The disastrous Japanese earthquake/tsunami of March 2011 drowned thousands of people - but the toll would have been far higher without the nation's comprehensive warning system, which combined radio broadcasts, text messages, and sirens with firefighters' door-to-door calls.

Every business needs an effective emergency communications notification system that has low-tech and high tech elements. Here's an overview of the advantages and disadvantages that each type offers:

Low-tech systems can be effective, but have serious limitations. Although calling trees are valuable for mass communications, they're slow, subject to errors, and breakdowns. Sirens and alarms provide immediate warning and can alert everyone who's in a dangerous area; however, they can't provide much information and have a limited range. Intercom systems are reasonably fast and can communicate detailed information, but usually operate in only one building.

High-tech systems provide automated mass notification of detailed warnings rapidly and accurately to a wide range of devices, including phones (land line and cell) and computers (e-mail and instant messaging) through multiple communication networks. High-tech systems can also target messages to individual groups, such as first responders. However, they don't offer a panacea. For one thing, cell phones might be turned off. Although communication with cell phones is available by voice mail or text messaging, these systems are vulnerable to a general outage of communication networks. Their "call capacity" might be a serious limitation, especially for larger firms.

For most businesses, a warning system that blends low tech (alarms and sirens) with high tech (automated notification) can provide effective communication when an emergency strikes.

When choosing a system, you should also weigh such factors as cost and ease of use.

Our risk management experts would be happy to offer you their advice.

If not, you have a problem. For the past several years, more and more states and cities have limited or banned driver use of cell phones. Warns the Web site DrivingLaws.org, "Although employer responsibility isn't specifically defined in the cell phone legislation, there have been an increasing number of lawsuits relating to employer responsibility regarding mobile cell-phone use [by] employees."

With motor vehicle accidents the leading cause of work-related injuries, using cell phones behind the wheel ups the ante for litigation in case of death, injury, or other third-party claims. What's more, drivers injured while phoning on company time will generally be eligible for Workers Compensation.

The first step is to create and implement a cell-phone use policy for employees driving company vehicles. Although this won't protect you completely from legal responsibility, it demonstrates your forethought and responsibility.

This plan should include guidelines for:

• Training. Provide instruction manuals so employees know the features of their phones.
• Safety. Remind employees not to dial or talk when driving conditions are hazardous, keep conversations short, tell the other person that the employee is calling while driving, and turn off phones whenever they pump gas or use jumper cables.
• Making calls. Discourage cell-phone use behind the wheel and require drivers to pull over and stop when dialing.
• Voice mail/caller ID. Make sure drivers' phones have these features so they can screen calls behind the wheel.
• Accident/injury reports. Require employees to report any accidents or injuries resulting from cell-phone use while driving.
• Discipline. Punish workers who violate these rules or local or state laws about using cell phones behind the wheel.

We'd be happy to help you develop a comprehensive policy for drivers' use of cell phones. Just give us a call.

We are the land of the free, we are the home of the brave. Let's pay tribute to our brave American Heroes on this special day and forever.

Happy Independence Day!

4th of July fireworks, parades and cookouts are an excuse for you to relax with family and friends. As you plan your celebration this year, take several steps to ensure safety for everyone involved in celebrating the United States' birthday.

Use Fireworks Safely Public fireworks displays are the safest way to enjoy the beautiful colors and terrific booms of this July 4th tradition, especially when you maintain a distance of at least 500 feet between you and the show. Firework displays at home can be fun though too. If you go that route, take these precautions.

• Follow the instructions on the packaging.

• Never allow children to play with the fireworks.

• Stock a fire extinguisher or water supply nearby.

• Wear eye protection when lighting fireworks.

• Remove flammable materials from the area.

• Never point fireworks toward people, animals, vehicles or structures.

• Properly dispose of duds rather than trying to relight them.

Take Precautions While Grilling

Burgers, hot dogs, fruit and pizza taste delicious when they're grilled. Grab your favorite side dishes and follow a few precautions that ensure you and your guests grill safely.

• Always supervise the grill when it's in use.

• Never grill indoors or in a fully enclosed area such as a garage or tent.

• Use lighter fluid sparingly and never after the coals are ignited.

• Keep children and pets away from the hot grill.

• Remove flammable objects, including trees, from near the grill.

• Use long-handled tools to handle food.

Stay Safe on the Beach

Swimming is a fun summer activity, and it's good exercise. At the beach, lake, public pool or backyard pool, stay safe with these tips.

• Swim only in designated areas.

• Obey the lifeguard and all posted signs.

• Swim sober.

• Get out of the water during a storm or if you hear thunder or see lightening.

• Require children to wear life jackets.

• Don't dive into shallow water.

Wear Sun Bathing Protection

Picnics are part of many July 4th celebrations. You should also take these protective measures.

• Wear sunscreen that's at least 15 SPF.

• Remember to apply sunscreen to your ears, hair part and the tops of your feet.

• Avoid direct sunlight between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the UV rays are strongest.

• Reapply sunscreen every two to three hours or more frequently if you're sweating.

• Drink plenty of water even if you're not thirsty.

• Wear a hat, sunglasses and long sleeves if you have to be in direct sunlight.

• Watch for signs of heat stroke, including hot, red skin, shallow breathing and rapid, weak pulse.

Your July 4th celebration will be safe when you take these steps. For more advice, talk to your health insurance agent. He or she stands ready to help you have the best birthday party ever.

• finding ways for them to work smarter, not harder
• decreasing activities that require exertion, such as working in heat or cold or climbing ladders
• adjusting work areas with better lighting, reduced noise, fewer obstacles, and less need to bend or stoop
• redefining standards of productivity
• learning the limitations of older workers, perhaps by conducting annual hearing or vision tests

An increasing number of employees in the "Sandwich Generation" are looking for benefits to help them manage the demands of caring for parents and children alike. A recent nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center found that nearly half of respondents in their 40s and 50s have a living parent and are either raising a young child or supporting a grown one.

"There's an emerging recognition of the impact of caregiver stress on working parents' ability to be productive at home and at work," says David Lissy, CEO of Bright Horizons, a provider of dependent back-up care services. "Particularly as families wait longer to have children, there's more at stake in their careers and they're pulled in many directions, dealing with the realities of their aging parents."

On average, access to Bright Horizons allowed employees to work six days during the past six months - productive time that otherwise would have been lost - and nearly 70% of these workers used the service for adult care.

Care.com, another provider of backup care services for employees, saw a three-fold increase last year in the number of clients that added senior care planning. IRobot, Inc. chose Care.com as an employee benefit because "we value our employees and want to support them in managing the demands on their personal lives," says benefits analyst Cathy Blanchard. Since adding the service, iRobot has seen a 15% month-to -month increase in using the program, which has boosted productivity by reducing costs from care-related absences and distractions.

If you'd like to learn more about offering day care for adults and children as an employee benefit, just give us a call.

Benefits experts have usually focused on the role of management in implementing programs that improve employees' flexibility in balancing their life and work. However, researchers are now calling on workers to take the primary responsibility for a creating more flexible daily life by making small, shifts in their everyday behavior.

For example, a survey by Cali Williams Yost, author of Tweak It: Make What Matters to You Happen Every Day," found that nearly 75% of employees believe that work-life flexibility is only possible if their employer and/or boss provide it. Adds Brad Harrington, Ph.D., executive director of the Boston College Center for Work and Family, "ultimately it's the individual who must solve this problem, determine their fit, and manage the process of achieving it.

Although more companies are offering flexibility programs and policies that help employees manage such life transitions such as parenthood and illness, Yost and Harrington point out that many workers find it unrealistic to work regularly from home, revise their daily schedule, or use other flexibility options. Even so, they argue, this doesn't make work-life balance a lost cause.

"Major life events matter," says Yost, "but it's the everyday routine we crave and where employees struggle the most with managing work-life fit. Employees themselves need to manage work-life as a daily practice. While this sounds counterintuitive, it starts by thinking small." She encourages employees to "make small, consistent changes in how, when and where they manage their work and their lives... taking actions that over time build the foundation for a successful work-life fit that transforms their performance on and off the job."

That's sound advice to share with your workers