The Spring wellness program kicked off in March with a pilot version of the “Moving into Wellness” assessment and life-balance program facilitated by Maxine Lowe.  Twelve adventurous participants responded to the call for wellness and stuck it out for 12 consecutive weeks!

Each person was required to do an online assessment in 12 key lifestyle areas: Self Responsibility & Love, Breathing, Sensing, Eating, Moving, Feeling, Thinking, Playing & Working, Communicating, Intimacy, Finding Meaning and Transcending to identify their areas of strength, satisfaction and the specific areas they were most motivated to change.

This was followed by personal coaching sessions to help them understand their assessment results and explore their “change readiness” in key areas, in addition to gaining personal insight into their state of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness.  Based on Dr. John Travis’ Wellness Energy System detailed in The Wellness Workbook, 12 interactive lunch ‘n’ learns were conducted at Fransen to educate, motivate and provide accountability for high levels of wellness.

SunRun 2009 was a great success.  We ran, jogged, walked and sprinted our way along the beautiful 10km course.  It took us through Downtown Vancouver, over the Burrard Bridge to Kitsilano, along False Creek and over the Cambie Bridge to the end (finally…) at BC Place Stadium where we found lots of water and snacks waiting for us! 

Once the dust settled, the Fransen SunRunners placed 13th in the Engineering Division coming in ahead of 47 other teams in the category! Also we improved on our average time by one minute from 2008.  Way to go everyone! Thank you to our Captain, Bindy Grewal for getting our registrations and shirts organized.

Results

Fransen Engineering Ltd - 13th Place Engineering Division

37:47 - Mike Elsinga

40:42 - Robert Thompson

44:28 - Mark Abbott

46:04 - Jordan Hewer

49:20 - Jason Meyer

51:24 - Soheyl Soltani

53:54 - Harish Raisinghani

101:58 - Darren Brown

103:38 - George Mitchell

103:58 - Ian Cook

105:27 - George Coelho

114:47 - Richard Hernandez

137:27 - Marlena Mason-Brown

The Joint Safety Committee encourages everyone to be on the lookout for hazards. Before and during a task, always stop and think about what could go wrong, what are the right tools for the job, and what do you have to do to make it safe. Once you have finished your initial assessment, consider how to reduce the risks & make the situation safe.

QUESTION: Can you spot the hazard in this photo? Look VERY closely at the terminals….

ANSWER: PAUL “EAGLE EYES” ROUSSON - was on a client site and noticed this transformer. He thought something wasn’t right and upon further investigation he realized that there was a socket wrench left connected to the transformer. The risk existed that it could fall and hit a worker during maintenance causing serious injury or even cause an electrical fault if it fell off and made contact with another terminal. Paul reported it to his site contact and the client took appropriate steps to remove the hazard. Paul has demonstrated that he is thinking safety – not only to us at Fransen but also to our client. Well done Paul!

Fransen Engineering is a strong supporter of EWB and recently donated $800 to the local Vancouver Chapter as part of EWB’s Week-to-End Poverty campaign!  In May, one of our own, Harish Raisinghani was elected President of the Vancouver Professional Chapter with Mark Abbott leading the Workplace Outreach programs.  Upcoming events include a Run to End Poverty (as part of the Scotiabank half-marathon on June 28, 2009) monthly development drinks and potentially a large ‘Fair-Trade Fair’ in the fall. 

Please check out www.vancouver.ewb.ca or talk with Harish or Mark about events or getting involved with the chapter.

FOR AN UNPLANNED OR UNFORESEEN EVENT TO TAKE PLACE

THERE HAS TO BE POTENTIAL.

«  Hazard:  a condition or change in circumstances that presents a potential for injury, illness or property damage.

«  Accident:  an unfortunate event often the result of carelessness, complacency or lack of knowledge.  An unforeseen and unexplained event usually resulting in an unfavorable outcome.

«  Key words in these definitions:  Unplanned, Unforeseen, Unfortunate, Unfavorable, and most important POTENTIAL.

«  Not recognizing the Potential for Hazards, complacency or taking things for granted are the cause of a tremendous number of injuries each year.

«  Recognizing hazards and doing something about them is everyone’s responsibility.

Questions To Consider Prior To Starting Work:

«  Do I have the right tools and have I inspected my tools and equipment for damage?

«  Has the work been laid out to provide safe completion of the job?

«  Do I understand the Potential Hazards associated with the material, tools and/or equipment required to complete the work?

«  Do I require any additional PPE or have we looked for a safer way to complete the work?

«  Are all necessary guards, barricades, permits or signage in place and posted?

«  Have written procedures been reviewed, understood and posted?

BE AWARE OF POTENTIAL HAZARDS AND MAKE YOUR CHOICES CAREFULLY

MORE THAN A THOUSAND EYE INJURIES OCCUR IN NORTH AMERICA WORKPLACES EVERY DAY

Why are these injuries occurring?

«  Three out of five happen because a worker was not wearing eye protection at the time of the incident.

«  About 40% of the injured workers were wearing some type of eye protection but it was the wrong kind and failed to protect them adequately.

«  The leading cause for incidents while wearing eye protection is the lack of side shields.

«  Studies reveal that flying or falling objects and sparks are the cause of 70% of eye injuries.

«  Nearly 60% of the objects causing eye injuries are smaller than a pin head.

«  Nearly 20% of all eye injuries are caused by chemicals splashing or being sprayed.

«  40% of eye injuries occur within the craft trades and 30% occur within operations.

«  50% of the injured workers were employed in manufacturing and 20% were in construction.

What we can do to prevent these injuries?

«  First: make sure you choose the proper eye protection.

«  Second: make sure the eye protection you have selected fits properly and is clean.

«  Nearly 20% of eye injuries happen to workers wearing face shields or welding helmets while grinding, while only 6% happen while wearing goggles.

The first quarterly Mingle of the year kicked off at Sport Central on Thursday, February 19, 2009. As usual, we had a fantastic spread of tantalizing appetizers ranging from onion rings, mini quiches, spring rolls, samosas to sautéed jumbo prawns and chicken wings with every sauce imaginable. Since balance is important in everything we do, an assortment of fresh fruits and veggies completed the mix.

Even though it took a little while to get everyone to participate in the Fransen Speed Meeting activity (a spinoff of speed dating), once we had everyone in two rows facing each other, there was no holding back as each person connected with the other through a series of getting-to-know-you questions prepared by the Social Committee. Throughout the afternoon, five lucky people won some nifty staplers that are environmentally friendly and actually use no staples!

Have you been enjoying the variety of the Charity snack tray recently? We have been experimenting with some new snacks such as the Toblerone bars, sunrype snack bars, exploding gum, salmon jerky, and a plethora of nuts. Richard and I do our best to get to Costco on a regular basis and are always open to suggestions on what you would like to have in the Charity Snack Boxes and Drink Trays.

A friendly reminder to all team members – the snack boxes and drinks in the fridge are financed using the honour system and will continue only if everyone contributes their $1 for each snack. Please keep loans to a minimum and keep in mind that it is never acceptable to take drinks for meetings unless you are paying for each drink immediately.

From Feb 16 – Apr 16, the snack boxes will support Engineers without Borders.

Fransen Sunrunners are pounding the pavement in preparation for the Vancouver SunRun this coming April. All ages and experience levels are welcome to join the team. The SunRun will take you on a scenic tour of Downtown Vancouver, False Creek, and part of Yaletown along with 50,000 other Vancouverites. For more information on the SunRun, check out www.sunrun.com and talk to Bindy Grewal. If you join the Fransen Team, 50% of your fee will be reimbursed. As an added bonus, you get a souvenir t-shirt to keep!

Western Canada’s premier conference on international development is right around the corner! The 6th annual Engineers Without Borders Bridging the Gap (BTG) conference will take place on Saturday March 14, 2009 at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel. The theme of the conference will be “Collaborating for Human Development: The hidden power of our choices”, which will explore the roles of individuals, corporations, NGOs, and government and how they can come together to address the problem of extreme poverty.

The 500 attendees will have a full day of interactive workshops, speakers, and panel discussions. The conference will close with a keynote address from Dr. James Orbinski, who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 as president of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).

Fransen Engineering is a proud supporter of Engineers Without Borders and will help subsidize the ticket cost to this exciting conference! For more details, please contact Harish Raisinghani or Mark Abbott and check out www.bridgingthegap.ewb.ca

In addition to Fransen’s ongoing support for EWB, proceeds from the snacks in the Fransen staff rooms will be going to EWB for the next two months! Thank you in advance for your support!