Grays Harbor Paper News

New Ergonomic Plan at GHP

dquigg — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:57:35 +0000

Hoquiam, WA, January 13, 2010 — In collaboration with InjuryFree, Grays Harbor Paper of Hoquiam, WA will be implementing an ergonomic program to ensure a safe, comfortable, injury free workplace for employees. One of the key areas of InjuryFree’s BEEA+ injury prevention paradigm, ergonomics will afford Grays Harbor Paper a greater opportunity to reduce the risk of injury at their facility. This opportunity will encourage employees to become involved in the program by creating opportunities to join ergonomic teams and to discuss environmental issues.

“Just as understanding the employees’ bio-physics is critical to reducing employees’ risk of injury, ergonomics is fundamental to maintaining the safety, health and productivity in the workplace,” said Trent Shuford, InjuryFree CEO. “In bio-physics we look at the individual employee and the physical challenges he or she undergoes in performing the job. We take the next step in ergonomics however, to examine how the individual’s body reacts to the job tasks and the work environment. To have that understanding provides Grays Harbor Paper with a holistic view to enhance their safety culture and become leaders in workplace safety.”

In addition to providing the education and training in ergonomics at Grays Harbor Paper, InjuryFree’s online software tool, ErgoStat, will be used to manage the administration and communication amongst employees. ErgoStat provides simple tracking, reporting and assessment methods in a HIPAA-compliant program. By simplifying the First Report process ErgoStat allows assessments to be filed and addressed immediately, thereby saving time and reducing the hassles of paperwork.

Executing an ergonomics program reflects InjuryFree’s dedication to enhance the safety of Grays Harbor Paper employees. In August, Grays Harbor Paper implemented an Employee Maintenance Center (EMC) within their facility to impact their employees’ bio-physics; strength and flexibility. The goal was to proactively reduce the onset of musculoskeletal injury.

Bob Brennand, Grays Harbor Paper Mill Manager reports, “Since opening our EMC in August 2009, InjuryFree has seen over 45% of our employees. Several employees have seen significant pain reduction, and others are steadily increasing their strength in their lower backs, our highest risk body part at the mill based on past accidents. I look forward in 2010 to seeing even greater employee utilization of InjuryFree’s EMC. With a great start in 2009 I believe the EMC will help prevent more bio-physical injuries this year, and our implementing an ergonomics program wil help reduce the risks involved with several problematic job tasks at our facility. I’m excited about evaluating those tasks and about coming up with ergonomic solutions to reduce injury risks.”

Beginning January 13^th,InjuryFree will be training the Grays Harbor Paper safety team, providing instruction in assessing ergonomics and methods of understanding the role of ergonomics in the workplace.

For more information about BEEA+ and ergonomics in the workplace, contact InjuryFree info@injuryfree.com or call (800) 445-3519.

Grays Harbor County Home to New Floating Bridge Contruction

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:46:58 +0000

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Transportation announced today that Kiewit-General Joint Venture has submitted the apparent best price and technical proposal for building new State Route 520 floating bridge concrete pontoons in Grays Harbor County.

The contractor team will:
• Design and build a new pontoon construction facility in Grays Harbor County – scheduled to begin in late 2010.
• Design and construct 33 new floating bridge pontoons.
• Store pontoons until they are needed for the SR 520 floating bridge.

“This winter’s weather is an important reminder that the SR 520 floating bridge is a vulnerable structure,” said Julie Meredith, WSDOT’s SR 520 Program Director. “Building these pontoons prepares WSDOT and the region to respond to a catastrophic failure of the SR 520 floating bridge.”

The pontoon construction project is one project under way to replace the SR 520 floating bridge. The state Legislature has authorized approximately $2 billion out of a $4.65 billion budget using a combination of state and federal funding and future SR 520 toll revenue. Tolling is scheduled to begin in spring 2011 and toll rates will be set by the state Transportation Commission in 2010.

In August, WSDOT identified the 55-acre Aberdeen Log Yard as the preferred site for the Grays Harbor area pontoon casting facility. Environmental review of the log yard site and the alternate 90-acre Anderson & Middleton site in Hoquiam is scheduled to be completed in 2010. After environmental review is completed and permits obtained, construction of the pontoon casting facility can begin. By the end of 2012, the first wave of the 33 pontoons will be constructed at the facility.

More details about the SR 520 program are online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr520bridge.
Maps, graphics and other details about the SR 520 pontoon construction project are online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr520/pontoons.

U.S. Department Of Energy & Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance Initiative Pilot Project to Chart Course For Industrial Plant Energy Management Certification & Standards

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:53:02 +0000

Participants Will Realize Continual Improvement in Industrial Energy Efficiency & Cost Savings
Portland, OR : Today marked the commencement of a demonstration project in the Northwest that will help provide U.S. industrial facilities with a roadmap for achieving continual improvement in energy efficiency while maintaining their economic competitiveness. Companies and utilities participating in the Northwest demonstration project, backed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), will provide critical input for an emerging set of energy management standards and a certification scheme which, once completed, promises to help create a clear path for all of industry toward greater energy efficiency improvements and improved cost savings. This project grew out of the larger Save Energy Now LEADER program – a national initiative sponsored by DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) to drive a 25 percent reduction in industrial energy intensity in ten years (25 in 10). The energy management standards and certification scheme that are the focus of the current demonstration project will serve as powerful new tools in the arsenal of the broader Save Energy Now LEADER program, and the synergies between the two are expected to move the goal of continual improvement in industrial energy efficiency to the next level.

“The Northwest demonstration project marks a landmark step in the national push toward responsible management of industrial energy,” said Douglas Kaempf, Program Manager of DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program. Participating industrial companies will contribute to a forward-looking national goal of reducing industrial energy intensity while cutting their energy costs, increasing productivity and curbing carbon emissions in the process. “When you stack up all the benefits, it is clear that industrial efficiency is truly one of this nation’s greatest energy resources,” Kaempf added.

Companies participating in the project will be among the first in the country that may become certified under the pending industry-designed American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited plant certification that includes conforming to ANSI’s Management System for Energy standard, or ANSI/MSE 2008 which, in turn, is serving as US input for an even more far-reaching international energy management standard known as ISO 50001. It is estimated that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) will release its ISO 50001 global standard in 2011. Once released, ISO 50001 is expected to replace ANSI MSE 2008 in the US. By being in on the pilot project phase of implementing the ANSI standard and certification scheme, the companies taking part in the Northwest Demonstration project will truly be helping to set the pace for all of industry on the crucial issue of energy management.
Participating companies represent a diverse scope of key industries throughout the region: Grays Harbor Paper, Paccar Inc./Kenworth Trucks, EARTH20 Natural Spring Water and J. R. Simplot Company Aberdeen Food Plant. Supporting regional utilities include: Grays Harbor Public Utility District, Puget Sound Energy, Pacific Power and Idaho Power.

Upon successful completion, project participants will have strengthened their sustainable energy management strategies and systems that lead to continuous energy savings, reduced operational costs and significant reduction of carbon emissions. These results will showcase the tangible advantages of energy efficiency as a sustainable and profitable business model and help bolster the competitiveness of participating companies within the global marketplace.

“NEEA’s Industrial Initiative is focused on permanently embedding energy efficiency as a core business practice in the Northwest. Energy efficiency can serve as a fundamental plank in any industrial company’s sustainability strategy,” said John Wallner, senior manager of the NEEA Industrial Sector.

In addition to its sponsorship by DOE’s Save Energy Now LEADER program and NEEA, the Northwest Demonstration project also relies upon the valuable support of the U.S. Council for Energy-Efficient Manufacturing (U.S. CEEM), Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory each of which are contributing energy expertise and materials. The project will span approximately 24 months culminating in 2011.

For more information about the project, please visit: www.NWEMDemo.org.

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is a private non-profit organization funded by Northwest utilities, the Energy Trust of Oregon and the Bonneville Power Administration. NEEA works in collaboration with its stakeholders and strategic market partners to accelerate the sustained market adoption of energy-efficient products, technologies and practices. NEEA’s market transformation efforts address energy efficiency in homes, businesses and industry.

Update from Copenhagen – from our friends at More Dust Than Digital

admin — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:48:43 +0000

You may have heard of this little conference going on in Copenhagen where world leaders have gathered to discuss climate change. Our friends over at More Dust Than Digital (who helped us with our marketing video) are there and put together this clip which focuses on Seattle’s own, Mayor Greg Nickels, who is the President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. You can watch it here at the Seattle Weekly website.

Keep up the good work Harry!

Grays Harbor Paper Joins AF&PA

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:33:54 +0000

WASHINGTON – ArborGen, Grays Harbor Paper, Marcal Paper Products, and Thilmany Papers are the newest members of the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), the Association announced today.

“Washington’s activist agenda means that it is more important than ever for the forest products industry to engage aggressively on complex energy, climate, and regulatory policies in order to remain globally competitive. The addition of these four new members strengthens our collective voice advocating on behalf of environmental policies that recognize our considerable carbon-neutral renewable energy creation—28.5 million megawatts annually, and our contributions to reducing greenhouse gases through recycling and sustainable forest management, and the nearly one million green jobs supported by the forest products industry. We are very pleased to welcome these four new members to the Association and to begin working with them to advance the industry’s public policy agenda,” said AF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman.

GHP Participating in the Northwest Energy Management Demonstration Project

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:38:50 +0000

The Northwest Energy Management Demonstration Project is cosponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) and comprises industrial companies in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington that are committed to improving energy efficiency. These Northwest companies, with the support of their local utilities, will make up the second group of industry leaders to participate in the new U.S. energy management project to demonstrate the value of systematically managing energy, and to shape the pending international energy management standard through their collective experiences.

University of WA Libraries Taking the Leading in Paper Reduction and Harbor 100

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:26:32 +0000

The Libraries-Creative Communications Steering Committee has taken the green initiative to the next level by mandating that all student library and computing lab printers default to two-sided production beginning in Autumn quarter 2009. Additionally, all machines will be utilizing locally produced 100% Recycled Grays Harbor Paper.

This environmental effort supports recent legislation that requires campus paper consumption to be reduced by 30% over the next year. The move to two-sided printing also has been endorsed by numerous students groups including: SEED, WashPirg, The Earth Club, the Sierra Student Coalition, and the UW Green Coalition.

The Grays Harbor paper is not only 100% recycled, it is produced in Hoquiam, Washington, which reduces fuel consumption previously required for transport from more distant suppliers The copy centers on campus have been using this great paper since 2006.

While students continue to have a single-sided printing option, the committee anticipates that moving to two-sided production on the 40 copiers and 80 printers in Seattle, Tacoma and Bothell will reduce paper consumption by 35%.

AlphaGraphics Downtown Portland Setting Green Trend

admin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:00:26 +0000

AlphaGraphics downtown Portland offers quality printing with quick turnaround and great customer service, and now have the most sustainable house sheet around! They provide expert consultation for every element of your communications project, including design, copying, printing, digital printing on the HP Indigo, finishing, mailing services, large format, laminating, trade show and convention materials and personalized digital communications.

NOW FSC CERTIFIED and USING 100% RECYCLED HARBOR 100 PAPER FOR ALL OF OUR REGULAR COPIES!

“Our big environmental conference customer hugged us today when we told her about our recycled paper decision.” Barb Harkins, Owner, AlphaGraphics Downtown Portland

University of Washington Double Sided Difference

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:45:10 +0000

Current Harbor 100 user, University of Washington is continuing it’s sustainable paper push by moving to default double sided printing and copying.

Click Here to read full article!

Sundance Channel

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:18:11 +0000

Grays Harbor Paper on the Sundance Channel

BIG IDEAS 308 – COMPANIES
Season 3, Episode 8 – Big Ideas for a Small Planet

Watch the video>