NOVEMBER 2011 • Vol. 5 No. 2
2001 Corporate Place Columbia, MO 65202 573-499-1830 • 573-499-1831 www.theasphaltpro.com publisher
Chris Harrison associate publisher
Sally Shoemaker sally@theasphaltpro.com (573) 499-1830 x1008 editor
Sandy Lender sandy@theasphaltpro.com (239) 272-8613 graphic design
Alisha Moreland Kristin Branscom operations/circulation manager
Cindy Sheridan business manager
Renea Sapp AsphaltPro is published nine times per year: January, February, March, April/May, June/July, August/September, October, November and December by The Business Times Company, 2001 Corporate Place, Columbia, MO 65202 Writers expressing views in AsphaltPro Magazine or on the AsphaltPro website are professionals with sound, professional advice. Views expressed herein are not necessarily the same as the views of AsphaltPro or Business Times Company staff, thus producers/contractors are still encouraged to use best practices when implementing new advice. Subscription Policy: Individual subscriptions are available without charge in the United Sates, Canada and Mexico to qualified individuals. One year subscription to non-qualifying Individuals: United States $90, Canada and Mexico $125.00 and $175.00 all other countries (payable in U.S. funds, drawn on U.S. bank). Single copies available $17 each.
Stay Safe in New Conditions I would classify myself as mildly paranoid. The owner in my old Asphalt Contractor days, Bill Neeley got me to read a book titled Only the Paranoid Survive and I’ll tell you that resonated pretty clearly for me. As we enter the winter downtime for some, I realize that the changes and trends that I’m researching for the next issue of AsphaltPro might be “off” enough to throw danger into the mix out there in the field. Stop and think about it. Northern producers and contractors are used to shutting down in late October. Seasonal employees clean out the silos and pack it in until April or May. Nowadays we have a range of cold patches on hand for emergency pavement repairs. A small crew stays on the payroll to grind and separate asphalt tear-off and scrap shingles. We have recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) piles to fractionate and stockpile. Don’t forget that warm-mix asphalt (WMA) for regular paving keeps everything in play. Most of you know I have an African Gray parrot (among others) in my home. As we stumble into autumn, the summer fruits and veggies that I supplement her bird food with are giving way to fall foods such as pumpkins, squash and what-have-you that she loves to eat. As a companion parrot owner, it’s my responsibility to make sure the new fruits and veggies lining the produce aisle and farmers’ markets are safe for all my birds. As construction industry professionals, it’s your responsibility to make sure you modify your safety culture to include facets of the environment that employees might not be used to. I’ll bet you’re not dressed the same way in November as you are in July, no matter what the project. Do you keep your long sleeves buttoned and snapped to keep material close to your body and away from conveyors and belts? Do you need to reset the seat on the paver or in the wheel loader, etc., to accommodate a bulky coat? Maybe you’ve put on a ski mask to keep winter winds from whipping down the valley and cutting your already chapped skin. Make sure that mask doesn’t interfere with your vision. When you’re hurrying from one component to another to the control house to wherever, make sure your ear muffs or hood doesn’t interfere with the sound of the haul trucks on site. If it’s something your team isn’t used to, then it presents a new set of safety features to go over. Icy patches that lend themselves to heavy falls and snow-sun situations that blind a ground man to a falling component set a team up for injuries you’d never expect in the regular season. And as crazy as it sounds, you can still dehydrate and sunburn in the autumn and winter months. All the work zone safety rules apply. All the plant site safety rules apply. But adding new—and lower— temperatures of an extended season offers an opportunity to add more safety rules. It might make a good toolbox talk or two. It might also provide an opportunity to send extra employees to training schools for safety or safer/more adept equipment handling. This issue focuses on full depth reclamation (FDR) and crushing operations. Both may be new to your company’s arsenal due to pavement rehab needs and funding allotments, not to mention RAP’s popularity. Are your crews used to the steps and routines in all the pavement maintenance and green techniques coming down the pike? Once again, as construction industry professionals, it’s your responsibility to get them up to speed…safely. Luckily, there are in-house and online programs to help you do just that. Check out the training schools and consultants advertising in this issue and zing around the internet to find the method that works for you. Stay Safe,
Sandy Lender
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