Philippine Trip January 2013

I finally made it to the Philippines on January 19, 2013.  It was a long awaited trip.  I was originally supposed to be there in September 2012 to celebrate my children's birthdays.  But a new, my current, job kept me from flying over.  Then a flight in December to celebrate New Year's Eve didn't happen.  For some reason, I was bumped from the flight.  I was able to reschedule my flight for January 19th to the 26th.  I'm glad that I was able to spend time with my family for a week. 


Rhoda and I spent some quality time together.  We planned for another honeymoon.  I'm sure we'll be planning for many honeymoons in the future.  It was great being alone together and just enjoying each other.  

The next day, we were to surprise the kids at CDO First Assembly of God Church.  We planned this event for weeks.  We would get to the church early before 2nd service.  Then I would hide behind one of the columns on the 2nd floor in the Sanctuary.  When the Larraine and Frenfren got to the floor, they would see their mommy.  Then on cue, I would step out from behind the column.  

It didn't happen that way.  Rhoda and I got to the church early, riding in a taxi.  As we got out, our two precious children ran out of the lobby into my arms.  We were SURPRISED.  It's not fair though.  Larraine had help.  Her discernment is strong.  But it was okay.  We enjoyed the surprise.  

Back at our hotel room in Mallberry Suites, after lunch at Centrio, We decided to give the gifts that I brought from Guahan, to our kids.  The look on their faces was awesome.  Their reactions were priceless.  Frenfren was so excited to get his toy trucks.  He was elated at each gift that Rhoda pulled from the large box.  He was so funny.  He'll have a gift in his hands.  Then his mommy will pull another out.  He couldn't decide if he'll put the toy in his hands down or get the other new toy.  I just couldn't stop laughing at the scene.  

My neni girl, Larraine, was different.  She just wanted me to be home.  But I did get her a Winnie the Pooh bag.  It as great holding my children next to me as we laid in bed watching a movie or playing with the different toys.   

 The rest of the week was spending time with my Rhoda and our kids.  I walked Larraine to school on Tuesday.  Then it was off to see the dentist to get my mercury fillings out of my mouth.  We did 3 fillings that day.  Then 3 fillings the next day.  Only 1 filling left to take out, but that's going to be a root canal on my next visit.   

My mother-in-law came in with Uncle Pare'.  It was great to see how excited the kids are when their grandma is visiting.  It is always great to visit with my in-laws.  Hopefully next time, I'll have a longer visit so we can all fellowship.  Even though it was fun, this trip was just to short.  

We did our family pictures.  My son is so funny.  He smuggled out his little batman action figure out of the house.  He stuffed it in his underwear.  So funny that boy.  He had a hard time sitting down on the first set of pictures.  Then when he got of the chair.  He started undoing his pants.  I thought he was going to show my his underwear again.  He's proud of his Christmas present from his mommy.  Then I saw the batman figure.  I just started laughing.  That son of mine is really something for a 3 year old.  

 
We had a lot of fun on this trip; Wrestling with my son, Cuddling with my daughter, Watching them play or watching their videos with them.   We went to the swimming pool one day.  Unfortunately, the pool that we always use at the Marco Hotel was reserved for a wedding.  So we walked across the street to Chaili Beach Resort to use their swimming pool.  The service there is not good.  So if you're planning on staying in a hotel at Cagayan De Oro.  Don't go to Chaili Beach Resort.  Stay at the Mallberry Suites.  Service is great there.  So is there breakfast buffet. 

Although my trip was short.  It was great to spend time with my family.  Next trip will have to be longer and a side trip to the family house in Butuan City.  It was a blast to be able to spend time with Rhoda and our kids.  


Keep Smiling  
 

Construction and Military Exercises.

At the job site, we're involuntarily involved with the military exercises going on this week.  Being a Veteran, I understand military exercises as a need to hone the skills from the lowest Private to the Commanding General.  

This week, we found ourselves trying to find open roads, since most of the primary roads that we use to travel on, were closed by the military so they may conduct their exercises.  What would normally take me 5 minutes to get from the Field Trailer to the job site.  I ended up taking 30 minutes to get from Point A to Point B going down main street, only to turn around and find another route.  I tried taking every side street I new of, on the base to find away to get to my jobsite.  The only road completely open was along the golf course.  

To make a long story short, we were all late.  But we managed, and got our job done on Tuesday.  

I received word that it'll be like this all week long.  Have to adapt and overcome this issue.  

Surprised Site Visit.

It's Christmas Eve on the island.  Nothing much going on.  Wife and kids are in Butuan City to celebrate Christmas with the familia there.  I'll be there soon thereafter.  Later on...in the next couple of days.

Didn't know today was an off-day for the company.  Yeah...my buddy Lee told me last Friday.  But he's a joker so I didn't pay to much attention to it.  Found out when I went to work this morning and there was nobody at the trailer, gate was closed.  So I went to my job sites and waited.  Not one person from both companies were around.

Then I drove up to the "Tank" and found a crew working.  That job site is just all ate up in safety violations.  I don't know if the SSHO assigned to that site knows what her crew is doing.  It's just amazing the amount of safety violations that I've found in less than 15 minutes.  The manager of that company just does not care.  Either that, or he has no clue what his responsibilities are in regards to safety.  I am so glad that is not my job site.  But, because that's a P&S Construction Project, I have to insure that the subcontractors follow our Safety and Health Plan. 

Let's get back to Christmas...

Family here have been busy cooking for tonight's Noche Buena, here on the island.  Rhoda is cooking for her family's Noche Buena there in Butuan City.  Food here smells good.  I'm sure the food being cooked by Rhoda is good. 

I was supposed to go shopping today.  I'll forgo until the 26th. 

Working to Save all the Chokoy for Me!

The following message was sent to me by Rhoda, this morning.  A conversation between her and our son, Frenz.  


As told by Rhoda.

during breakfast this morning with kids, I asked our boboi: 

Me: Where is your dad? 
Fren: He's in Guam... 
Me: where?
Fren: Guam...
Me: What is he doing there in Guam? 
Fren: He's working..
Me: what work is he doing there? 
Fren: Mom, you know very well that daddy's work is saving chokoy for me so when he comes home, I will have all of it!!! 

(then he gave me an evil eye) kaduku!!!

Larraine laughed hard and explained to him this way:

daddy is an SSHO and when he is getting paid, that's the time he buys chokoy for you...



My reaction...ROFLMBO!!!  I love my children's analysis of life. 

Miscommunication Caused Safety Discrepancy.

Friday was my biggest challenge for the week, as a SSHO.  When I got to the job site that morning.  I learned that one set of damaged electrical wires, that was not repaired, was buried.  I went from positive outlook to livid in seconds.  I tried so hard to hide my anger.  Hopefully, the guys wouldn't notice.  I couldn't believe that someone would literally order hiding damaged electrical power lines.  

I had to  "Take "5" a couple of times.  "Take 5" is a program that I adopted as a safety precaution for myself to follow.  I'm slowly implementing it with my crews.  When a safety issue happens.  The worker "Takes 5".  "Take 5" is moving 5 feet back, and analyze the issue for 5 minutes.  When you find a solution, you return to finish the job task.  If not, then you "Take 5 again.  Move 5 feet back, and another 5 minutes to analyze.  So I took, maybe, 6 "Take 5's"

During that time, I worked to calm myself down.  I had to move into my Accident Investigative mode.  Ask Questions, Analyze what happened, and make the proper changes and recommendations, so that it never happens again.  

So I asked the questions.  I learned that an operator was told to bury the wires.  I found out a supervisor told him to do it.  Also learned that it was the subprime super who did that.  Then I went to talk to the super.  he said, yes, he told the operator.  But he was told by their subcontractor to remove the forms, so they can back fill.  He assumed that the wires were repaired.  

When the hole was covered with the wires underneath...everyone from the operator, foreman, supers all thought that the wires were repaired.  Nobody confirmed with me or the QC about that matter.  They all thought wrong.  

Root Cause.  After following the dots, in my opinion, this safety discrepancy was due to miscommunication by all parties.  

My Recommendation.  A Safety Huddle should take place prior to any job started on the site, on a daily basis.  The huddle informs the workers what we did already, and where we are going.  It tells of logistics needs for the day, and safety issues we may face and need to keep an eye out for.   

No Spring Chicken.

Pacific Ocean beyond the trees.

For those in my generation, how many times have you believed that you can still do the things you did in your early 20's?  I long for the days when I used to run 20+ miles, go hiking, backpacking, go sky diving, bungee jumping, cliff diving, spelunking, white water rafting, and so many outdoor adventures.  

I broke so many bones and have so many scars from my adventures.  I know when and where each one happened.  


Today, I was doing the Safety Officer thing on my job sites, reminding workers about PPE, working safely, and other things.  I was observing 3 sites today.  Yes, I know.  I know the standard.  One Site Safety Officer per job site.  I've brought it up and still nothing.  But anyway, back to my story.  Majority of the guys within the different crews are young.  Most are in their 20's.  So today, after watching different crews all morning.  I started looking back to the good ole' times.  

The days when I was a young electrician apprentice, paratrooper, and athlete.  Those days when I had so much fun doing so many different things and learning so many different crafts.  My mind was telling me that I could still do the things that the guys in my crews are doing.  I wanted to get my hands dirty.  I could hear those words, "You're still young.  Age is only a number.  You're just as agile and strong as those young bucks".  

So all afternoon, I was starting to feel good about myself.  I was assuring myself through self-affirmations, as I watched the guys doing their jobs throughout the job site.  "Yeah!  I'm young.  I can still do that!"   

When the flat bed truck started to back up on the roadway.  I was in the way.  Instead of walking to the other side of the road to get out of the way like I am supposed to.  I let my mind get the better of me.  I decided to leap across a 16" deep trench by 2' wide.  We had just finished laying a 12" pipe in and back-filled it.  It used to be 4'9" deep.  

I got myself ready.  The flatbed was coming towards me.  I could hear my mind saying...you can do it!  So I did.  I leapt from the curb of the road to the soft ground on the other side of that shallow trench.  What I thought would be a great landing in front of the guys turned into a catastrophe.  My left knee buckled.  I could hear my knee yell...What are you doing?!  Oh, Naw...I'm not letting you do this!  I'm gonna buckle.  Not gonna let all that weight bust me again and get swelled up.  Not Me!  

I lost my balance falling forward.  Everything went into slow motion.  I saw the green grass slowly coming towards me. I distinctly remember yelling in my head, "Jesus, Protect Me"!  I don't know how I did it.  But in mid air, my body turned so my left shoulder will take the brunt of the impact.  Stretching out my right arm to protect my face from banging into anything I didn't see.  

That was the softest landing I ever had...as big as I am.  I didn't strain anything.  My left knee is fine.  There was no impact print on the soft soil.  Just my left boot print.  

I still replay that incident in my head.  Next Monday's Safety Topic, I already know.  


Keep Smiling...  

Site Safety

Dark and getting darker.  

It's been over a month, since I started working as a Site Safety & Health Officer. I really enjoy doing what I'm doing now. Lots of reports to fill out though.  But it's good.  Keeps my mind working too.  I'm on Phase 4 of a Water Distribution System Project.  There are other phases with this project that are ongoing simultaneously.  My first week on the job, I got burnt really bad by the sun.  I went from a light complexion to dark...and getting darker.  But the burning as stopped, especially now that I am using sun block with SPF 50.  

The job we're doing is installing new water lines through certain areas of the base.  It's hard to believe that it took my crew one month to move from where they were when I first started to the intersection behind the control tower.  All the utilities that we encountered that were not marked on the map.  I thank God that we didn't break a single one.  We have a really good excavator operator named, Eddie.  

We jumped from that road behind the control tower to Crum Avenue, last Thursday.  The whole crew seems happy with the change of scenery.  I can see the Pacific Ocean as I look down Crum Ave.  We are making quick progress working along the shoulder of the road.  

My job though is not in production.  It's Safety.  I do help out once in awhile with a production issue, especially since I am the only representative on site from the Prime Contractor.  But I try to let the Sub-Prime's Superintendent do most of the work.  I just work with him and his subcontractor.  What we call a 2nd tier Subcon.  

My day normally starts out by reporting to our company's field office on the base prior to 0630.  Yeah, that's early.  I do some reports, especially now that we are now hard wired with internet instead of wifi.  Also, now that I can scan my reports.  We're trying to change that.  I'm out of the office by 0645 and heading to my job site.  

Sitting in my car, waiting for the rain to stop. 

At the job site, I walk the fence line first.  Check for any discrepancies from the afternoon before or the Friday before, after a weekend.  Since we're doing excavation and trenching operations.  I inspect the trench along the top side looking for any tell tale signs that will lead to a collapse.  When the guys start coming in just before 0700.  I keep an eye on each one as they cross my gate, checking their PPE from head to toe.  A simple reminder usually has them putting on their gloves, eye protection, and sometimes a helmet.  

The 2nd tier sub con is really good about their safety culture.  I really enjoy working with them.  You can really see the difference between a company that has no safety program and a company that has one and enforces their safety program.  

I'm still doing safety training courses with the company for our subcontractors.  Those are fun too.  The preparation is a lot harder when scheduling needed safety courses.  It's not easy doing research when your exhausted from work.  

One of many rain storms that passed through my job site.  

On Columbus Day, I conducted a corporate safety training which involved the following safety topics: MUTCD Flagging, Excavation and Trenching, Accident Investigation, and the Focused Four, for all our Site Safeties, QC's, Program Manager's, Superintendents, and Office staff.  

This past Friday, I conducted MUTCD Flagger Certification Course for our subcontractors.  Now majority of our flaggers are certified.  I even changed the Flagger PPE and raised the standard for our subcontractors to follow.   I'll conduct another class for those subcontractors who didn't make the training last Friday.  It was a good thing they didn't show up.  We could only fit 8 workers in our trailer training room.  

Unfortunately, being a SSHO has it's downside.  Writing up unsafe workers, recommending suspension or termination, working through lunch because a work crew is still working, working in the rain, and sometimes working late.  All the same, I still enjoy my work and the people I work with.