APM West Family and Safety Comes First
The APM Fossil West team defied the odds and weather in Antioch, California, at the Pacific Gas & Electric Gateway Generation Station. The team was performing an exceptionally larger work scope when they were met with adverse weather conditions. Frank Gutierrez, GE Power FrontLine Senior EHS & S Regional Mgr (North PGS) Gas Turbine/ CC, highlighted the efforts and the moments the team shared together to build a strong sense of team on the job. Frank shares:
“The GE APM Team at Pacific Gas & Electric Gateway Generating Station (Antioch CA) is inspired by many factors. This is a large work scope project that includes 2X 7F Major inspections (1 rotor in, 1 rotor out), D11 ST Major, and generator work on all 3 generators. During the audit visit, the weather was not cooperating, and a bit windy. The teams are staying focused on task, and paying close attention to slippery surfaces (has also been raining), as well as staying hydrated. FAMILIES were the main inspiration for doing good work, safely with no quality issues. One veteran millwright shared an injury that occurred to him when he was getting started. He had the tip of his index finger crushed while installing combustion cans. He shared with the team that not a day goes by where he does not (think) about the injury, and ensuring that he thinks about the tasks he is performing, and fills out and talks about APM STA green cards. The outages started on Monday, 28 March and should complete around the end of the month, the team and leadership are working closely with our customers to ensure that the work scope is done safely, and (with) quality results. Very few safety discrepancies were noted during the visit, and the results were shared with the team. The work areas are tight, and the team is doing well to communicate with each other to ensure that No Harm comes to the team as well as the customer. The GE-APM Team takes great pride in the work that they are performing. The team is being led by Ben Doar (Overall GE Project Manager), Hafiz Roshan (CPM), Nedal Simrein (GT FE), Khanh Nguyen (Granite FE), Dave Stitt (GE FE), Kellan Frericks (GE FE), Paul Tang (GE GS), Art Diaz, Alex Blas, Bo Haddan, and Eddie Leal (APM Superintendents). Granite Safety onsite leader is Johnathan Norton. Appreciate the efforts and diligence that this TEAM brings to the outage, as they stay focused and always bring their A Game to do the best possible work.”
What an outstanding effort by this team. Moments like the one Frank mentioned about the veteran Millwright sharing his story about a past injury are great opportunities for the team to build a stronger bond. It serves as a great reminder who we stay safe for by always putting safety first.