Coronavirus Safety Best Practices

PDCA members could be our best resource to determine what is working on the jobsite and in the office to combat the potential spread of the COVID 19 virus.

Please take the time to list your Coronavirus Safety Best Practices and post them to this blog.  We are hoping this will serve as a resource for all PDCA members.

This blog is intended to provide PDCA members an opportunity to share their thoughts with their fellow members and is NOT intended to provide legal advice or serve as a fiinal source.  In all cases where safety is involved employers must use their best efforts to provide for the safety and health of their employees.

Thank you for your interest and support.  Please contact the PDCA office if you need any assistance.
 

Daytona Beach, FL (January 14, 2022): A common practice of the modern workplace is participation in virtual or hybrid (part live, part virtual) meetings. This dynamic exists at the Pile Driving Contractors Association in both Board of Directors meetings and educational presentations. Concerning the former, the Board of Directors engages each year in a January Strategic Planning Meeting where members review Association activity of the past year and consider priorities for the new year. The January 2022 meeting had several Board members attend in person while others joined the two-day event through the Zoom webinar platform.

A component of the Strategic Planning Meeting is the ceremonial passing of the gavel, a tradition signifying a leadership change at PDCA. In 2022, outgoing PDCA president Kevin Gourgues attended the meeting in person, but incoming president Brian Heck appeared virtually. So, meeting participants witnessed a first-ever, hybrid gavel exchange for PDCA leadership. And to further distinguish the 2022 meeting, Gourgues explained how he "carefully packed the gavel in bubble wrap in a box, added extra packing peanuts for protection and sent it from Baton Rouge" to Heck in Cincinnati. However, the delivery tracking mechanism (at the time of the meeting), showed the gavel was delayed in Indianapolis. Fortunately, President Heck had a meat tenderizer available to him and dutifully tapped it to begin the strategic planning proceedings.

From there, the Board considered a full agenda of business items over the next day-and-a-half. Participants engaged in detailed discussions about a variety of issues and initiatives of the Association. Among the actions of Board members during the 2022 PDCA Strategic Planning Meeting were:

• Passage of a 2022 PDCA budget
• Acceptance of new PDCA of Texas Chapter affiliation request
• Discussion on standing committee optimization 
• Review of bylaws
• Establishment of 2022 goals

At the conclusion of the business meeting, the Board members recognized at-large Board member Greg Canivan who was celebrating a birthday. They gathered with Greg and presented him with a video playing the birthday song.

   


 

Funds generated when several PDCA members opted to donate their registration reimbursements from the cancelled, live DICEP conference in September in New Orleans, are helping Louisiana families who endured significant loss during Hurricane Ida enjoy the holiday season. PDCA President Kevin Gourgues (pictured, left) delivered the check to the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office Charity Fund, which has used the goodwill to expand the 'Shop with a Cop' initiative and ensure that children from needy families in the storm-torn area are able to receive Christmas cheer. 

Sheriff Brett Stassi (pictured, right) of Iberville Parish and current president of the Louisiana Sheriff's Association accepted the PDCA donation for the Charity Fund. He explained, "Needy families with young children are selected to participate in the 'Shop with a Cop' program; a needy child is given an allotment of funds, then paired with a deputy to shop at participating local vendors during closed store hours." 

He continued; "The devastation I observed was catastrophic.  Homes were destroyed or completely swept from their foundations and piling - often they were nowhere to be found.  The need for help in these communities is very high."

President Gourgues extends his appreciation to the many PDCA members who chose to direct their DICEP registration funds to this important, relief effort. DICEP, an annual technical program of PDCA that was scheduled in 2021 to take place in New Orleans mere days following Ida's destruction in the region, was salvaged and delivered as a virtual seminar which negated the need for the registration monies necessary for the live event. And since many attendees had registered well in advance of the Hurricane and already paid to attend, they were given the option for a refund or to redirect the funds for this PDCA fundraising effort.

Full list of DICEP '21 registrants who sent registration funds to Hurricane Ida relief:

AMERICAN SpiralWeld Pipe Company, LLC Beaty Construction Braun Intertec Cajun Industries, LLC Consolidated Pipe & Supply Co. Giken America Corp. GRL Engineers, Inc./Pile Dynamics, Inc. GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. Hartman Engineering Herbert F. Darling, Inc. ICE - International Construction Equipment, Inc. Mason Construction, LLC

Nagy Engineers, Inc. Nucor Skyline Pacific Pile & Marine Palmetto Pile Driving Patrick DiCerbo/Northwestern Mutual Patriot Construction & Industrial Premier Geotech and Testing, LLC Richard Goettle, Inc. S&ME, Inc. Samuel Roll Form Group

The PDCA 23rd Annual Conference & Expo is fast approaching, make sure you secure discounted rates and register for this event by THIS Friday (12/17). We look forward to seeing you at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix February 9-12, 2022.

Don't miss this important, annual gathering of the pile driving industry. The 2022 program includes a variety of opportunities for professional development, business networking and even personal enjoyment:

• Keynote presentations
• Technical seminars
• Exhibit hall
• Project of the Year Awards, other recognitions
• PDCA committee meetings
• Annual golf outing
• Nightly receptions
• Much more!

Please visit the conference website for all event details. And don't forget to secure your spot at this conference by Friday (12/17) to receive the early bird registration rates.

See you in Phoenix!