April 2010 Safety Topic: Preventing Back Aches and Pains while at Work

In our line of business back aches and pains can make it very difficult to concentrate while at work. Our jobs can put significant demands on our backs throughout the day.  Can you avoid back pain and injuries at work? The answer is “YES” if you understand what causes these injuries and how to prevent them.

If you ask a doctor what causes back pain they are never 100% sure. They will ask what you do throughout your day and family history and generally will tell you that a combination of the things you do throughout your day and your history may be a cause of your back aches and pains. Not all of these factors are preventable. 

What factors are preventable?

The factors that we can control are the weight of objects we are lifting. We are in control of our own fitness routines and flexibility. If we change our lifestyle and incorporate some stretching and exercise we will strengthen our back and help reduce work related injuries.

While at work you will need to look at what you do and you will need to see if you need to modify your work performance to help reduce these risks.

 There are 4 factors that can increase your risk of back aches and injuries.

            Force- Are you over-exerting yourself?

            Repetition- How many times during your day do you do the same thing over and over?                                 Repetition can lead to fatigue in your muscles which can lead to injuries.

            Posture- This refers to how are standing, sitting or performing a task.

            Stress- Your stress level at work or home can lead to muscle tension and                                     tightness which can result in back aches and pains.

A combination of one or more these four risks can result in serious back injuries.

To help reduce Back Aches and Pains you should first be fit. You can do specific strengthening and stretching exercises that target you back muscles. By doing this you will strengthen your cores muscles and make your back stronger. Strong and flexible muscles will help keep your back in shape. 

Secondly, you want to pay attention to your posture. If you have poor posture you will put stress on your back. So pay attention to how you are standing and sitting while at work and at home.

Finally, you want to make sure that you are lifting properly. You want to make sure that you are following the lifting procedures that are outlined in our Job Safety Agreement.  Always remember to let your legs do the work and keep all items close to your body.

By adjusting what you do at work and adopting healthy habits you can reduce back aches and pains and you will feel better over all.

Before you lift an object remember to plan your moves and listen to your body.  If your body tells you that an object is too heavy, do not lift it, ask for help.

Be Safe and Be Healthy!!!!

New ICQ1000 Biometric Time Clock from Timeforce

Minuteman Parking is going biometric!

As announced at the annual Managers Meeting last week, Minuteman Parking will be rolling out new time clocks to all locations over the next month or so.  Gone are the old days of using actual punch cards and the more recent innovation of using electronic swipe cards.  The new time clocks from Timeforce have built-in state-of-the-art biometrics which will actually read fingerprints to positively identify an employee.

There are several great reasons for Minuteman Parking to make the switch to the new clocks:

• Improved accuracy
• Real time punches
• Better management of lunch punch compliance rules
• Real time reporting for the management team
• Excellent software which will scale with our growth

This is yet another investment in technology which will help us to continue a high level of service to all of our customers.

Marina Del Rey Marriott

The Challenge - The Marina del Rey Marriott arrival score ranked 43rd out of 46 hotels at the end of 2008.  Local management was not pleased with this mediocre result and they approached us with a challenge to help them improve their ranking.

Our Solution - After a series of meetings with the “front” of the property staff including doormen, valets and bellmen, we devised and implemented new guest hand-off procedures to ensure comprehensive and consistent coverage at the “front” of the property.

The Results - As a result of our program, the Marina del Rey Marriott is currently ranked 8th out of 46 hotels on the arrival score metric.  Plus, the staff is doing a better job of working together and they feel more empowered based on increased feedback from guests and management.

Here is what Doug Smith, Assistant General Manager at the Marina del Rey Marriott, has to say about the drastic improvement:

“The Minuteman Parking team has done a fantastic job focusing on the customer, and dramatically improving our customer satisfaction scores. They have created an arrival experience that exceeds our customer’s expectations.”

Specifically, the Minuteman solution included:

• Upfront meetings - The upfront meetings were moderated by the local Minuteman Parking onsite team and were essential to identifying the root causes of the low arrival score.
• Daily training huddles - The training huddles were used to get the team together to discuss the service initiative for the day.  While these meetings did not take very much time, they serve to set the tone for each day and get the team focused on delivering superior service.
• Toys for kids - During the Summer months when many people are traveling with children, we started handing out small toys to customers with children.   The toys included “Bob the Bear” for children which is a Marina del Rey teddy bear and an arrival gift bag for families which included a Marina del Rey Marriott beach bag with a bucket, shovel and sun screen.  These simple gestures went a long way towards making customers feel good about choosing Marriott as their hotel option, and eased the challenges of families traveling with children.
• Shortened valet shifts - The shortened valet shifts provide Marriott with more available attendants during peak times which serves to minimize wait times for customers arriving and departing the property.  We are providing the same amount of labor, but with more resources for certain peak time periods.
• Tracking - To measure the effectiveness of our training, we started tracking how many different attendants in the front used each customer’s name.
• Vision - Now the entire staff has the same vision how superior customer service should be delivered for the Marina del Rey Marriott, and they are working together to achieve that goal.

“I Don’t Think We’re Liable For That” is the last thing you want to hear from your valet parking company.  

And for the record, Minuteman Parking has never had a Transformer eat any of the cars under our responsibility.

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Customer Would you pull my car up please?

Valet attendent - Silver SUV?  Coming right up.

Valet atendent - Wow, look at your car…I don’t think we’re liable for that.

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In the August 31, 2009 addition of “Another Day” which is the daily news for St. Joseph Hospital Employees, Robert Fairrington the Minuteman Parking Company Manager at The Center for Cancer Prevention and Pavilion was interviewed.  Robert joined Minuteman Parking Company 2007 as a valet and quickly moved up the ranks due to his great patient care service and leadership of other team members.  Robert has inspired his team not to just help the patients they encounter but CARE about them and make every encounter a Sacred Encounter.

Robert is truly living the Minuteman Parking Company Commitments to Excellence; he makes a difference every day.

Sacred Staff Encounter

Robert Fairrington

Minute Man Parking Management Team

Robert, what is your background?

I’m a native of Orange, born at St. Joseph Hospital. Every time I was hurt growing up, this is where I came. Three years ago while going to Fullerton College for my B.S. in Business Administration and working at a machine shop, I was looking for a second job. I started working outside of the Emergency Department as a valet. Two years ago I began working here full time and joined the management team. I’m contracted with Minute Man Parking to provide services at the Pavilion and The Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment.

What do Sacred Encounters mean to you?

It’s an incident that makes you feel the compassion and caring that’s here. It goes beyond your expectations. Our team has a “Wow” journal to record and encourage Sacred Encounters. It has entries such as patients bringing us cookies and brownies, and notes indicating the make and model of a patient’s car, so that when they return we can greet them by name, or realize that Mr. Smith needs a wheelchair. Parking can be a source of frustration for many people so anytime I can make a patients experience any easier I feel I have helped with the healing process.

Can you relay a specific Sacred Encounter you’ve experienced here?

I know some of our patients since my days as a valet. There’s a man who has been coming here with his wife for cancer treatment for over two years. I sometimes see her getting coffee while I’m getting breakfast at the Pavilion. She knows my history and always asks about my family. They’ve had a rough battle but she maintains good spirits and is always real and personable. It’s always neat to see her. It has gone beyond a working relationship to a personal friend, who I can share concerns and feelings with.

What do you like doing outside of work?

Snowboarding, skateboarding, working on my jeep, going to the desert, off-roading, mountain biking and everything outdoors.

What’s your favorite restaurant?

Sushi Yosuke in Anaheim Hills. I especially like the albacore and blue fin tuna.

This is one of my grandmother’s favorite poems and it is a timeless…she gave me a copy of the poem when I was twelve and I’ve kept it ever since.

Be the Best of Whatever You Are

If you can’t be the pine on the top of the hill,

Be a scrub in the valley - - but be

The best little scrub by the side of the hill;

Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.

If you can’t be a bush be a bit of the grass,

And some highway happier make;

If you can’t be a Muskie then just be a bass- -

But the liveliest bass in the lake!

We can’t all be captains; we’ve got to be a crew,

There is something for all of us here,

There’s big work to do, and there’s lesser to do,

And the task you must do is the near.

If you can’t be a highway then just be a trail,

If you can’t be the sun be a star;

It isn’t by size that you win or you fail- -

Be the best of whatever you are.

Douglas Malloch

The financial struggles of our nation have affected people of all industries and walks of life.  Although we remain constant here at Minuteman Parking Company, you as managers can work to maintain a team that is cohesive by recognizing some of the challenges our employees are having outside of work.

Although your employees arrive at work each day, clock in and begin their shift, there may be issues in their personal lives that are distracting them from their work.  They may be concerned about personal debt, financial hardships, family trials, and the nature of their own futures.

What can you do to help your employees be strong members of the Minuteman team?

1. Talk with your employees.  If you feel an employee is struggling, take the time to talk to them.  Reassure them of things that you can, and offer a listening ear to things that are of concern.
2. Offer encouragement to employees to help them stay focused and productive.  As a manager your bottom line is service, but the employees are the ones representing that bottom line.  Make sure you are their champion and their support system.   
   
3. Realize that you can build a positive and productive team during challenging economic times.   Employees need to know that their work matters.  Tell your employees thank you for their work.  Praise them for going above and beyond.

Your team has been a success up to this point, and can certainly continue following these principles as well as the Commitments to Excellence.  Together we can continue to prosper during these challenging times if we focus on our foundation; service, and those who provide it.

Minuteman Parking at Northern Trust Open

This is Minuteman Parking Company’s fifth year parking vehicles for the Northern Trust Open on the VA Greater Los Angeles grounds in West Los Angeles. Minuteman Parking Company along side with Westside Services parks over 3,000 cars a day for this event. This year we were able to staff directly from the VA Greater Los Angeles itself.

We would like to thank the New Directions Program for partnering with Minuteman Parking Company and letting us hire their residents for this event. They were a huge help. We have been partnering with New Directions for the past three years to staff this event and other events that we are contracted to do on the VA Greater Los Angeles grounds. Michael Johnson who has been an asset to our team for the past three years celebrated his third Northern Trust Open with Minuteman Parking Company.

Over the past couple of years the visitor flow has improved due to the creative thinking of Craig Owens. The landscape changes each year but Craig always has a plan to get the job done. Craig has been coordinating the parking for this event with Richard Scott for the past 5 years. Minuteman Parking Company would like to thank all of our team members who have come out to help us over the years. We would also like to let the staff from New Directions know that they are a valuable part of our team and this year they really made the Northern Trust Open a big success.

Drinking and Driving is a serious problem that plaques the United States. 23,000 deaths a year are caused by drunk drivers. When we drink, alcohol goes into our stomach where it is absorbed by the blood stream. The alcohol is then carried to the brain. When it reaches the brain, alcohol can affect our driving in three ways.

1. Alcohol impairs our judgment and decision making ability

2. Alcohol affects our coordination and our ability to handle a vehicle

3. Alcohol affects our vision—we can not always see things clearly

Minuteman Parking Company would like to remind everyone of our Drug and Alcohol Policy.

Substance Abuse

Illegal drugs in the workplace are a danger to everyone. Minuteman Parking Company is considered a Drug-Free Workplace. That means any employee who works for the Company is prohibited from engaging in the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession, or use or being under the influence of a controlled substance.  Controlled substances are generally considered to be, but not limited to, heroin, morphine, marijuana, hashish, cocaine, amphetamines, tranquilizers, PCP, LSD, “designer drugs,” etc., or any divertive thereof.  For the purposes of this policy being under the influence meant having any detectable level of alcohol or controlled substances in one’s system.

The consumption use or possession of any alcoholic beverage or controlled substance, or the illegal use of drug(s), by anyone while acting in any employment capacity for the Company or on Company property, is strictly prohibited. Anyone found in violation of this standard will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination of employment without prior notice or warning.

Unusual Behavior: If, in the opinion of management, your behavior is considered to be unusual and is or could be injurious to the Company or its employees, you may be subject to a drug/alcohol test as a condition of continued employment.

On-the-Job Injury: If you are involved in any on-the-job injury, the medical facility where you are sent will be asked to conduct a test to determine if drugs, alcohol, or any illegal substance was present that could have contributed to the cause of the injury. This test is mandatory and considered to be a condition of continued employment. Failure to comply with the directions from the medical facility or to take this test will result in immediate termination of employment without further notice or warning.

Test Results: A test result that reveals illegal substance use or substance abuse or alcohol influence will normally result in immediate termination of employment of the employee.

Prescribed and Over-the-Counter Drugs: The use of prescribed or over-the-counter drugs, or possession incident to such use, is not prohibited if:

·         The drug has been legally obtained and is being used for the purpose for which it was prescribed or manufactured; and

·         The drug is being used at the dosage prescribed or authorized; and

·         The use of the drug is not inconsistent with the safe and efficient performance of the employee’s duties.

If you have any questions on the above policy please contact your locations Direct Manager or the Training and Safety Manager.

Pete Munoz - Manager of the Year

I wanted to share with everyone that Pete Munoz, our account manager at the Ventura Beach Marriott was selected as Minuteman Parking Company’s manager of the year for 2008 at our annual managers meeting this January.

Pete started as a valet in 1999 and worked his way up thru the ranks at different locations before becoming an account manager in Sherman Oaks and now Ventura. Pete has been at Ventura for the past two years in the manager’s role overseeing the self parking and valet operations.

Some factors contributing to Pete’s selection were his excellent scores with internal audits, annual performance review, claims ($0 paid claims in 2008), lunch compliance policy and revenue vs. payroll targets for his location.

Pete has done a great job this past year and has become an integral part of the Ventura Beach Marriott’s Management team with his willingness to help out the hotel in any way. Pete lives the spirit of “WOW” and delivers on our mission every day.

For Pete’s efforts he was presented with a 42” Sony Bravia HD TV by Chris Fox, President of Minuteman Parking Company at the conclusion of our Managers meeting this year at the Ventura Beach Marriott.

Congratulations on an outstanding job this past year Pete! Let’s keep the “WOW” going at Ventura Beach!