"Safety comes before all else."Those five words can be just a politically correct
way to sum up a Safety and Loss Prevention philosophy for any corporate-owned business, but for a family-owned and operated company like Shaw
Electric putting safety before all else means husbands, brothers, and uncles
make it home each night without injury. To them, safety is more than a method
to control costs and protect equipment. That's why they carefully think through
the effectiveness of their procedures and products, constantly reviewing and
improving methods, and establishing a mindset of safety from the top down
because to them safety is personal.
Recently, Shaw Electric was contracted for electrical work on an elementary
school addition in Muscatine, Iowa. One aspect of the project required frequent, daily access to the existing main service panel because it was feeding a
new service panel and various other circuits. A challenge arose because current safety standards like NFPA 70E and OSHA guidelines dictate that the service panel door be reattached anytime a qualified person wasn't in the room and
the panel was live. Additionally, safety protocol required the qualified worker to
put on category-specific personal protective equipment (PPE) whenever removing or reattaching a panel door. Both options, while promoting a safe work
environment, were expensive for customers because of the extra time they
required. Moreover, removing and reattaching panels often resulted in damaged doors and lost screws. Some in the industry had created make-shift covers using cardboard and duct tape or plywood, but none of those home-made
solutions were acceptable to OSHA and Shaw Electric knew that. In an effort
to promote safety while increasing employee productivity, Shaw Electric sought
a fix that would solve their problems and meet current OSHA standards. They
found temporary ingress barriers to be an excellent solution.
The temporary panel ingress barrier they chose is the only UL-Classified solu-
tion available and it meets OSHA's applicable standards for both General
Industries and Construction. The product is bright yellow in color and made
from flame-retardant corrugated plastic with non-conductive magnets on the
back allowing time-efficient and safe access to the electrical panel. This simple,
yet innovative, ingress barrier
allows Shaw Electric to reduce the
20-30 minute task of removing and
reattaching a control panel cover
to just a second or two. The time
they save is translated into money
savings they can offer their cus-
tomer. This product makes Shaw
Electric more competitive on bids,
more professional to their cus-
tomers, and more responsible to
their employees. The return on
investment in the temporary
ingress barrier is seen from job to
job.
Safety will always be personal to Shaw Electric, and they continue to follow
through on their commitment to implement effective procedures and products
into their safety regime. "Safety comes before all else" is still the motto, but it is
no longer at the expense of productivity. Instead, with temporary ingress barriers, productivity is a natural by-product.
Grace Engineered Products manufacture\s thru-door electrical safety devices,
and ships products all over the world including Asia, Australia, Europe, and
North and South America. GracePort®, their brand of PLC ports, has revolutionized the automation industry by allowing customers to custom-design their
port to meet their specific needs. Recently they acquired TempCovers, the only
UL-Classified Temporary Ingress Barrier that meets all of OSHA's applicable
standards for General Industries and Construction.
Grace Engineered Products is a privately-owned small company and located in
Davenport, Iowa. 800/280-9517, www.graceport.com
Circle 140 on Card
Come Join Us - Reserve These Dates...
26th Annual
Mid-Atlantic Region
Safety, Health & Wellness Expo
April 20 - 22, 2010
Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino
Atlantic City, NJ
Come and participate in a power packed program
designed by safety and loss control practitioners. The
most important thing we do is “keeping people alive”.
Three days of professional development featuring the
latest information on:
- Construction/Utility
- Compliance
- General Industry
- Health & Wellness
- Loss Control
- Emergency Response/
Homeland Security
- Air Force Safety & Health
Initiatives
- Motor Fleet/
Transportation Safety
Dynamic Keynote Speaker
Dr. David Michaels
Assistant Secretary
Office of Assistant Secretary
Occupational Safety & Health Administration
US Department of Labor
Jersey State Safety Council
6 Commerce Drive - Cranford, NJ 07016-3554
800-228-3834 - Email: mamieh@njsafety.org
Circle 141 on Card
Next Generation Bio-Based Chemicals Summit February 8-10, 2010 San Diego, CA 818/888-4445 www.infocastinc.com
40th Annual Convention & Traffic Expo February 14-18, 2010 San Antonio, TX 800/272-8772 www.atssa.com
World of Asphalt 2010 February 15-18, 2010 Cincinnati, OH 414/298-4139 www.worldofasphalt.com
Preventive Medicine 2010 Meeting February 17-20, 2010 Washington, DC 202/466-2044 www.preventivemedicine2010.org
2010 International Disaster Management Conference February 18-21, 2010 Orlando, FL 800/766-6335 www.emirc.org
25th Industrial Fire World Emergency Responder Conference & Expo February 22-26, 2010 Baton Rouge, LA 979/690-7559 www.fireworld.com
IAQA 13th Annual Meeting & Indoor Air Expo March 7-9, 2010 Tampa, FL 301/231-8388 www.iaqa.org
SWANA’S (Solid Waste Association) 33rd Annual Landfill Gas Symposium March 8-11, 2010 San Diego, CA 800/467-9262 www.swana.org
2010 IGA (International Glove Association) Glove Symposium & Expo March 14-16, 2010 Amelia Island, FL 814/328-5208 www.iga-online.com
International Summit & Exhibition on Health Facility Planning, Design & Construction March 14-17, 2010 San Diego, CA 312/422-3810 www.aha.org
2010 Texas Safety Conference & Expo March 15-17, 2010 The Woodlands, TX 630/775-2037 www.nsctexexpo.com
2010 Food Safety Education Conference March 23-26, 2010 Atlanta, GA 800/673-6275 x5681 www.fsis.usda.gov/atlanta2010
SPIE Defense, Security & Sensing 2010 April 6-8, 2010 Orlando, FL 360/676-3290 www.spie/dss
2010 Safety & Health Wellness Expo April 20-22, 2010 Atlantic City, NJ 908/272-7712 www.njsafety.org
For a complete list of upcoming events go to: www.industrialhygienenews.com
