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...nizational Architect, Environmental Engineer, and Coach. This article... If they're unwilling, create environmental changes that allow them to ...

... potential scenarios is one way to uncover the unknown, identify the questions that require answers, and create a credible message. It's also a good way to develop a working crisis response team. Every company needs a crisis response policy — a carefully crafted understanding of how a company will react to a potentially damaging situation. Whatever else it might do, it gives you a way to turn lemons into lemonade. Here are some basic elements for such a policy: TAKE IT SERIOUSLY No matter how insignificant or trivial a problem might seem, take it seriously. More often than not a crisis catches management off guard. When this happens, management will try to downplay any potential impact. When a manufacturer unearthed 100 drums of toxic waste, it took the problem very seriously. It called in state environmental officials to review the situation, developed a clean-up plan with the cooperation of the town where the waste site was located, and invited the press for a briefing. This cooperative effort won the praise of town fathers and state officials. While the company didn't overreact, it demonstrated that it wasn't taking the problem lightly. It not only avoided a potential environmental nightmare, but press reports portrayed the company as proactive in its clean-up efforts. DON'T ASSUME IT'LL GO AWAY Although it's common to hope that a dark cloud will pass without causing a storm, playing the let's sit tight and see what happens' game only exacerbates a possible problem. Whatever the facts, the public often believes a company failed to act when problems come to light. Problems don't go away. In fact, they often ...

... them by size, shape, color, personality, etc. &# 160 Peter Drucker indicates that the "one absolute of Leadership is followers." Max DePree suggests that the "first role of a leader is to define reality." According to Henry Kissinger, "the task of the leaders is to get people from where they are to where they have not been." &# 160 Based on these observations, the leadership process is simple: It involves defining a current reality or starting point (where we are today); establishing a future ideal (where we want to go); and then mobilizing, organizing, and energizing people to follow the leader in the venture. &# 160 The roles of the leader include Dream Catcher, Security Guard, Organizational Architect, Environmental Engineer, and Coach. This article will discuss each of these roles, then offer questions to enhance the effectiveness of the leader in filling them. &# 160 A word of warning: Improving as a leader can seem overwhelming. It's a lot like "eating an elephant." The most effective (and probably the only) way is to cut it into bite size pieces. &# 160 DREAM CATCHER &# 160 Even if you don't know what a dream catcher is, you've probably seen one. They often hang in the office or home of an aging Baby Boomer (a.k.a. old hippie) or from their rear view mirror. This Native American artifact looks a little like a spider web with a hole in the center on a circular frame, usually with feathers or ...

...he Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in January 2010. Using f...rican College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) published A G...

...of their VDT-using patients to environmental factors: lighting, poor screen re...ric Association survey, the major environmental causes of VDT-related eye prob...

... % Cockroach saliva and feces have also been identified as sources of allergens in the indoor environment. Aside from controlling cockroach populations through pest management, cleaning with a HEPA-equipped vacuum and other good housekeeping practices will help to reduce allergen levels. With our ever-increasing level of understanding of the health impact of biological contaminants in indoor environments, it's crucial that building owners and risk managers develop a comprehensive plan to reduce exposure to indoor biological agents. Simple steps, such as regular and daily cleaning of buildings, maintenance of the building envelope to reduce water infiltration, increasing the quantity of outside air, and conducting regular and routine preventive maintenance on HVAC systems, will assure that health risks to building occupants and potential liability for the building owner are minimized. Neil Carlson is a mycologist with the University of Minnesota, Environmental Health & Safety Division. Tom Kapfer is the Technical Director and Arif Quraishi is the Vice President of the Indoor Environments Division at the Institute for Environmental Assessment, Minneapolis, MN. This article is reprinted with permission of Griffin Communications Inc., which can be reached at 1420 Bristol Street N., #220, Newport Beach, CA 92660, (949) 752-1058, toll-free (800) 205-6218, fax (949) 955-1929, Web site www.griffincom.com , e-mail [email protected] . Login or Register (for FREE) to gain access to thousands of other great articles. Need more reasons to join? Need insurance for you, your business or your family? Get quality appointments - Save yourself a whole lot of time & money when you use our directory of carriers ...

... information. Help solve environmental problems. Encompass all aspects, ...managed by Na-Bolom, a non-profit environmental institute which has supported ...

...s Material Leak or Spill [ ] Environmental Hazard [ ] Employee training: I...use of an industrial hygienist or environmental health specialist to evaluate ...

... seriously. It called in state environmental officials to review the situation.... It not only avoided a potential environmental nightmare, but press reports p...

... to support. Dr. Richard Pimentel, a national expert on disability management, notes that the savings of turning an indemnity claim into a medical-only claim can be significant; 20 percent of lost time from work injuries could be eliminated if the physician was given sufficient information about the transitional job possibilities. It simply makes good economic sense to return injured employees to work as soon and as safely as possible. 3. Medical Costs Continue to Rise. According to NCCI, the medical costs of lost-time Workers Compensation claims continue to grow at a faster rate than the medical consumer price index and now represent 58 percent of claims. An important study, "Impact of Cost Intensive Physicians on Workers Compensation" by Edward Bernacki, MD and his team at Johns Hopkins, appeared in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in January 2010. Using five years' closed claim data from the Louisiana Workers Compensation Corp., they studied claims that began with reserves less than $15,000, but migrated to reserves of +/ -$ 50,000. Of those claims, 3.8 percent of physicians involved were responsible for 72 percent of the costs. The numbers clearly demonstrate that "cost intensive physicians" — those who had higher medical costs, longer medical treatment duration, longer claim durations — mean higher indemnity costs. The Bernacki study also noted that injury types or diagnoses that don't have clearly defined treatment pathways could easily lead to higher costs. Whereas a fractured tibia has a predictable treatment path, injuries of joints and back strains do not, leaving a wide berth of treatment options and opportunities ...