Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/674527
18 AGGREGATES MANAGER / May 2016 PLANT PROFILE do better by growing your own than by buying somebody else's." Environmental excellence In addition to stripping and reclaiming at the same time, Bristol Sand & Gravel has an excellent environmental program that begins, and ends, with its employ- ees. Soule says that without their buy-in and participation, there would be no program. "At the end of the day, methods don't work unless the employees are engaged," Soule explains. "All the tools in the world won't be successful, if the employees don't use them. Employee engagement here is spot on. They pay attention to the equipment. If one starts leaking, they report it. They don't throw trash on the ground. If a fuel hose starts developing a leak, they speak up. They pay attention to what they're doing and don't allow things to get away." The operation retains all of its water onsite, so that nothing escapes into the nearby Trinity River. After the recent fi ve-year drought that affected most of Texas, the plant has started collecting and storing all of its process water. There are several settling ponds and water storage areas onsite, as well as a clean pond that holds groundwater and rainwater. Many birds, as well as differ- ent species of wildlife, have made their homes near the water. Safety "Safety goes back to employee en- gagement," Soule says. "The industry operates around safety. We have good leadership, an open-door policy, hon- esty, and transparency. We talk about safety at the plant all the time, but our employees say they also have near misses at home. So, the company kind of extended that to Safe at Work, Safe at Home, because if our guys get hurt at home, it affects work." Soule says he believes that commu- nication plays a key role. Weekly safety meetings are held to cover issues, but daily meetings are held when deemed necessary. Near misses are discussed and shared with other sites because, whether the experiences are good or bad, they can be used to help others. "We do something nice for our employees when they do a good job," Soule says. "If we have a great safety inspection, we do something for them, like feed them lunch. We're going to say thank you, though. To me, that's more important. I think that's why we have such long-term employees. Thank you goes a long way." Bristol Sand & Gravel was one of the fi rst plants to get involved in the company's CLIMB program, which is a continuous improvement program that helps to improve operational effi cien- cies. "CLIMB pushes that cross-func- tional working of operations, quality, and sales to make sure everything is a consistent experience, whether it's the person working at the plant or the customer getting the product that they want," Soule explains. "We've been doing CLIMB for fi ve years or more here and have come a long way since we started. Productivity is high, safety is high, and environmental excellence is high. This plant has been an extremely consistent performer over the last few years with all the changes that have come into play." AM Equipment List • Caterpillar 980G loader (2) • John Deere 840K loader • Komatsu WA500 loader • Caterpillar D10R dozer • Caterpillar D10T dozer • Caterpillar 740 articulated haul truck • Caterpillar 740B articulated haul truck • John Deere 460E articulated haul truck • John Deere 470 excavator • Volvo 740 motor grader • Deister 8x20 screen • Eagle Iron Works 12x48 classifi er • Eagle Iron Works 66-inch double sand screw • Eagle Iron Works 54-inch single sand screw • Eagle Iron Works 44x35 log washer • Tabor 6x16 screw • Georgia Iron 12x10 sand pump All sand at the operation is screened and sent through a classifier. Once separated, fine sand goes through a set of twin screws and cushion sand goes through a separate single screw.