Fall 2007 Volume 14, Issue 4 2007 Calendar At-A-Glance       Articles On This Page >>> Have something  you would like to see published in the Frattalone Scoop?   If so, please contact Shelly in the office. Jim Wuztke considers his next steps after kneeling over his 400 pound elk, it's 5 miles back to camp.  >> READ MORE! From the Corner Office (1) Safety Column (2) The Elk Hunt  (3)      Notices Employee of the Month (4) Holiday Schedule (5) Births & Marriages  (6) Scholarships   (8) Daily Schedule: via e-mail (12) Frattalone ONLINE Store (7)      Events Holiday Party (10) Citizenship: Toys-for-Tots (11)

1. From the Corner Office

Greetings everyone. As the Holiday Season rapidly approaches, we can once again close the books on another successful construction season at Frattalone Companies. Since Thanksgiving Day is only a few days away, I would like to take this time to send a special word of thanks.  Thank you to each and every employee and, just as important, their families they leave each day to come to work. As you know, construction work is very demanding. Without the continual support from the home front, success for both the employee and employer would not be possible, so THANK YOU.

Frattalone Companies has had a long history of snow plowing, and this year, we were successful in being awarded a couple new snow plowing accounts: the University of Minnesota - St. Paul Campus, and 3M - St. Paul (off West 7th Street). These new accounts will allow us to keep an additional 15 to 17 people busy throughout this, hopefully snowy, winter. This time of the year is also the time we would like to honor the long-term employees of Frattalone Companies. As the tradition goes, an employee receives a gold watch after the completion of 20 years of service. Upon the completion of 10 years of service, the employee is awarded a gold ring with the imprint of a dozer on it.

Each year I am pleased and excited to award these gifts and give a word of recognition to these well-deserved Frattalone Company employees.  Thank you and Congratulations to you and all of your families for the great work and dedication to our Team.

I would like to congratulate the following people for their dedication to TEAM FRATTALONE for their ten years of service. They will be receiving their ten-year rings at the company Holiday Party: 

I would also like to congratulate the people with twenty years of employment to TEAM FRATTALONE. They will receive a twenty-year watch at the company Holiday Party. Please congratulate these folks on their accomplishments.     

I would like to extend my best wishes to you and your family in this Holiday Season.

 Tony Frattalone, President

HOLCIM job site Mason City, Iowa.

2. Safety & Training Corner 

With the short, colder days upon us, we all need to be cognizant of the slip hazards associated with our work environment. Tracks are slick and the ground will soon be covered with snow. 3-points of contact could not be more critical this time of year. I heard one story where an employee used 3-points of contact and it brought him home at the end of the day with skinned shins. Had this particular employee not used 3-points of contact, his injuries could have been much worse. These are the stories we want to hear. Good job!

As stated during the fall company meeting, our philosophy previously was to “hit the ground running”. Yes, we always love to see an ambitious worker, but our philosophy has changed. Studies referenced by our insurance company revealed a worker who jumps from their machine, in effort to complete another task, saves approximately TWO MINUTES a day in comparison to a worker who uses 3-points of contact. When looking at lost time injuries and workers compensation claim dollars, saving two minutes a day is nothing. Younger operators also need to use 3-points of contact. Jumping out of equipment has proven to result in chronic back pain and/or injuries due to the compressing of vertebrae.  

On another note, everyone should have received training letters from their respective unions by now. For those who have not taken a 40-hour Haz-Mat class, I highly recommend it. We are encountering more and more jobs that require personnel to be Haz-Mat certified. There will come a time soon when all landfill work will require personnel to have a Haz-Mat certificate. 8 hour MSHA refresher classes will be held February 6th, 7th, and March 28th. GPS classes will also prove to be beneficial as we progress more and more to the use of GPS for site layout and grading. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at 651-248-9127.

Following our AWAIR (A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction) Program, we are required to notify employees what injuries have occurred and our plan to prevent their reoccurrence. To date, we have had 11 OSHA recordable injuries during 2007. This may keep us in the RED level of the CHASE Program. The injuries with corrective action that was or will be taken to prevent reoccurrence include:

• A train struck a truck crossing railroad tracks, and the truck driver was injured. Corrective action included Union Pacific crossing training during our summer meeting, safety meetings encouraging complete stops, and railroad crossing surveillance.
• A driver cut his hand climbing a fence attempting to help an injured driver. In the event of any crisis or emergency, looking out for yourself is number one. We never want to put ourselves in danger when attempting to save or help another.
• An operator fell, injuring her shoulder while stepping from the dozer track to the superintendent’s truck to replace the fuel nozzle. 3-points of contact were not used in this situation. The correct procedure is to set the nozzle on the equipment, get off the equipment utilizing 3-points of contact and then replacing the fuel nozzle while standing firmly on the ground.
• A mechanic’s finger was cut when the wrench being used slipped and a metal panel was struck. Many times, gloves restrict feeling but likely would have prevented an injury in this situation.
• A laborer developed a hernia setting 22” arch pipe. Heavy equipment on site should be used whenever possible to minimize manhandling of heavy objects.
• An operator’s grip slipped while getting into a loader causing him to fall to the ground. Slowing down and making sure of firm grip and footing would help to minimize falls.
• A laborer received concrete burns on his legs while filling a manhole structure with concrete. This could have been prevented by running water and placing block in the base of the structure to provide something to stand on or wearing waders. Concrete should always be washed off as soon as possible.
• A driver broke his collarbone when the flip tarp crank struck him. Retraining was performed with all drivers. The retraining and investigation process revealed some tarps rolled incorrectly.
• A laborer experienced a significant shoulder injury while hammering out a hole in a structure. Overexertion may have been a contributing factor along with too large of a jackhammer.
• An operator hit a soft spot on the haul route and jarred his back. Maintaining a smooth surface as may have prevented this injury.
• A mechanic was hammering off a bucket tooth when a piece of the tooth struck his leg. The metal had to be surgically removed. This incident may have been prevented if the employee was not positioned in the line of fire while hammering or if he had been wearing protective clothing such as a leather apron.

Equipment theft has struck again at Frattalone Companies. A 2005 Case IH STX 450 Quad (equipment number 454504) was stolen from the Otsego job site. It was last seen October 18, 2007. Please keep your eyes peeled for this piece of equipment.

Vandalism is also a major threat on some jobs. To protect our equipment from both theft and vandalism, CSDZ (insurance agent) provided some tips in their Fall 2007 Connection Newsletter:

• Park equipment in plain view

• Lock-up equipment keys every day

• Turn equipment fuel systems off

• Turn master battery switches off

• Consider alarms/tracking systems for large equipment

• Keep inventory of your equipment/tools (take pictures)

• Inform the local police of your operation hours

• Verify all equipment is marked with specific identification

• Block equipment/trailers in to make stealing more difficult

• Control access to the site

• Report all suspicious behavior immediately

Thank you for doing your part to make Frattalone a safe and productive place to work. Have a safe Holiday Season.

Josh Bernhard
Safety Director 

3. The Elk Hunt

Back in the late 1970’s, Ron and Dan Notch, my high school buddies and I would discuss our dream trip hunting elk out west. Of course, over the 30 intervening years, things like work, family, and money stood in the way but we continued to dream. Finally, last Thanksgiving, we agreed we’d better “get-r-done” before we were all too old and beat up to enjoy it. We had a mutual friend, Rob, who grew up in Salmon, Idaho and was willing to help organize the hunt. Idaho releases a limited number of licenses to out of state hunters so we applied as a group in January and were fortunate enough to make the cut. Our licenses required us to shoot bulls with a minimum 8 inch spike.

The firearms elk season in Idaho runs for almost a month starting October 15th. We departed after work October 12th, drove the 19 hour trip, and were in Salmon by 1:30 P.M. the 13th. We met the rest of the group at a café in town. After lunch, we went up to camp.

Camp was about 20 miles from town but it was almost an hour and a half by truck. We passed by herds of mule deer and big horn sheep. Camp was set in amongst the lodge pole pines at 8,370 feet on top of Baldy Mountain in the Salmon/Challis National Forest. The Salmon River valley lay to our north and east. 

Generally, Idaho elk hunting consists of finding an elk herd, getting above them and walking down the mountain until you encounter them. You park your truck at the bottom of the mountain and drive back up to camp. Sounds easy since all the walking is downhill.

We felt pretty confident Sunday evening before season opened. The weather was clear and warm and we had located a herd of elk just over a ridge about 150 yards from our camp that contained 1 larger bull and 3 small ones. So opening morning we quietly walked to our spots and waited for it to get light enough to “walk down and shoot one”. As we waited for it to get light, a 4 wheel drive with Montana plates roared up the road and a bunch of hunters hollered “how ya’ll doing” to us and proceeded to bail out of the truck and over the ridge. We could hear the elk as they stampeded for lower ground through the dark. Ah, the joys of hunting public land. Now the elk were in the forest 800 feet below us. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so easy. Never saw an elk close enough to shoot on day 1.

The second day dawned cloudy, misty and cooler. We spotted two trucks at the bottom, took our positions and started down the mountain once it got light enough to see. No sign of the Montana crew this morning. Came across a dozen elk in a clearing. The bull mingled with the cows so couldn’t get a clean shot. After that it was an uneventful 5 mile walk down the mountain. Sore feet and no elk on day 2.

Day 3 we were greeted with 19 degrees and 4 inches of snow in the campsite. Once again we worked our way down the mountain and once again we encountered elk but this time they were running thorough the woods. We shot one, and let the rest go. Time to go to work. We had a 400 pound elk and were 5 miles from the pickup. We were only half a mile from camp but we were 800 feet below it. We decided to go up. We boned the elk, broke it into 3 packs, put all of the guns and warm cloths into a 4th pack and started climbing. Now I understand the meaning of the term “hard up”.

What an experience! I can hardly wait for next year. Antelope hunting in the Wyoming flats.
 

Jim Wutzke, Project Manager

4. Employee of the Month

Each month the superintendents nominate an employee who they feel deserves the title of "Employee of the Month" for the previous month. The person who is chosen receives a gift certificate for $100 and picture on a plaque in the office. Congratulations to the following:

• Aug - Ben Eiler
• Sep - Jim Galle
• Oct - Jamie McLaughlin

Employees who have been awarded employee of the month are now available on the web site. See the Current Star Employees

5. Holiday Schedule

Listed below are the days that Frattalone Companies will be closed this year:

• 11/22,11/23 -- Thanksgiving Day
• 12/24, 12/25 -- Christmas Eve / Day
• 12/31 -- New Years Eve
• 1/1/08 -- New Years Day

6. Births  & Wedding Announcements

Marie Cote and Mike Blakenborough were married on Saturday, August 25th.

Congratulations!

7. Frattalone Store is ON-LINE !

Now you can order Frattalone Apparel on-line.. and just in time for Christmas!  Simply click on the link in the About Us, or here.  There are mens, womens and childrens clothing items, along with other items available for purchase.  The on-line store is for specialty items only.  The Frattalone Store, located in the office, will still be stocked with sweatshirts, t-shirts, hats, jackets and other miscellaneous items.  Please contact Shelly Boss in the office if you have any questions, if you need help with an order, or if you have any suggestions as to what items you would like to see in the on-line store.  Happy Shopping!!

8. NADC and MUCA Scholarships

Frattalone Companies is a member of the National Association of Demolition Contractors, as well as the Minnesota Utility Contractors Association, which entitles any employee and their family members eligible to participate in their scholarship program. These scholarships are awarded annually to High School seniors. For an application, please see Shelly in the office.

9. Frattalone Golf Tourney

The 11th Annual Golf Tournament was held on Sunday, September 23rd at Gem Lake Golf Course this year. It turned out to be a beautiful day, which was enjoyed by all who joined us. Congratulations to Mike Hansen and Justin Boss who were this year’s winners.

10. Holiday Party 

Mark your calendars… the Frattalone Companies’ Holiday Party will be:

Saturday, January  5th, 2008 
Jimmy’s Conference Center
Vadnais Heights

Deuces Wild will be performing for our entertainment after dinner and the program. For our out-of-town guests, we have reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn Express, which is connected to Jimmy’s. Invitations will go out in early December.

11. Citizenship: Toys-for-Tots 

We will be accepting toy donations for the Toys-For-Tots program from December 3rd through December 17th. Please consider donating a gift for a child that is less fortunate. Drop box will be in the office.

12. Daily Work Schedule

If you would like the daily schedule e-mailed to you every evening, please provide the front desk with your e-mail address.  It would be nice and much easier to start out the new season e-mailing the daily schedule instead of having employees call in.