN BRAND NEW FACILITY
The Bemidji, MN Regional Office has officially moved! After 20 years in Bemidji, MN Limited has opened a brand new facility which boasts yard space, warehouse zone, mechanic area, wash bay, fabrication shop and 11 offices. Housing nine employees, along with nine drivers, construction began this past May on the 34,125 square foot building with employees moving in November.
“To me the best part is having everybody in one location again,” said Debbie Vorderbruggen, Office Manager, “I think the guys are most excited about the extra room in the shop and the wash bay.”
Plans to host a grand opening are currently in the works, but no details have been released at this time.
The new address for the Bemidji office is:
1300 30th Street SE
Bemidji, MN 56601
GOOD CATCH - NOVEMBER 2015
Jeff Mayer, Laborer
Identified malfunctioned lighting on CMV in transit. Followed driver to safe location.
Andrew Stay, Laborer
Identified damaged suction tube securement on vac truck
Brandon Hallberg, Warehouse/Yard Laborer
Identified, tagged and removed damaged step ladder
Herman Pryll, Operator
Identified cracked panel in rented shoring system
TRAINING SPOTLIGHT
The construction world is constantly changing and evolving which is why keeping up on current certifications and training are important to an individual’s overall skill set. Joseph Helmin, Safety Coordinator, recently completed the Safety Trained Supervisor in Construction (STSC) certification. He shares more about the details of the program and what completing it means to him.
1. Tell me a little about this program. What types of courses were there? What was the overall focus?
The program focuses on the trainee as the supervisor; those that have the means, knowledge and ability to eliminate hazards. It goes over the importance of tools like Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), completing them, reviewing them and making sure the crew understands every aspect of the work, along with documentation of hazards.
2. How long was the training?
The training was located on the MNLimited Training site. The online portion was 8 hours. In all, around 20-30 hours were spent to prepare myself for the exam.
3. Was this training a requirement for your job?
The training wasn’t directly required formy job but the certification is nationally recognized through the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP).
4. Is this training solely for safety employees or would other employeesbenefit from this training?
The training would be beneficial for many of our supervisors in the company. The course puts a lot of focus on the importance of job hazard analysis and reviewing with your crews. This is something Minnesota Limited has been getting more involved with over the past couple of years. It focuses on the core ideology that many of our clients already observe; the belief that every incident is preventable. In order to harbor change, we have to begin with the attitude that we can achieve anything including incident prevention.
5. Why was this program important for you to complete?
This course gives me a credible backing to go with the knowledge I’ve gained working for MN Limited as a laborer. It’s important to me as a young, new-in-role safety professional to have this kind of knowledge. By having this certification, it creates a certain level of respect and trust on how I know what to do and what to look for to make our employees safer. At the end of the day it’s all about seeing our employees go home safely. If I can gain knowledge or skills that will help make that happen then my efforts in achieving this is made worthwhile.
The MN Limited training website offers courses on a variety of topics and focuses. For more information contact Jim Lee, Corporate Trainer, at James.Lee@mnlimited.com. Visit the LMS website on the company intranet for further exploration:
DECEMBER NEWSLETTER AVAILABLE NOW!
Click HERE to view
Feature stories this month include:
Bemidji Facility
Scholarships
Grand Opening
Training Spotlight | Joseph Helmin, Safety Coordinator
Lean In | Road to Improvement
Retirement Announcement
Faces from the Field | Jason Tuthill, Foreman - Romulus, MI
Safety Scorecards
Eagle Eye
Do you have a story you want to share? If so, we want to hear about it! Email abby.kemp@mnlimited.com with your newsworthy ideas and photos!
CONNECT WITH US!
Email: abby.kemp@mnlimited.com
Website: www.mnlimited.com
Location: 18640 200th Street, Big Lake, MN, United States
Phone: 763-262-7000