Tag: 2018

OSHA Safe and Sound Week 2018!

August 15, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

Safe + Sound Week

At CEI, we value keeping our workers safe and healthy on the job and making sure they go home to their families every day. That’s why CEI is participating in Safe + Sound Week, August 13-19, 2018.

Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event to raise awareness and understanding of the value of safety and health programs in workplaces that include management leadership, worker participation, and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards.

About 7 years ago, CEI decided that they were going to add a full-time Safety Director to their team. This was the beginning of the Safety Department. In 2016, they created the Safety Manager position. At CEI, we always met our safety requirements but in 2011 we decided that as a company we wanted to excel at safety. to have a safe job site and overall workplace it involves everyone being apart of the Safety Department. When it comes to this department, everyone must focus on the details to keep our projects safe and quality for our customers!

During Safe + Sound Week, we will show our commitment to safety by sharing information about our safety department and articles on safety through our blog/social media. These are designed to raise awareness of workplace safety and highlight the hard work that CEI’s crews and staff put into reaching our safety goals!

Safety Counts!

Safety is all about details! When details are focused on we produce a better, safer and more efficient job. When you focus on the details ahead of time then they won’t slow you down later. This has been and continues to be the focus of our Safety Department. CEI safety team is holding themselves to higher standards, working on a constant pursuit towards excellence. Their overall goal is always to create a safer work environment for all CEI employees.

Disclaimer: This document was created by the Safe + Sound Campaign organizers, OSHA, AIHA, ASSP, CPWR, NIOSH, NSC, and VPPPA. The Safe + Sound Campaign organizers do not necessarily endorse or sanction the company-specific statements in this document.

#NATIONALROOFINGWEEK- Employee Training

June 5, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

Happy National Roofing Week to everyone! Yesterday we kicked off with a wonderful employee appreciation day! All of the CEI team had got pizza or breakfast delivered to them as a token of our appreciation. It was a great start to an exciting week.

Every day this week has a theme or focus to be talked about. Today’s (Tuesday) focus is on Employee Training!

A key part of being a quality roofing professional is ensuring that all members of your team are properly trained. CEI focuses its training efforts in two major areas; safety training and job skills training.

Safety Training

CEI started a bigger push on safety about 7 years ago.

“We had a couple of tough safety years before that and there was also a big push from our Consumers to step up safety. It had always been something we did, but we started to make it something we live everyday.” -Kristine Cook Lindsey, Vice President

CEI always met safety regulations but after those couple of years, they decided it was going to be one of their main goals to excel in safety. They posted a large board that read “Days since an accident”. The goal was to publish what was happening in regards to safety and make everyone responsible for safety on the job.

Joe Fulton- CEI Safety Director

In 2011, they added a full-time Safety Director to there team. He was tasked with keeping up with regulations and revamping the training program.

Jacob Rosiek- CEI Safety Manager

CEI safety standards started to grow and in 2016 they added another full-time position to the Safety Department, a Safety Manager.

In 2017, CEI was awarded the NERI safety excellence award for there efforts. Today, CEI’s safety training looks like this.

Monthly Foreman Safety Committee Meetings- To review how the company is doing and identify where and how to improve. Critical feedback from the field participation is key in these meetings.
Six Company Wide Safety Meetings- Every other month there is a different focus presented by our Safety Director or we bring in guest speakers to keep safety in the minds of the Foremen.
Weekly Toolbox Talks- These also focus on important safety issues but are run by the Foremen to stimulate discussion on safety and provide training opportunities for our crews.
Daily Hazard Identification Checklists
All Foremen are required to be 30hr OSHA Certified
All other workers are encouraged to be at least 10hr OSHA Certified
CEI’s insurance group also has its own Safety Requirements that CEI is annually audited on.

Job Skills Training

The other focus area for training is skills training. CEI as a union contractor is supportive of apprenticeship programs that serve to develop skilled professional Roofing and Architectural Sheet Metal Journeymen. Some of the ways that CEI supports skills development are-

Manufacturer Training- CEI is certified in almost every type of roofing system. CEI sees this as a way to open doors for new and interesting projects. We want to know how to do it all so we can take on any project start to finish.
Local 70 Union Block Training- CEI helps support their local union by participating in block training programs. They often help with the Crane and Lift classes.
Employ apprentices- To provide critical field training experience

#NATIONALROOFINGWEEK: What is National Roofing Week?

May 17, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

To raise awareness of the significance of roofs to every home and business, stress the value of professional roofing contractors, and promote the good deeds of the industry, CEI Michigan, LLC will recognize National Roofing Week taking place June 3-9.

Organized by the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), National Roofing Week is a reminder that the roof is one of the most important components of every structure. It is the first line of defense against natural elements, such as rain, snow or wind, yet it is often taken for granted until it falls into disrepair.

National Roofing Week enables roofing professionals to engage in their communities and inform the public about the essential role roofs and professional roofing contractors play in every community, as well as the importance about making informed decisions about maintaining or replacing any roof system.

NRCA has planned a social media campaign for all of its members to be involved in. CEI will be participating in the weeks worth of posts to help engage its customers. This week will involve a series of blog post that will give details into how CEI keeps a quality reputation in the commercial roofing industry. It will also give the company a chance to reach out and help the community through charity acts, recognize their staff, provide important information to their customers about roof maintenance and most importantly have some fun taking pictures of the celebration.

To see all the action follow CEI on Facebook, Twitter or Blog.

Additional information about National Roofing Week can be found at www.nrca.net/National-Roofing-Week.

The Insight: CEI’s 2018 Motto

March 5, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

In the past couple of years, CEI has started the year off with an annual kick-off meeting. Every year there has been a theme or motto that the company has carried throughout the year. 2018’s meeting is still in the works and is scheduled for April 15th but the theme is picked.

This years theme is Everything Counts!

It is broad and is most literally about everything but it is important and a great theme to kick of the year. 2016 and 2017 we some of CEI’s best years and looking forward, they are striving for even better. When it comes down to it, growing a business can be all about the details. It is important to pay attention to everything to achieve excellence.

The theme is inspired and loosely based on a book called Everything Counts! by Gary Ryan Blaire. Blaire has worked to help clients reach their goals and be more successful in many areas. His book provides a golden rule to excellence.

His rule is-

“Everything Counts! Everything you say; every thought you entertain; and everything you do has direction, which serves as an advance or a retreat in respect to your pursuit of excellence. Everything, regardless of size or intent, has bottom-line consequences; therefore, everything counts!”