P.J. Hoerr & Summit Masonry Weekly Toolbox Talk | Masonry Safety

Every week P.J .Hoerr's Director of Corporate Safety Hans Hinrichsen emails out Toolbox Talks to the Office Project Managers and Field Superintendents on a variety of safety concerns, procedures and other pro-active ways to stay safe on the job site. Our company blog provides another resource for our employees to review the material we are putting out as well as other visitors to our blog.

These posts will be archived in the Blog Categories under Toolbox Talks on the right side of the blog.

DuPont Agricultural Products | BG Tower Renovations - El Paso, IL

Today at this project a crane was brought in to pickup and place two control units into the 3^rd and 4^th floor of the DuPont BG Tower. Prior to the lift being completed the P.J. Hoerr crew met with DuPont to review the lift plan to ensure a safe and productive lift. Setting of the control unit required two cranes lifting in tandem to bring it up to the floor height. Once there the front of the control unit was placed on air skates and pulled into the building while the second crane held the control unit in place. 

Ironworkers on this project: Ed Eden, Bill Hart, Joe Riesing, Shannon Hair, Jim Rients, Doug Deakin

Here is a brief overview of work being done at this facility:

Fill in existing penetrations on all floors with steel and concrete.
Demo and replace 1^st floor concrete

Misc. Demo throughout

New steel bracing throughout the building

New stair towers

New dock

Steel platforms for equipment

Set equipment

OSF Prompt Care - Bloomington, IL

Looking at the archives of past projects, I found this OSF project that has not been posted to the blog, so here it is.

PAST PERFORMANCE - The Center For Health at Nord Farms fulfills the need for quality healthcare services for the SouthWest side of Bloomington/Normal. The 4,300 square foot facility provides patients with a no appointment, convenient and cost-effective alternative to the emergency room for non life-threatening conditions. The facility has X-ray capability and houses five Exam rooms, one Triage room, and one Outpatient Procedure Room.

Mark Lawyer - Project Superintendent

Mark has 25 years of experience in the construction industry. For the last 11 years, he has been a journeyman carpenter and superintendent. Leading up to this, Mark was an Engineer Assistant for 5 years for a post-frame building supplier in agricultural, residential, and light commercial applications. He also worked for 3 yrs with a large-volume residential home builder, where he drew and designed house plans and was a customer consultant to complete projects. Lastly, for 6 years, he managed an R.P. Lumber store with annual sales of over a million dollars and 8 to 12 employees. 

With this experience, Mark has a strong ability for scheduling and planning projects, excellent customer and sub-contractor relationships, meeting budgets and fulfilling expectations of projects and solving problems and issues in an economical and timely manner. Mark has become a complete Project Superintendent from job site preparation and layout, foundations, structural and non-structural framing, and adding the finishing touches to complete a project.

Certifications & Safety Training 

First Aid and CPR Certified
OSHA 10 hours
OSHA Fall Protection
3M and Hilti, fire proofing applicator certified

Here are some of the recent projects Mark was a part of:

Community Cancer Center, Normal, IL -  Project Superintendent for this 35,000 square foot addition to the Community Cancer Center in Normal, IL. This two-story addition will include new space for medical oncology, administrative and support areas and room for future growth. The smaller expansion includes radiation oncology, a conference center and waiting and exam rooms. There is also some interior renovation in progress. 2013-2014 - click project title to see past blog post

E-Court Plaza Improvements - Bloomington, IL - Project Superintendent for the upgrade to State Farm's executive entrance. Here is a summary of what was done; Excavation, Shoring, Structural Concrete, Pavement, Waterproofing, Backfill, (GFRC) Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete Panels, Snow Melt System, Yard Drainage, Electrical Duct Bank, Landscaping, Lighting & Security Bollards. This was a unique project that required P.J. Hoerr to work two shifts to complete this work on time and on budget. 2012 - click project title to see past blog post

Crosspoint Community Church, Eureka, IL - Project Superintendent for this remodel. 2012

IGA, Leroy, IL - Project Superintendent for this remodel of the Leroy IGA
(Independent Grocers Alliance) facility. 2011

Commerce Bank, Empire St, Bloomington, IL - Project Superintendent for the remodel of this 2-story regional office building. 2010

LeRoy Replex, LeRoy, IL - Project Superintendent of this facility that included a gymnasium with 2^nd story running track and elevator, indoor lap pool, locker rooms, and an
outdoor family swimming facility. 2008-2009 - click project title to see past blog post

OSF Prompt Care at Nords Farm, Bloomington, IL - Project Superintendent for this prompt care that included an X-Ray lab, quality maple casework and trim, corian type countertops and sills. 2007 - click project title to see past blog post

Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL - Project Superintendent for this remodel of the University's Ballroom. 2006

Knox College Alumni Hall Renovation - Galesburg, IL

Steel shoring towers are now in place to support the roof as floors are taken out and scissor trusses are replaced or repaired. Summit Masonry is also continuing to demo and replace brick throughout the structure.