Page 3 - Demo

Slippery Rock Gazette
NorthWest Granite
Continued from page 2
“Now though, we don’t install that way. As a templater, CAD and layout designer, using the No-Lift Install System has also enabled me to make pieces bigger and not have to seam wall-to-wall pieces. In the early years, I had done plenty of installs without the right tools, and I know how difficult it can be. I have the correct tools for the job now.”
Creating a Safer Environment
In the beginning, NorthWest Granite & Flooring was mostly a dry shop, the norm for most fabricators. Then they got their first bridge saw, followed by a Park Industries Destiny in 2011. They had been using air filtration and a dust booth all along, but the fab area was still dusty and hard to manage. Things needed to be changed, explained Tyler.
“For the last twelve years we’ve been a fully wet shop, and we welcome inspec- tion visits. We monitor the air, test our people, and our guys wear their personal protective equipment (PPE). After all, all stone has silica in it, but we know that quartz is the main culprit. In a lot of shops, the majority of their business is fabricating quartz products. It cuts like a dream and is easy to fabricate, but milling quartz cre- ates a dust that seems to stick to you and everything else, with a talc-like dust that just has an unhealthy feel. It’s really no big surprise that it’s bad for you! I think
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that ultimately it’s up to each employee to protect themselves, but it’s also up to the managers and owners to keep their employees safe by giving them what they need and insisting that they use it. Our people are also mindful of our customers, care about the job and care about the fin- ished product. They are family, and we care deeply about their well being.”
Jeremey added, “In the beginning, fab- ricating dry was what I knew, but seeing Tyler in that dust booth and then going home with his clothes covered with dust, we realized the work may harm our own son with silica exposure, eventually. Seeing this really brought the issue home to us, forced us to buy the machinery, and change the way we did things. Also, we are the stewards of this island, local busi- ness owners, and a part of this commu- nity, so we have to be a good example. We don’t want our son or our people possibly harmed because we put our profits before their health. It was our chance to create a safe environment for everyone, and lon- gevity for our company. So when it came to buying wet equipment and the No-Lift Install System, it was always about the safety.”
NorthWest Granite & Flooring is a member of the Natural Stone Institute and Stone Fabricators Alliance, along with other builder groups, and a loyal BB Industries customer for over 20 years. For more information please visit www. nwgraniteandflooring.com .
Part of the NorthWest Granite & Flooring team. The company transitioned to a stone fab shop in 2004, under the leadership of Jeremey and Suzette Jackson, along with son Tyler. Below: Desert Canyon granite kitchen for a residential customer.
Bottom, right: Outdoor kitchen installation in progress.
From Left, below: NorthWest’s Park Fusion WaterJet saw, and Titan CNC Router. Additional machinery includes a Park Industries Sierra bridge saw and vacuum lifts to safely move material around the shop, and No-Lift System Installation System carts.