November 2020

A message from President, Sally Boyce Rinehart

 As we excitedly approach the end of 2020, I would like to remind all employees the 

importance of continuing your dedication and focus on safety. We are on track to have one 

of the safest years in our history.  Because of the safe work that all of you do, our recordable incident 

rate is lower than it has ever been in the 4th quarter of a year.  Thank you for making Louisiana Cat 

a safer place to work. It is common as the year comes to an end to have an increase in at risk 

behaviors and conditions.  It is essential for us to continue to focus on Stop Work Authority, 

completing quality JSA’s, and focusing on the task at hand.  

Failure to Pre-Plan your Work: 

The Job Safety Awareness (JSA) and Energy Isolation (LOTO) processes are smart ways to work 

safely and effectively.  Being hasty in starting a job, or not thinking through and planning the process 

can put you in harm’s way. Instead, Plan Your Work and then Work Your Plan.  More incidents result 

from unsafe acts rather than from unsafe conditions. The fact is, your safety lies in your own hands 

and is most often the result of you good decisions. So think, follow safe procedures, and you shouldn’t 

have to worry about hurting yourself. 

Mental Distractions: 

Mental distractions often lead to inattention. When distracted, you could miss noticing a hazard to 

yourself or someone else. Whether you’re worrying, daydreaming, or chatting, mental distractions 

are real hazards you should avoid.  Always remind yourself of the risk of mental distractions 

and work to keep yourself focused on the task at hand. 

Poor Housekeeping: 

Housekeeping is a big factor in safe work. Imagine how distracted you’d be if your bay is cluttered 

with blocks, hoses, parts, boxes, and other junk. Visual clutter can easily translate itself to mental 

clutter and clutter of every kind creates an unsafe and inefficient work environment. 

Ignoring Safety Procedures: 

Purposely failing to observe safety procedures can endanger you and your co-workers. 

You are expected to follow the company safety policies-not to make your own rules. Being 

“casual” about safety can lead to a casualty! 

Holiday Hazards: 

All of us at Louisiana Cat are looking forward to a new year. We want to take this opportunity to remind you that safety is not only important at work, but it’s important everywhere. During this time of year, auto accidents increase with holiday travel. The potential for fires increase with the use of heaters and fireworks. 

COVID-19: 

Statistically, Louisiana Cat employees are almost twice as effective at Coronavirus prevention as the rest of the State.  As of today, 20 employees have been confirmed positive (2.8% of the workforce).   That’s almost half the rate of the State of Louisiana.  Another 21 employees have been forced to self-quarantine because of close contact with someone who confirmed positive for the virus. 

Still, we cannot afford to let down our guard, or take a break from diligence during the holidays.  Almost 80% of employees who caught the virus or were quarantined from exposure, were exposed to the virus from a friend or family member.  This holiday season, we recognize the need for everyone to enjoy the time with family and friends, but we must do so carefully.   

The Executive team and I appreciate your effort and the results you have brought forward this year. 

We thank each of you for your dedication to keeping our teams safe.  

Let’s remember to “Instill Safety in Everything We Do.” 

Have a happy and safe holiday season!