NIC Instruments & Engineering (Pty) Ltd: March 2012

WELCOME TO THE BLOG!

NIC has chosen the route of a BLOG NEWSLETTER Format – this is a way to move forward with technology as everything has become DIGITAL! This is also very easy to maintain and update not only weekly but daily if needed. We as the QMS Team hope that you enjoy the blog and that you learn more not only about safety, but about your co-workers, different branches and exciting projects happening.

TOP OF PAGE MOST RECENT NEWS
- Scroll down to older news
- Select Older Post (bottom of page) to see news on "previous dates"

Please send any suggestions to claudette@nicinst.co.za

Below is a little extract on what a blog is
Extract from www.wikipedia.org
A blog (a portmanteau of the term web log)^[1] is a personal journal published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete entries ("posts") typically displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first. Blogs are usually the work of a single individual, occasionally of a small group, and often are themed on a single subject. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
The emergence and growth of blogs in the late 1990s coincided with the advent of web publishing tools that facilitated the posting of content by non-technical users. (Previously a knowledge of such technologies as HTML and FTP had been required to publish content on the Web.)
Although not a must, most good quality blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via GUI widgets on the blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites.^[2] In that sense, blogging can be seen as a form of social networking. Indeed, bloggers do not only produce content to post on their blogs but also build social relations with their readers and other bloggers.^[3]
Many blogs provide commentary on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries; yet still others function more as online brand advertising of a particular individual or company. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (art blog), photographs (photoblog), videos (video blogging or vlogging), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Microblogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.
As of 16 February 2011^[update], there were over 156 million public blogs in existence.^[4]

WELL DONE (Staff Family)

Danie Erasmus's (Managing Director) son and grandson are avid Cyclists!

JW has even competed in a few kids events and won medals, Andre (Mamut) is currently competing in the Cape Epic.

Picture below: JW and Andre Erasmus in Action

WELL DONE (Staff Family)

Desiree Coetzee's (Receptionist - Midrand) granddaughter Amber took part in the World Trial Circuit Section (International Competion) at Sun City over the weekend.

Internationally Amber is placed 4th, 5th, and 7th in her age group (U/15) & in South Africa the current Champ.

This a huge achievement and we wish you great sucess with the future competitions!

30-03-2012 - TOOLBOX TALK

TOOLBOX TALK - DRUG FREE POLICY

Question 1
Please choose one (1) correct statement;
The purpose of the policy….
To provide information about what drugs are
What is prohibited
To provide a safe and drug-free environment

Question 2

Please choose one (1) correct statement:
NIC Prohibits (Does not Allow) the following:
Use, possession, solicitation for or sale of narcotics or other illegal drugs or prescription medication

Question 3
Please choose one (1) correct statement:
Prohibited substances are;
Illegal drugs, alcohol, prescription drugs not taken in accordance with a prescription given to employee

Question 4

Please choose one (1) correct statement:
What testing does NIC use
Random testing / For Cause Testing / Post Accident Testing

Question 5

True or false – NIC will never conduct random testing on its employees
False - NIC will conduct test

Question 6
True or false – NIC may ask an employee to submit a drug test at any time
True

Question 7

True or false – NIC will test any employee involved in an on-the-job accident or injury if suggested possible use of drugs or alcohol
True

Question 8

True or false – NIC Reviews its Drug-Free Policy every 3 months
False - Policies are reviewed once a year

EARTH HOUR 31-03-2012

IT’S AS EASY AS SWITCHING THE LIGHTS OFF – FOR JUST ONE HOUR!

Saturday 31 March 2012 @ 20h30 to 21h30

IDEAS: THAT ROMANTIC CANDLE LIT DINNER – PLAY BOARD GAMES – LAY OUTSIDE AND WATCH THE STARS – PLAY HIDE AND SEEK IN THE DARK – READ A BOOK / STORIES

DO YOUR BIT FOR OUR EARTH AND THE FUTURE!

ABOUT EARTH HOUR
Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries/territories participating. Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, CN Tower in Toronto, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour. Over 4000 cities in 88 countries/territories officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.

On Saturday 27 March, Earth Hour 2010 became the biggest Earth Hour ever. A record 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Pacific to Europe and Africa to the Americas switched off. People across the world from all walks of life turned off their lights and came together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.

Earth Hour 2012 will take place on Saturday 31 March at 8.30PM (local time). This Earth Hour we want you to go beyond the hour, so after the lights go back on think about what else you can do to make a difference. Together our actions add up.

Why get involved?

Put simply, because our future depends on it!

Earth Hour has done a lot to raise awareness of sustainability issues. But there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s all about giving people a voice and working together to create a better future for our planet.

WELCOME - New Staff (Midrand)

NIC would like to welcome all the new staff that joined us during the month of March 2012 at the Midrand Branch.

Avinash Boodram - Assistant Buyer

avinash@nicinst.co.za

Renier Janse van Vuuren - Site Manager (Mozambique Project)

renier@nicinst.co.za

Deven Guptar - QA/QC Manager

deven@nicinst.co.za

Aneshrie Khandai - Financial Accountant

aneshrie@nicinst.co.za

Johan Oosthuisen - Trainer

johan@mamut.co.za

Nicolene de Winter - Filing Clerk / Assistant Document Controller

nicolene@nicinst.co.za

Maria Kekana - General Worker

RUSTENBURG

“Panic it’s the Mechanics”

Pieter Lemkuhl, Jacques Rossouw, Ephriam Domasi and Phillemon Mokotedi

QMS - Update

Please note the QMS Team is Hard at work to update the entire QMS – you will be notified via email once it has been updated. It will be available on the server (Head Office) as well online www.nicinternal.co.za

23-03-2012 TOOLBOX TALK

TOOLBOX TALK - MISSION STATEMENT

Marked in red are the correct answers

Question 1

Please choose one (1) correct statement;

NIC employees have the right to return home from work without injuries
NIC employees have the right to work unsafely
NIC will not prevent illness or injuries of staff while at work

Question 2

Please choose one (1) correct statement:
NIC Mission Statement Objectives and Targets are;

Orientation and training key site personnel in SHEQ Process
Conducting introductory training on SHEQ for management
Training and development SHEQ officers in management system approach
All of the above

Question 3
Please choose three (3) - World / National Standards for SAFETY NIC adhere to;

Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act)
Mine Health and Safety Act
COID (Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (South Africa)

Question 4
True or false – NIC Safety Culture is to achieve Zero Tolerance to unsafe acts

True

Question 5
True or false – NIC Strive to ensure that effort is made to prevent injuries and occupational illnesses
True

Question 6
True or false – NIC revises Company Policies on an annual / yearly basis.

True

Question 7
Please select correct one - SHEQ stands for:

Safety Health Environment and Quality

RUSTENBURG

Things are shaping up at the Rustenburg Branch with new under-cover parking being built.

Seen in picture is from left Ephraim Domasi, Gert Kruger (RTB Branch Manager) and Marks Mongwe (Lucas the Emu is on the left overlooking the work maybe?)

OOPS

Oops! A sound one makes when you have made a mistake.

John Ferreira (Director) made a big oops on Friday 23 March 2012 morning when he mistakenly used DETOL instead of MOUTHWASH!

Let’s just say his mouth was the cleanest and most disinfected in the building!

CONGRATS - Joey Ras

Congratulations to Joey Ras (Internal Sales - HQ) and Roland du Preez on your engagement.

Joey was kind enough to share the story of their engagement with us:

Joey decided that because it was Leap Year and it ONLY comes every 4 years that she would pop the question.

She had made plans to go to dinner, but seeing it was a surprise she could not tell him anything. Just before home time he sent her a message saying he had booked tickets for a movie. Her whole romantic plan was not going to work.

She was so nervouse and ended up asking him in the movies! He said YES without hesitation!!! We then decided to go have seafood dinner, he then went down on his knee in the restaurant and asked for my hand in marriage.

Well done for taking charge – we are so happy for you both and wish you many happy days planning your wedding day!

IN-HOUSE TRAINING

NIC's Training officer Claudette Crouch conducted the first In-House Training at the new premises.

Staff from Stores and Reception learned more about SAFE STACKING AND STORAGE!

Well done on those who received a 100% on the test:

Des Coetzee, Chris Chinwalungwalu, Peter Lawrence and Jacob Tshefu

CONGRATS - Riana Engelbrecht

A big congratulation to Riana and PJ Engelbrecht on their wedding on 25 February 2012.

Riana (formerly Opperman) is from the Secunda Branch and works as a Time Keeper.
Some other NIC Staff also shared in their special day - Matron of Honour Chantel Kramer and Best Man Barend Otto.

We want to wish you a wonderfully blessed life together!!

7 COMMON ACCIDENT CAUSES

Consider this statistic: 80 out of every 100 accidents are the fault of the person involved in the incident.

Unsafe acts cause four times as many accidents and injuries as unsafe conditions.

Accidents occur for many reasons. In most industries people tend to look for "things" to blame when an accident happens, because it's easier than looking for "root causes," such as those listed below. Consider the underlying accident causes described. Have you been guilty of any of these attitudes or behaviours? If so, you may have not been injured…but next time you may not be so lucky.

1. Taking Shortcuts: Every day we make decisions we hope will make the job faster and more efficient. But do time savers ever risk your own safety, or that of other crew members? Short cuts that reduce your safety on the job are not shortcuts but an increased chance for injury.

2. Being Over-Confident: Confidence is a good thing. Overconfidence is too much of a good thing. "It'll never happen to me" is an attitude that can lead to improper procedures, tools, or methods in your work. Any of these can lead to an injury.

3. Starting a Task with Incomplete Instructions: To do the job safely and right the first time you need complete information. Have you ever seen a worker sent to do a job, having been given only a part of the job's instructions? Don't be shy about asking for explanations about work procedures and safety precautions. It isn't dumb to ask questions; it's dumb not to.

4. Poor Housekeeping: When clients, managers or safety professionals walk through your work site, housekeeping is an accurate indicator of everyone's attitude about quality, production and safety. Poor housekeeping creates hazards of all types. A well maintained area sets a standard for others to follow. Good housekeeping involves both pride and safety.

5. Ignoring Safety Procedures: Purposely failing to observe safety procedures can endanger you and your co-workers. You are being paid to follow the company safety policies-not to make your own rules. Being "casual" about safety can lead to a casualty!

6. Mental Distractions from Work: Having a bad day at home and worrying about it at work is a hazardous combination. Dropping your 'mental' guard can pull your focus away from safe work procedures. You can also be distracted when you're busy working and a friend comes by to talk while you are trying to work. Don't become a statistic because you took your eyes off the machine "just for a minute."

7. Failure to Pre-Plan the Work: There is a lot of talk today about Job Hazard Analysis. JHA's are an effective way to figure out the smartest ways to work safely and effectively. Being hasty in starting a task, or not thinking through the process can put you in harms way. Instead, Plan Your Work and then Work Your Plan.

"It is better to be careful 100 times than to get killed once." Mark Twain

TRAINING

NIC Would like to congratulate the following staff for completing training at HASLAC.

Basic Fire Fighting - 20 March 2012
C Crouch
S Dlamini
J Ngobeni
P Letimela
SA Mabuza
L Chimanilire
P Mokotedi
SPJ SMith
DM Marole
JM Mobitla

SHE Representative Training - 20 March 2012
T Nundlal
R de Bastos

Working at Heights - 20 March 2012
VL Vilakazi
ME Marobola
WR Malepe
EM Seepe
GD Mathibela
NSC Lehumanego
GG Mogenu
FJ Strauss

Below the Fire Fighting Trainees showing how to inspect and action correct Fire Fighting Methods

Claudette Crouch

Frans Monene

Diba Marole

J Ngobeni

Leo Chimanilire

RUSTENBURG

Rustenburg Branch has some amazing animals that stay on the property – The Emu “Lucas” and his care-taker Sylvia.

Learn more about these incredible animals by clicking on the below link -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu

The Emu (/ˈiːmjuː/ or /ˈiːmuː/;^[5] Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia. The Emu is common over most of mainland Australia, although it avoids heavily populated areas, dense forest, and arid areas.^[6]

EARTH HOUR 31-03-2012

http://www.earthhour.org/

In 2006, WWF-Australia inspired Sydney-siders to show their support for climate change action in the first ever Earth Hour event. It showed that everyone, from children to CEOs and politicians, has the power to change the world they live in.
Then in March 2007 in Sydney, Australia, 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights out for one hour to take a stand against climate change.

In 2008, the plan was to take Earth Hour to the rest of Australia. But then the City of Toronto, Canada, signed up and it wasn’t long before 35 countries and almost 400 cities and towns were part of the event. It said something compelling to the world: that the climate challenges facing our planet are so significant that change needs to be global.

With the invitation to ‘switch off’ extended to everyone, Earth Hour quickly became an annual global event. It’s scheduled on the last Saturday of every March – closely coinciding with the equinox to ensure most cities are in darkness as it rolled out around the Earth.
In 2011, Earth Hour saw hundreds of millions of people across 135 countries switch off for an hour. But it also marked the start of something new – going Beyond the Hour to commit to lasting action on climate change. And with the power of social networks behind the Earth Hour message, we hope to attract even more participation so we can build a truly global community committed to creating a more sustainable planet.

2012- 31 MARCH @ 20h30 JOIN THE MOVEMENT!

16-03-2012 - TOOLBOX TALK

TOOLBOX TALK - COLOUR CODING – RESOURCE MANAGEMENT – RECOURSE CONSERVATION

Reference Documents – SOP 095 / 096 / 094

Question 1

Fire extinguishers or any Fire fighting signs will have the following colours – RED AND WHITE

Question 2

Information signs will be indicated by the following colours – GREEN AND WHITE

Question 3

Danger signs will be indicated by the following colours – BLACK AND YELLOW

Question 4

True or false – Records are kept of difference resources of energy and energy consumed in the company. - TRUE

Question 5

True or false – NIC’s Resource conservation program is established to conserve (save) water and energy. - TRUE

Question 6

Please choose correct statement:

Large WHITE bins are used for: - PLASTIC

Question 7

Please choose correct statement:

Large BLUE bins are used for: - GENERAL WASTE

Question 8

Please choose correct statement:

Large BLACK bins are used for: - STEEL SCRAP

Question 9

Please choose correct statement:

Waste from first aid boxes shall be removed; - A SEALED PLASTIC BAG AND PLACED IN SEALED BIOHAZARD BUCKET

SAFETY

At the Midrand offices we are seeing changes as the building is taking shape daily – Friday 16/03/2012 @ 11h00 some of us at the Office could for the first time see how a container is moved and placed Safely – Very exciting to see how well the team worked together to get it in just the right spot!

GOOD LUCK - CAPE EPIC

Pieter Uys (Marketing Executive – Construction), Andre Erasmus (Formally from NIC and currently with Mamut) and Clayton Duckworth (Sales Engineer) are all taking part in one of the most exciting and challenging mountain biking races in South Africa –
THE CAPE EPIC 25 March - 01 April 2012

We all at NIC want to wish you all a safe, speedy and exciting race!

(Pieter Uys and Andre Erasmus)

(Clayton Duckworth)

About the Race

The Absa Cape Epic takes place every year around the last week of March and the first week of April. The race is held over 8 days and includes a time-trial prologue. The route changes every year, and leads aspiring amateur and professional mountain bikers from around the world through approximately 800 kilometres of the unspoilt nature of the Western Cape and up approximately 15 000m of climbing over some of the most magnificent passes in South Africa.

Ride in Teams of Two
All riders must enter as a two-rider team. Teams register in one of four different categories that include Men, Ladies, Mixed and Masters (both riders must be 40 years or older on race day). The minimum age of participation is 18 on race day. The riders in a team must remain together at all times during the race and are expected to reach the finish line by 17h00 daily. At each stage, the winners of the day receive prizes and the leaders in the overall classification are awarded their leader jerseys.

Focus on Rider Satisfaction
The Absa Cape Epic is organised and presented with all participating athletes at the focal point. The athletes' satisfaction, well-being and enjoyment of the race are the organisers' primary goals. We aim to deliver an unsurpassed and unforgettable mountain bike and African travel-experience. Therefore, we offer 24-hour full service facilities during the race, including tented accommodation in race villages, carbo-loaded breakfasts and dinners, race nutrition, bike servicing, masseurs, and stage location specific entertainment every evening.

New Route Every Year
The route of the Absa Cape Epic changes every year and riders will see wide open African plains, majestic mountains, deep ravines, indigenous forests, spectacular coastlines and flourishing vineyards.
The route is characterised by dusty and demanding gravel paths, strenuous rocky uphills, thrilling technical downhills, magnificent river crossings and stunning forested single tracks.

Full Service Race
The Absa Cape Epic is the largest full-service mountain bike stage race in the world. Race nutrition, water, and isotonic carbohydrate drinks are available at the feed zones to revive tired riders during the race. At night, all riders and race crew sleep in the tented race villages that are set up prior to arrival and taken down immediately after the start each morning by the race crew.

WELL DONE (Staff Family)

We have some really proud fathers with talented children at NIC.

Dirk Botha’s son Dirk is a little champ on the Trampoline.

He has competed for the last three years and has won many competitions, received Mpumalanga colours and placed in the TOP THREE at SOUTH AFRICA GYMNASTICS GAMES

At only 8 years old he recently completed in a competition at Gezine Pretoria, at Level 3 (u/10).

He achieved a Bronze Medal for the Euro Trampoline and Gold for Double Mini Trampoline.

WELL DONE – Hoping for more success in leaps and bounds!!

Dirk in action at the Gezine Competition / Top Ten on 10 March 2012: