Beat the Heat: Hot Weather Safety Tips

Posted on May 31, 2013 by admin

We asked Flagger Force employees to share their tips to beat the heat and stay safe on hot and humid days. We got some great tips that we wanted to share with everyone!

Vickie Smith recommends being prepared with ice cold water and sun screen.

Hydration was mentioned as the key from Beth Stoner, Barbara Smith and Dominic Schiano. Dominic also mentioned keeping sports drinks on hand to replenish your body with electrolytes.

Ronald Williams reminded us that it is important to take plenty of breaks.

Both Jamie Mitten and Tonya Linigan like to cool down by making a t-shirt ice cold with water. Jamie also mentioned keeping plenty of ice on hand in a cooler and wearing a cool gel neck wrap.

Amanda Sutter let us know that most larger retailers sell a sweat band that you wet with water that works great and keeps you cool.

Here are some additional sun safety tips on beating the heat from our latest edition of “In The Zone” that are important to remember during work or play in the coming Summer months.

Block out UV Rays

For professions that require workers to work outdoors, typically the summer months mean more work, long hours, high temperatures and an overload of sun exposure. You must pay attention to the sun’s UV rays; if you do not properly protect yourself, sun exposure can have long-term harmful effects. It is important for outdoor workers to protect themselves by liberally and frequently applying sunscreen, covering up their skin with long sleeved clothing and pants, wearing hats and sunglasses, and seeking shade whenever possible and safe to do so. Here are a few tips to protect your body from the sun’s harmful rays.

Cover up

Wear tightly woven, light-colored clothing that blocks out light, but avoid dark colors as they absorb the sun’s rays. Try this test to see if the fabric is protective enough: Place your hand between a single layer of the clothing and a light source. If you can see your hand through the fabric, the garment does not offer enough sun protection and you should seek a fabric with a tighter knit.

Use sunscreen

A sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 blocks 93% of UV rays, but SPF 50 or higher is best. You want to block both UVA and UVB rays to guard against skin cancer. Be sure to reapply often and don’t forget your hands, nose, ears and lips!

Wear UV-blocking safety glasses

All styles of Flagger Force safety glasses block 99.9% of UV rays, including our clear and yellow lenses.

Wear a neck covering

A bandanna or other neck covering fabric will keep your body cool and shielded from the sun. You can even find neck coverings made just for outdoor workers that attach to the band inside your hard hat.

Stay hydrated on the job

Drink hydrating fluids (water or sports drinks, NOT caffeinated beverages) before work, during work (with your own personal daily water supply and supplemented as needed by our new truckbased water coolers) and after work. Working outdoors in the heat causes your body to sweat out large quantities of water and salt. If you start to feel dizzy, have strong headaches, or feel nauseous, ask your coworkers for help, then seek shade and sip water gradually. Heat diseases can quickly become very dangerous, and hydration is your best defense against them.

PennDOT Work Zone Smart – Teen Driver Video

Posted on May 17, 2013 by admin

As summer approaches the number of teen drivers on our roadways will dramatically increase as will the number of active work zones. PennDOT recently released a video to remind all of us and especially the teens we know how important it is to be a safe driver. Click the below link to view the video and to hear this important safety message!

PennDOT Work Zone Smart – Teen Driver Video

Meet the Force: Rachel

Posted on May 10, 2013 by admin

This week, as our “Meet the Force” series continues, we’re featuring Human Resources Generalist, Rachel, from our Corporate Services office.

Rachel has worked for Flagger Force a little over one and a half years and began her career as an Operations Specialist at the Eastern Pennsylvania/ NJ & DE Branch office. She recently has been promoted to our Corporate Office with a main job focus of recruiting, hiring and overall safeguarding the safety driven culture of Flagger Force among employees.

The Flagger Force Values Vision and Mission (VVM) are not just words to Rachel; they are instead actions that she lives by every day. “It is important to have respect not only for yourself but everyone else you encounter in life, every person deserves to be treated with respect and I believe that you get back what you give out to the rest of the world. You can only have respect for yourself when you conduct yourself with integrity; otherwise you are not really being true to yourself or anyone else.”

Rachel says her favorite thing about working for Flagger Force is the opportunity for advancement and the challenge of working for a growing company. “I have found that the more you prove yourself to the company the more the company will prove themselves to you. That’s what I like best about my job that I am able to help someone each day and I find it very rewarding to work with all Flagger Force branch offices and departments.”

Regardless of whether you work in the field on roadways each day or in an office environment it is important to always keep safety top of mind. Rachel shared that her safety message is “Always be alert and be aware of your surroundings.”

Rachel was born and raised in the Philadelphia, PA area and says that her all-time favorite vacation spot is close to home in Wildwood, NJ. She has been visiting the beach town with her family since her childhood. “I still visit there at least twice a year. Some of my best memories are staying at the beach until sunset, and then walking up and down the boardwalk riding all of the rides.”

We are excited to have Rachel join the Corporate Services team and we admire her daily dedication to our Safety-Driven culture. There is no doubt we will see her continued success at Flagger Force.

Work Zone Injury Survivor Speaks Out

Posted on April 17, 2013 by admin

Alice Ward a Flagger Force employee that was severely injured in a work zone crash tells her story and speaks out about the importance of work zone safety during the National Work Zone Awareness Week kickoff event today in Washington DC.

Click to hear Alice’s moving story.

When it comes to Work Zone Safety we are all in this together!

National Work Zone Awareness Week is Coming!

Posted on April 13, 2013 by admin

April 15^th-19^th is National Work Zone Awareness Week. Be sure to check your mail box for an opportunity to play our Safe Bet scratch off game for a chance to win a prize and to register to win the grand prize of Free Gas for a Year! We will also be having an exciting contest and informative content on facebook, be sure to like us to stay informed.

Major Savings Sitting in Your Driveway!

Posted on April 5, 2013 by admin

Did you know that driving a Flagger Force fleet vehicle can save you up to $6,000 a year? That is some major savings! A company vehicle is just one of the hidden benefits highlighted in the special publication field employees received in their latest copy of “In The Zone.” Check out the below infographic to see how the savings add up!

Meet the Force: Arlette

Posted on March 22, 2013 by admin

This week, as our “Meet the Force” series continues, we’re featuring Safety and Quality Advocate, Arlette, from our Corporate Services office. Her main job focus is developing our best-in-class safety training programs through Flagger Force Academy, and then ensuring the practices taught in the classroom are properly enacted in the field. Therefore, one day you will find Arlette out in the field, spot checking a job site, and the next day she is in the classroom at Flagger Force’s Corporate Academy, teaching our instructor team to execute our training procedures ‘to-a-tee’.

Arlette was born and raised outside of the Coatesville, PA area in the southeastern part of the state. She has been working for Flagger Force for three and a half years and began her career at the King of Prussia branch as a Crew Member. Since that time, Arlette’s career has taken off, and she has progressed through the ranks, serving nearly every role in our field staff, up to her recent move to Corporate Services. She feels that her career progression path and experience in the field enables her to relate to other employees and speak to them with integrity and a healthy respect for the dangers of the job. “I would not ask anyone to do anything that I would not do myself. I understand the challenges they (employees in the field) face every day.”

Arlette says her favorite thing about working for Flagger Force is the opportunity to interface with so many different people. “It is so gratifying to know that each day I have the opportunity to make a profound impact on someone else, and that the knowledge I am sharing with them could potentially save their life on the job site! Knowing that I can help make a difference is the best part of my job here.”

There is no doubt that safety is paramount to Arlette and that echoed though her personal safety message as well. She noted we all need to remember, “It only takes one second to change the rest of your life.”

Arlette mentioned that the serious nature of the job and the risks that our people face every day reminds her to cherish each moment she has with her family. “My weekends are always packed full with my kid’s activities. Everyone is involved in sports, especially football. We are a football family!” Football truly is a family affair and that is one of the reasons that fall is Arlette’s favorite season. “The weather is cool but not too cold, there are so many beautiful colors outside and, of course, it is football season!”

Thank you Arlette, for your dedication to our Safety-Driven culture. Your success here at Flagger Force is an inspiration to us all! (By the way, we’re anxiously awaiting football season too!)

New Blog Series Meet The Force

Posted on March 15, 2013 by admin

Flagger Force is the industry leader in temporary traffic control services and it is our people who help us maintain our top rank! Each team member plays a pivotal role in providing Safety Driven services each and every day to all of our clients, team members and the general public.

We thought it was time to get to know all of the different people and personalities that encompass Flagger Force. Every month we will introduce new team members from all 4 of our offices. We hope you enjoy Meeting The Force!

This week, meet Patrick, an Accounting Coordinator for our Corporate Services office, located in Hummelstown, PA. As an Accounting Coordinator, he assists with weekly payroll and invoicing. Patrick has worked for Flagger Force for a little over 6 months and he said that ALL of his co-workers are the best part of his job. “We all just get along very well and I truly enjoy working with everyone.”

Patrick was born and raised not too far from the Corporate Services office in the small town of Tower City, PA. Since it is a short drive away, Patrick enjoys going home to visit his parents each weekend. When Patrick is not at work, and the weather is nice, you are most likely to find him outside, where he enjoys golfing and playing with his boxer puppy Sophie.

Flagger Force is lucky that Patrick had a change of heart when it came to his career decision; he mentioned that as a child he wanted to be an Astronaut. “I always wanted to go to space and be able to see earth from a distance, it has always fascinated me.” If NASA were to call there is no doubt that Patrick would jump at the chance to be on the next flight to outer space.

But in all seriousness, he says he would not trade the opportunity to interact with all of the Flagger Force employees and clients. He feels like he is helping each of them in a slightly different way and says, “It is the best part of my job.” In fact, Patrick said, “I connect most with our Vision of fulfilling a greater purpose. I feel like I am making a difference in other people’s lives and doing something that matters.”

Patrick is not ‘all-work-and-no-play’; he enjoys vacationing to Thousand Islands, NY where, “It’s like the Caribbean of the North.” As the interview came to a close, we asked Patrick if he had a safety message to share. He was quick to say, “Stay safe out there and remember the golden rule of treating others as you would want to be treated.” These are wise words to remember, from the field all the way to the accounting department, to ensure that we all have a safe day!