July 2011
New members

We are especially pleased that these companies recognize the value of belonging to TRMA, especially in tough economic times:

Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Barnhart Crane

Phoenix Fire Systems, Inc

Superior Engineering, LLC.
Ask Jerry Caamano
If you have a topic or question that you would like to see discussed in the Newsletter, send your request to Jerry Caamano.
Meeting Calendar
Safety Division
Aug 4

First Aid/CPR/AED Training;
7:15 am to 4:30 pm; $99
Prices shown apply to TRMA members. For members and non-member details and registration
click here.
Fire Watch with Hands-on Fire Extinguisher Training and Confined Space Entry Watch Training

(see announcement for details)

July 19

August 23

Division Planning is Underway

What training programs should TRMA offer this fall & winter? What speakers should be featured at the division meetings? This is your opportunity to have input in the selection and scheduling of the programs for the next 12 months. Planning is underway by each of the TRMA divisions (Safety, Environmental, Maintenance and HR) for 2011-2012 training and programs. If there is a topic or speaker that you think would be of interest to the membership, please contact Jerry Caamano at jerry.caamano@trma.org or at 815.774.6070. You may also provide your input to a member of the steering committees.

New TRMA Directory

This summer TRMA will be compiling a new Membership Directory for publication in the fall. As a benefit of membership, each TRMA member receives a full complimentary page in the Directory to describe its products and services, and list key personnel.

Also, we are offering an opportunity to advertise in the Directory. If you have a product or service to promote to manufacturers in the TRMA membership area, this is your opportunity to make it known to a large group of prospective customers. An advertisement in the TRMA Directory is a cost-effective means of putting your business's name and message before the TRMA membership. The Directory is distributed to all TRMA member companies and their CEO's, Plant Managers and Maintenance, Safety, Environmental and Procurement professionals so that your message reaches your target audience … the decision-makers. Also, the Directory is a resource that is constantly utilized by our members and has a two-year life, so your ad is constantly working for you. To advertise in the directory click here.

For newsleter advertising opportunities please contact Jerry Caamano or Kathleen Ament.

NOTICE

Information from this newsletter may be reproduced, without prior permission, if the Three Rivers Manufacturers' Association is credited as source.
Barnhart Ad

 

 

 

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Golf Outing

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State Treasurer to Wall Street: Don't Loan Illinois More Money!

RutherfordIllinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford (D) told TRMA members that Illinois is on the verge of financial disaster because of $45 billion in bonded indebtedness; $8 billion in unpaid bills; and $140 billion in unfunded pension and retiree health care benefits.

"There's nothing more important to me than to pull the fire alarm and tell you that if we don't address this issue, we will not be able to pull this thing out of the fire," Rutherford said in the latest in a series of meetings between elected officials and TRMA members held June 28.

It's been widely reported that only California has a higher credit risk than Illinois in the opinion of Standard & Poor's, Fitch and Moody's, the nation's largest bond rating firms. But Rutherford said he was recently informed by Moody's that it revised its estimate and now considers Illinois to be the nation's highest risk. Click here for full story.

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Three Rivers Safety Center Introduces Enhanced Contractor Refresher Course

Beginning July 6, an enhanced Contractor Safety Refresher (CSR) course will be introduced. TRMA member focus groups which met in 2010 identified a member interest in enhancing this training to make it more application based and challenging. This enhanced course will facilitate participant discussion to identify appropriate, safe problem solving for situations that a contractor may encounter when working at a TRMA manufacturer's facility. Click here for full story.

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New Fatigue Standard on the Radar Screens of TRMA Members

HR representatives from TRMA member refinery and petrochemical manufacturers met in roundtable fashion June 23 to discuss the implications of a proposed standard to limit workplace fatigue and thus reduce accidents and injuries. "I thought it would be helpful for members to share how their respective companies are addressing the standard," said Steve Boyer, human resources manager at Stepan Company in Elwood.

The standard was one of the recommendations made by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) as the result of its probe of the 2005 explosion at a BP refinery in Texas that killed 15 and injured nearly 200. Worker fatigue was cited as a contributing factor in the disaster.

The standard, known as Fatigue Risk Management Systems in the Refining and Petrochemical Industries (FRMS), or Practice 755 for short, was written by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Petroleum Institute (API). Basically, it limits the number of hours a person can work during a day and the number of consecutive days a worker can work in a row, and it requires a minimum of from 36 to 48 hours off. Click here for full story.

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