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HA ND I NJURY PREV ENTI ON B y : Le e Th o ma s The hand consists of 27 bones, including the eight bones of the wrist. When the other associated structures (i.e., nerves, arteries, veins, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joint cartilage and fingernails) are considered, the risk for a variety of injuries is high when trauma involves the hand. So it should come as no surprise that more than 1 m illion U.S. workers are treated in emergency departments annually for acute hand and finger injuries, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that approximately 110,000 workers with hand and finger injuries lose days from work every year ? second only to back strains and sprains.
I mpact Gl ov e Pi l ot Program In an effort to reduce the number of hand and finger injuries. we are currently conducting an impact glove pilot program with several of our Sheeting and Shoring crews. Crews have been provided a sampling of gloves, (such as the seen below), they are asked to evaluate the gloves performance in areas such as feel, protection, dexterity, grip and cut protection. Results of the pilot program will be shared in future company correspondence and upcoming newsletters. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as impact gloves should be considered the last line of defense when focusing on eliminating hand and finger injuries. Emphasis should be placed on attempting to eliminate hand and finger injury hazards whenever possible. When planning tasks, potential hazards that could cause hand and finger injuries should be identified through the JSA process and eliminated prior to becoming a hazard. If a hazard cannot be eliminated, adequate controls must be put in place to prevent the hazard(s) from causing an injury. Assessment of manual handling activities should be performed prior to the task to identify if a mechanical means exists to move the material. Like all safety goals, achieving zero hand injuries in the workplace takes a commitment from each and every Berkel & Co. employee. By following safety rules, eliminating potential hand and finger hazards, wearing the appropriate PPE, and thoroughly planning all tasks we will be well on our way to achieving a zero incident workplace.
Whodowehavehere? VICTORIAIVY| CORPORATE
LEETHOMAS| CORPORATE HSE Director
Accounts Payable New in 2017, Victoria joins our A/P team. She enjoys listening to Bruno Mars any day of the week. When not at work, Victoria loves spending time with her 3 year old son and family.
CHEYENNERETTLE | CORPORATE Texas & Kentucky Payroll
Prior to joining Berkel & Co. Lee spent 6 years in Houston, Texas managing the health and safety aspects of offshore oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and international. Lee earned his Bachelor of Science in Safety Management from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri in 2010. He then went on to earn his Master of Science in Occupational Safety from the University of Central Missouri in 2012. Lee married Kayla Beth Higgins in Sedalia, Missouri on June 13, 2009. They have one daughter and one son, Audrey Lillian and Jasper Lee. Kayla is a Sr. HS&E Engineer at the Department of Energy?s National Security Campus in Kansas City, Missouri.
JENNIFERSAXTON | CORPORATE Claims M anager Jennifer began making the commute to Bonner Springs, KS in September of last year. Prior to Berkel, she worked for 10 years as a Claims Specialist at ESIS, earning her Associates in Claims certification. Prior to that she worked on work comp. claims and auto liability claims for Hostess. With over 15 years of experience in overseeing legal disputes, she's a great new addition to our team. Jennifer and her husband, Mike, will celebrate their 7th wedding anniversary this May. Chances are if you call her at home you'll find her busy with their two little boys, Michael, age 5, and Benjamin, age 3, love camping, fishing, soccer, and swimming.
BECKYSCHLAGEL
| CORPORATE
Job Costing Becky had previously retired from the Postal Service, to go and spend her time out on the farm she and her husband own. However, Berkel lured her away and she's currently enjoying her "second career " with us. She's mother to three grown children and currently the Editor for The Kansas Carrier.
RACHAELMULFORD| CORPORATE HR Generalist Rachael quickly grew to love her co-workers, both in office and out in the field over the last 3 years. Previously she worked most closely with our West Coast, Texas, and Florida personnel in our Payroll department. Now she's taken on a bigger role in Human Resources where she works closely with Scott MacDonald to support all of Berkel's employees, coast to coast. On the rare occasion that Rachael isn't working diligently for you in her office, she may be found out on a walk at the local dog park with her dog, Karma or in a local music hall, rocking hard on a drum set with her band, Fast Radio Burst.
The youngest employee at our corporate location, Cheyenne is an outstanding new addition to Berkel's payroll department. A Kansas native, she attended KCKCC, earning an associates degree in Business Administration. She is now currently pursuing her Bachelor 's of Business Admin. at Ottawa University. Two years ago, she and her fiancĂŠ bought 10 acres, and are currently building their "forever home." Cheyenne loves the great outdoors. On any given weekend you are likely to find her and her family fishing, camping, hunting or just playing at a nearby park. The farm life suits her, where she enjoys being outside whenever possible.
NICHOLASJAMES | ATLANTA Regional Safety Specialist
SCOTTDODDS
| ATLANTA
Regional Safety Specialist
JONATHONMCNAUGHTON| M ARYLAND Regional Safety Specialist
SERENAK.BENSON | LOUI SVI LLE Bid Coordinator
Nick started out as a Union laborer for the local 394 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Seven years later he had gone grown from foreman to being a full-time safety rep. He's worked on many different sites, from industrial to pharmaceutical and pipe line work. He moved to Atlanta to be Cargill's head of safety at their soybean refinery plant in Gainesville, GA while they constructed their new boiler house. Which eventually led him to us. When not at work Nick enjoys Brazilian jujitsu, weight lifting, hockey, or kayak and deep sea fishing. He's also got a big heart and spends time fostering and rescuing dogs.
Scott comes to us with over 22 years experience in safety. A Navy Veteran and now a lifetime member of the VFW, he enjoys spending time outdoors hunting and fishing. He's a man that can cook , not limited to the grill, although he's certainly at home with one - owning his own BBQ sauce company, "The One Sauce" can be found in over 75 stores around Georgia. While we get to know Scott here at Berkel, you can look him up in episodes of "Backwoods Life" a hunting series that ran on cable TV's Hunting channel some years ago.
Pictured with his 13 year-old son, Zackary, Jonathon lives in Newville, PA. Although he calls the east coast home now, he's a old west kinda guy, having moved from Cheyenne, Wyoming back in 2014. He worked on many different oil fields out west, from Colorado to North Dakota, where he acted as the safety manager for a trucking company for 5 years. He has experience all across the construction spectrum, from cranes to heavy equipment to a class A CDL. Now he's a part of the Berkel team and we're happy to have him.
Serena started working for Berkel in January 2017, at the Louisville Region, and will also assist with the estimating process. She has over seven years?combined experience in construction and engineering with a Mechanical Engineering Degree and Bachelor ?s in Civil Engineering from University of Louisville. Serena is very knowledgeable about geotechnical matters and deep foundation systems; she's ready to learn more about the way Berkel operates.
Wishing Bill Lakin Bon Voyage Bill Lakin worked as our Senior IT & Reporting Specialist and has recently retired to a life of leisure on 40 acres with his 5 chickens, 4 dogs, cat and his wife of 40 years. Bill first came to Berkel in 2005 and throughout his time here wore many hats beyond helping people with technology. He was the first one here every morning, to unlock the building, start the coffee and flip on the lights. In addition to generating reports, he also boosted morale with homemade bread, lemon bars, cinnamon rolls and other treats. A true master of baked goods, Bill once ran his own coffee shop and bakery. He's not truly leaving the construction field, as he has a long list of home improvement projects to keep him busy. We'll miss him around here, where when anything was amiss, the answer was to call Bill.
O d d s & En d s Fromthe KC S&S Office
Lego set w as a gif t f r om KLEM M , t h ey h ad on e on display in t h eir f act or y, an d w er e k in d en ou gh t o give u s t w o of t h em . Th er e ar e on ly 15 of t h ese in exist en ce!
Bi l l Davi s, p i ct u red t o t h e ri gh t , work s f or ou r Bal t i m ore Sh eet i n g & Sh ori n g regi on
CITYCENTERDCHOTEL
Submitted by Fabian Lehmann
The building now sits on 1,090 18" piles - at depths that made our Baltimore team get creative. Pictured above and below you can see how communication was essential in navigating around the shoring wall already in place.
Originally, what was supposed to be a Sheeting & Shoring job, it was determined that they'd need to tackle this project with our APG team for the particular challenges of this project.
It was a truly remarkable effort by all of our employees out on the east coast and a perfect example of no job being too tough for Berkel to handle.
BRI STOL ELI ZABETH Matt Armata is a valuable Berkel employee and recently became a full fledged U..S. citizen. Bristol is his daughter. Originally from Canada, we lured Matt away from our neighbors to the north in 2006. It was on a j ob in Harrisonburg, VA that Matt met his now wife, Heather. After he asked for her hand in marriage, she liked him enough to ask our government to let him stay here via green card. Matt became a citizen in 2016. Matt and his wife have lived in the Kansas City area since 2014. Bristol turned 1on February 15.
THEYMCACHALLENGE: Meet theBonner Springs' Berkel Team January 25th was the day many of us began our New Year's Resolutions here at our KC and corporate offices. An intensive 8-week program, designed to pull the best physical form out of a person that one can hope to achieve in under two months. Weigh in and aptitude tests were all the first night had in store for us. However on Week 2, I think it's safe to say
we all got our butts kicked into high gear. We all came in sore and aching the next day, but have found encouragement in our fellow employees. Every week brings "homework" with it - varying from assignments of completing 200 push-ups and 15 pull-ups to the lighter weeks where we are tasked with planking for 10 minutes and completing 30 burpees.
THE"BEFORE" PHOTO From Left, Back Row: Anita Andrade, Jodi Bangert, Shannon Smith, Becky Schlagel From Left, Front Row: Robert Walker, Lauren Watkins, Tina Danner, Rachel Kaslaitis, Amanda Berry, Cheyenne Rettele, Rachael Mulford and Steven Duncan
These are meant to be broken up over the course of 6 days, but let me tell you from personal experience, it's no easy task! 30 push-ups a day really make you feel every finger on every key while typing. We have all made amazing progress and sweat it out together every Wednesday. Next week is our final weigh-in when we'll have to complete a number of assessments, including max. plank time, total number of push-ups and pull-ups in under one minute and more. The winning team earns a number of personal trainer sessions at the Y. Individual awards are given out to those that show the most improvement as well.
D a n H i l l ey, C ra n e O pera t or; A l a n N eel ey, Su peri n t en d en t & Robert Q u i n t on , M ech a n i c
A bove: A t l a n t a A PG h a d t h ei r RI G SM A RT t ra i n i n g w i t h Ta n n er D od d , Fi el d En gi n eer, M i ch a el Rem i gi o, Su peri n t en d en t , M a t t St a u b, A sst . Project M a n a ger & Joe M u n d i
Pi ct u red l ef t t o ri gh t : Scot t M acDon al d an d Gran t Wh i t e Grant's running gear pictured above, his purple K-State hat and white t-shirt, have been worn for every mountain hike and marathon he's participated in for the last 10 years.
RUNNINGFORGOOD Scott MacDonald and Grant White participated in Kansas City's annual Groundhog Run this year. This is the 5th year in a row they've gone to the race. They both like to stay active and know that the entry fee for this race goes to a good cause. This year marked the 35th anniversary of the Groundhog Run for Children's TLC. As the largest annual fund-raiser for Children?s TLC, the Groundhog Run has raised over $4.6 million for children with special needs since its inception in 1982.
NEWBALTIMORESHOP Pictured above, construction began on a new building for the Baltimore yard at the end of 2016. Pictured to the left, progress as of the end of March.
The race is one of very few 5k races, and believed to be the only 100% underground sanctioned 10k race in the nation. With a consistent temperature of 65 to 68 degrees, the Hunt Midwest SubTropolis is the ideal venue for runners from all over the country to compete in this annual winter event. This isn't the only race our CHRO and CFO have participated in, they also ran in the Hospital Hill Re-Run back in June of 2016. An event wherein each runner finishes a 5K on a Friday evening and gets up on Saturday to knock out the 13.1 miles required of a half marathon. Basically, these guys are nuts about running!
Project Highlight: Kentucky International Convention Center Submitted By: David K. Brown
Type: Low Headroom Number of Piles: 180 Pile Length: 35?and 65? Number of rigs: 2 This project was undertaken by the Louisville regional APG office in October/ November, 2016. Early in bidding, Project Manager Jon Uhl identified challenges including ventilation and accessibility. After being awarded the project, Uhl established good project planning and stayed in constant contact with VP/ regional manager Terry Butler, general superintendent Pat Stack, and project superintendent James Cunningham. Continued open communication throughout the project proved vital to its success. Pre-job planning and coordination between the Project Manager, Superintendent, crew, and suppliers ensured a well-functioning ventilation system which included the use of Tier 4 equipment, scrubbers, fan exhaust/ fresh air supply systems, and CO monitoring throughout the work area. The basement of the Kentucky International Convention Center has columns with 20? x 30? grid spacing and a limited headroom height of 14 feet which made
Jamie Simmons, Warehouse Manager for Atlanta APG and Kenneth Jennings, Warehouse Mechanic have collected a lot of stickers on their hard hats over the years.
DRILLING DOW N David Nash & James Thomas drill a pile for KICC project. [Grout truck in background.]
maneuvering deliveries and equipment a challenge. Good communication with trucking companies and use of multiple spotters assisted in avoiding any incidents. Project engineers David Brown and Ben Meyers were tasked with identifying pile types, locations, and pile cutoffs. There were five different pile types and varying cutoff
elevations across the project, with some pile cutoffs as deep as 10 feet below working grade. Staging steel and providing drill depths was made possible by good communication with PM Jon Uhl, superintendent James Cunningham, and foremen David Nash and Antonio Graddy. Drillers Davey Young and James Thomas were also instrumental in this project's success.
ber k el' s best f r iend s K a r ma & Ol l ie
Casper This poor creature only weighed 4 lbs. when she was rescued from the Berkel parking lot. Her hair was so matted she looked like she had an extra back leg & flies had eaten all the fur off her ears. Casper now weighs 11 pounds and lives happily with Rachel Kaslaitis. (Payroll)
R a c h a e l Mul f o r d 's r o o mie s , a d o p t e d f r o m l o c a l s h e l t e r s : K a r ma is t h e mid d l e - a g e d p up o n l e f t
Berkel's laziest employees, our KC shop cats, Brother & Skitzo
Roxy & M oe IT Director, Ken Rowlan's pups: Moe is the heavy weight at the right, weighing 4 1/ 2 lbs.
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Head of Hu m an Resou r ces, Scot t M acDon ald h as h ad h is Rh odesian Ridgeback , Biscu it , sin ce sh e w as a pu p. A Manx, this cutie sticking her tongue out was born without a tail. like a bobcat. Your Editor of the Berkel Underground, Lauren Watkins, enjoys playing f etch with her tailless cat, named Bandit f or constantly stealing hair ties.
B an d i t
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ONLINE PORTAL COM PANY CODE: BERKEL
A rt i cl e Ideas? Send t hem in! Phot os welcome! Lwat k ins@berk elandcompany.com 2649 S. 142nd St reet Bonner Springs, K S 660 12
A BERKEL LEGACY Mr. Charles Berkel had a special place in his heart for the University of Saint Mary and is now remembered at their new "Charles J. Berkel Memorial Stadium." Mr. Berkel left a lasting impact at Saint Mary's, both through his generosity and his efforts as a member of the university?s Board of Trustees. Upon his passing in 2013, he ensured the students there would be able to play as hard as they study, for years to come. He believed deeply in the liberating power of education. Following his own high school graduation, Mr. Berkel enlisted in the Navy?s V-12 program, and graduated from the University of Illinois in 1946, with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. In 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of industrial science from the University of Saint Mary. The new sports stadium at Saint Mary's is a modern facility befitting a modern university ? welcoming the possibility to host regional athletic events. The stadium is just one piece of the university's vision for the future, their "Campus for Tomorrow " plan involves more construction and renovation of various buildings on campus and launching new academic programs as well. Most notable is their collaboration with UMKC to provide a pre-engineering program to students. Construction on the new sports stadium in Leavenworth began on April 17, 2015. The groundbreaking focused on the centerpiece ? a $7 million athletic complex that now provides a new state-of-the-art home for the university?s football, soccer, lacrosse, and track teams? funded largely by a generous gift from long-time Saint Mary supporter Charles J. Berkel.
?We ar e u n der t ak in g a ver y am bit iou s ef f or t in bu ildin g t h e Cam pu s f or Tom or r ow ,? said USM Pr esiden t Sist er Dian e St eele, Ph .D.
New turf and grass fields, equipped with lighting for evening games, along with a full-size track for USM's top-ranked squad, as well as a new softball field and concession area round out the new student facilities. Mr. Berkel was a supporter of many other major university initiatives throughout his lifetime, including the construction of the newest student housing on campus. That building, Berkel Residence Hall, was named in honor of Mr. Berkel?s beloved wife, Antoinette ?Toni? Berkel.
Photo courtesy of KCAC Radio Network