November 2018
The Inside Corner
DC WATER HEADQUARTERS
DC Water, Washington, DC’s metropolitan water and sewer authority, created a new centrally located headquarters facility consolidating its administrative offices into a single location with flexible and functional office space. The state-of-the-art environmentally sustainable building was conceived to look like a water droplet. This is seen in the use of the curved façade, complete with elements which resemble surface tension. The 150,000 SF building was erected on top of the existing O Street Pump Station and next to the historic Main Pump Station on the banks of the Anacostia River just steps away from the Washington Nationals ball park.
Our project scope included the installation of new high end architectural finishes including a custom metal panel façade. This façade is a rainscreen system from Hunter Douglas and features unique coloring to help accentuate the water droplet design. Because of the unique geometry we used CAD based layout systems to mark all individual exterior panels and maintain the precise geometry. In addition to the radial patterning, the building also stepped out which added to the complexity of the layout and installation.
Interior features included custom wood ceilings and soffits, acoustical ceiling clouds and drywall features throughout. C. J. Coakley Co., Inc. started work at the site in July 2017 with foreman Kenny Silwick supervising and leading all exterior wall construction, including the metal panel façade. This project was a challenge given all the complexity of the mechanical and plumbing fit out of the building which resulted in coordination problems and delays. Thank you to Joaquin Villatoro for the coordination and effort on this task with its complex layout. Angel Maans and John Jefferies brought the project home to completion. Congratulations to everyone involved in completing another successful and monumental project.
SAFETY FIRST
There are never enough opportunities to thank all the men and women of our field forces for their hard work and dedication. They have put a tremendous effort into the safety of our job sites and as a result the company has had a great three years of very low levels of accidents which is reflected in the new Experience Modification Rate we received for 2019. We achieved one of the lowest mods in the history of the company at .61.
The Experience Modification Rate or EMR, is used by insurance companies to gauge both past injuries and the future chances of risk. The lower the EMR, the less your workman’s compensation insurance will cost. An EMR of 1.0 is average so companies above 1.0 will pay more and those below will pay less. This means that due to the efforts of our field employees, we are paying 39% less for workman’s comp insurance than the average company. That makes us more competitive when trying to secure work.
So, what does an EMR of .61 really look like? Our field forces put in place over $130,000,000 worth of drywall, plaster, acoustic ceilings, and rainscreen between 2015-2017. That volume of work required 2,149,610 hours of labor. We had 38 recordable injuries, with only 8 of those resulting in lost time for our workers. That calculates to one event every 268,701 hours worked that required a worker to miss time due to an injury. Many of the hours worked were off swing stages, scaffolding, stilts and lifts. Our jobs can be very challenging, and a lot of our work is installed in difficult places to reach. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done safely. Safety is not a goal it is a mindset, and our team gets it. Larry Aley and Guido Perez have done a great job taking our safety culture to a new level. Thank you both for all you do to keep our workers safe. We had a great turnout at our safety picnic in October with over 500 workers and family members attending. We hope all of you that came felt it was a fun day to celebrate another safe year on our job sites. Over the next few months we will be visiting many of our jobs celebrating 180 days without a lost time accident. Thanks again to our dedicated workforce and keep up the good work!
EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH
Each month our Foremen recommend to our Superintendents employees they feel have made outstanding efforts that contribute to our company’s success. The Employees of the Month are recognized in this newsletter and at one tool box talk each month across the company. We appreciate the hard work each employee puts forth to make the company successful, and we are proud to honor those who are selected.
July
Edy Castellon - Carpenter - CSOB4
Joselin Caraballo - Carpenter - CSOB4
August
Carlos Quintanilla - Finisher - CSOB4
Jose O. Umanzor - Finisher - CSOB4
September
Jose Portillo Garcia - Carpenter - CSOB4
Jose R. Flores - Carpenter - CSOB4
APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
Over the years, C. J. Coakley Co., Inc. has been committed to the training and development of its employees by sponsoring apprenticeship programs throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Apprenticeship programs provide entering apprentices with a clear career pathway and process in which they can obtain workplace relevant skills and knowledge to become a journeyman. In 2016, C. J. Coakley Co., Inc. and ABC-Virginia developed the Drywall Apprenticeship Program which offers a training and education curriculum that better fits the needs of the interior construction industry. During the program, the apprentice is required to complete two years of on the job training (OJT), and approximately 300 hours of related classroom instruction. The Drywall Program is split into two levels, designed to cover a wide range of industry topics including general safety, metal framing, drywall installation and finishing, acoustical ceilings, and more. OJT is administered by C. J. Coakley Co., Inc. supervisors in the field, and related classroom instruction is provided and administered by ABC-Virginia. The apprentices are also registered with the Virginia Department of Labor. Overall, the Drywall Apprenticeship Program provides apprentices with the necessary tools to become skilled and competent workers for construction jobs requiring precision and safety. Currently, the Drywall Program is taught by Jorge Velarde and Jose Zalles, who have done a good job in passing on their knowledge and experience to the apprentices registered in the program. Last month, the first group of apprentices successfully completed the program and are ready to embark as journeymen in their respective trades. C. J. Coakley Co., Inc. takes pride not only in helping its employees to better themselves by learning a trade, but also in building a long term relationship between company and employee that benefits us all. We would like to congratulate the following apprentices who have successfully completed the Drywall Apprenticeship Program: Cristian Chavarria, Edis Blanco, Emanuel Barrera, Carlos Rubio, Ingrid Alfaro, Roberto Hernandez, and Yanira Lopez. Congratulations to all!
If you currently work for us or know someone who might be interested in becoming an apprentice, please contact one of our superintendents or go to https://www.abcva.org/ Career-Development/Apprenticeship/ Drywall for more information.
EMPLOYEE NEWS AND RECOGNITION
We welcome new Project Manager Jeff Knight. Thank you to everyone who came to the Safety and Employee Appreciation picnic in October. We had a few new activities this year including a family photographer and an appearance by the Kaiser Permanente Mobile Health Van along with some fun activities provided by the KP staff.
