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Few business owners have happy thoughts when they think of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). The first thought is usually of red tape and obsolete regulations instead of the possible benefits from taking advantage of the services offered by OSHA to reduce workplace illness, injury, and fatality. There are three very obvious ways in which any effort to mitigate losses from workplace illness, injury, and fatality can help a business: It helps to ensure minimal day-to-day work-flow disruption. It helps to boost employee morale. It helps to manage liability insurance costs, including that of Workers Compensation claims. OSHA helps in these areas through an array of education, outreach, and compliance assistance programs. For example, OSHA offers a variety of training materials and guidelines that can help workers and employers to understand and comply with safety standards. These may be obtained online, on CD-ROM, and in print. There’s also a 24-hour toll free number that employers can call for assistance on workplace safety issues. For small business owners that need onsite help to identify and correct possible workplace hazards and/or establish health or safety programs, OSHA offers free workplace consultations among its many other services. Through cooperative programs, like the Alliance Program, OSHA works directly with entities such as educational institutions, businesses, trade organizations, and labor organizations. Certain industries, such as food processing, shipbuilding, and construction, are specifically targeted through OSHA’s Strategic Partnership Program. The Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) are considered the superstars of the OSHA cooperative programs. One of these programs is called the Star Program. It’s designed for businesses that have shown an exemplary workplace (injury and illness rates below the national average for their industry) through successful and comprehensive health management and safety programs. Businesses in this program will undergo a review and onsite investigation of their health and safety programs, a review of past inspections, an onsite condition assessment, and have their management team and employees interviewed. Incident rates are reviewed yearly and overall reevaluation takes place every three to five years to ensure that Star participants still meet the program requirements. The Merit Program is another voluntary protection program. It’s a stepping stone of sorts to the Star Program and is for those with good health and safety programs. These businesses have areas needing improvement, but demonstrate the potential for excellence. Involuntary inspections are an even large part of OSHA’s preventative measures. Many are the direct result of a workplace injury or death report or complaint. In fact, of the 37,000 involuntary inspections OSHA conducted in 2002, around 9,000 stemmed from an accident report or complaint. These inspections resulted in almost 80,000 violations and $73 million dollars worth of penalties, $11.8 million of which was from the most serious violation category, the willful violation. The average OSHA fine was $28,000 and the most often inspected industries were manufacturing and construction. Since its 1971 start, OSHA has proven itself a successful branch of the Department of Labor. Despite heavy employment growth overall, through OSHA inspection, education, outreach, and enforcement, workplace illnesses have decreased by more than 40% and deaths have decreased by more than 50%. Even though many small businesses, especially those not in frequently-targeted industries, aren’t highly concerned with OSHA compliance and regulatory monitoring, OSHA can still be a valuable asset when it comes to occupational safety and health and risk management.

Understanding the appropriate insurance limits and proper coverage for a home or business is vital, yet many buyers continue to underestimate the risks they may face. Program Brokerage Corporation (PBC) now has access to a new in-house new national Excess Flood Insurance program that will help repair your clients’ home and/or business in the event of a catastrophic flood. This program is underwritten by a panel of A-rated carriers.

Understanding the appropriate insurance limits and proper coverage for a home or business is vital, yet many buyers continue to underestimate the risks they may face. Program Brokerage Corporation (PBC) has access to a new in-house Excess Flood insurance program underwritten by a panel of A-rated carriers.

Understanding the appropriate insurance limits and proper coverage for a home or business is vital, yet many buyers continue to underestimate the risks they may face. Program Brokerage Corporation (PBC) has access to a new in-house Excess Flood insurance program underwritten by a panel of A-rated carriers.

Understanding the appropriate insurance limits and proper coverage for a home or business is vital, yet many buyers continue to underestimate the risks they may face. Program Brokerage Corporation (PBC) has access to a new in-house Excess Flood insurance program underwritten by a panel of A-rated carriers.

Understanding the appropriate insurance limits and proper coverage for a home or business is vital, yet many buyers continue to underestimate the risks they may face. Program Brokerage Corporation (PBC) has access to a new in-house Excess Flood insurance program underwritten by a panel of A-rated carriers.

Several courts have found yet another way for someone to sue contractors. This term refers to lawsuits against you for alleged failure to exercise proper control over your employers. For example, one of your employees might be accused of injuring others recklessly while driving a truck on company business. A "negligent supervision" suit would claim that you were negligent in hiring this worker because you either failed to discover or ignored the fact that she had a record of reckless driving. You also have an obligation to supervise your staff. Although you can't foresee every incident, a court will look at whether you took reasonable steps to identify and guard against potential wrongdoing by your employees: everything from unsafe behavior on the job site to sexual harassment. It's not only about whether a worker actually committed an offence - it's about what you did to prevent it. To head off liability for negligent supervision, we'd recommend that you: Set and enforce clear guidelines for interviewing and hiring employees. Provide training in conflict resolution and communication. Supervisors need to know when to report certain behaviors and which behaviors to look for, such as verbal abuse, failing to cooperate with supervisors or co-workers .and making inappropriate comments. Conduct regular performance evaluations to address specific behavior or job performance changes. Provide multiple avenues to receive allegations of misbehavior, and have unbiased managers investigate complaints so that no conflicts of interest exist. Investigate every incidents promptly and take decisive action. We stand ready to review your company's exposure to negligent supervision claims - and how your Liability insurance coverage can help protect you. Just give us a call.

Understanding the appropriate insurance limits and proper coverage for a home or business is vital, yet many buyers continue to underestimate the risks they may face. Program Brokerage Corporation (PBC) has access to a new in-house Excess Flood insurance program underwritten by a panel of A-rated carriers.

No one expects the worst to happen, but sometimes it just does. Whether it is a complete power outage or a fire breaking out in your break room, preparing for the unexpected should be part of your overall safety program. While prevention should always be your first priority, preparedness may reduce the severity of the event and help maintain your employees' safety. Emergency Planning is Your Responsibility Every company should have a published, well-communicated and practiced emergency preparedness and life safety plan. The National Fire Protection Association and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) provide codes, regulations and guidance on emergency action and fire prevention plans, including minimum standards. OSHA, in fact, requires a written emergency action plan for workplaces with 10 or more employees. Employers with fewer than 10 employees must still have an emergency action plan, but they may communicate the plan orally to employees. Of course, a plan is only as good as its effectiveness, when put into action. How would your plan fare in a real emergency? Do your employees know what to do? These are questions to ask before an emergency happens. Communicating, training and drilling are all essential elements to include in your emergency action plan, and can help make the critical difference in life safety outcomes. Effective Planning Can Save Lives In the first critical minutes of an emergency, taking the right steps can help save lives. Planning ahead and maintaining a well-trained emergency team can help make the critical difference. Appoint, organize and train designated staff with their emergency response duties and responsibilities. Document and distribute emergency procedures, including how to notify the fire department, evacuate employees and provide accommodations for those with special assistance needs. Publish instructions for the use of emergency equipment, such as the voice communication system, the alarm system or emergency power supply system. Post procedures for confining, controlling and extinguishing fires. Post procedures for assisting the fire department in accessing and locating the fire. Communicate your evacuation plan to all employees, visitors, vendors and contractors. Distribute the plan to emergency personnel who will be responsible for taking actions to maximize the safety of building occupants, including the fire department and designated emergency management and supervisory staff. Post your evacuation/floor plan exit diagram in clearly visible locations. Assign locations away from the building or job site for employees to gather. Practice drills on a regular basis. Monitor and evaluate drill performance to consider improvements. Include full, partial and shelter-in-place evacuations, designed in cooperation with local authorities, to familiarize employees with procedures. Develop a roll call system to account for all persons and notifications to the fire department of any missing person. Travelers safety professionals see a broad spectrum of businesses and facilities and understand the plans used to ensure emergency preparedness. Every day, we share our insights with our customers to help keep their businesses, and most importantly, their people, safe.

Homes take a beating on the outside, from wind, rain, sun, insects and snow. Summer gives you a chance to repair damage, protect your home and keep its face to the world looking bright. Home maintenance is like housework, flossing and exercise: You might as well work it into your routine, because the penalties are worse than the jobs themselves. Here’s just one example: Cleaning the gutters costs nothing if you do it yourself, and roughly $100 to $200 if you hire a service. Ignore the job, though, and a ruined roof or damaged foundation could cost you thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to repair. Here’s why: Leaky or overflowing gutters can rot fascia boards (the roof edge under the gutters), soffits and rafters. Water may drip onto window trim, rotting it. Leaky gutters let water pool at the foundation, causing basement leaks, mold and even foundation damage. 1. Paint Fresh paint doesn’t just make your home look great. It’s a protective skin against UV light and moisture. Earth911 tells where to get free paint: Many household hazardous waste (HHW) facilities around the country have product exchange rooms, sometimes called swap rooms or swap shops. These rooms offer safe, unopened HHW items for public consumption, keeping them out of the landfill and letting you save some money. Call your city to ask about your local HHW facility. Other sources for cheap paint: Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores (find one near you) sell “gently used” tools and supplies for home projects at low cost. See EcoBusinessLinks’ national directory of recycled and surplus building materials and suppliers. Search online for a city’s name and “salvaged building supplies” or “recycled building materials.” 2. Mulch Laying a 1- to 3-inch layer of mulch on garden beds spares a lot of weeding. Mulch smothers weeds by depriving them of oxygen and light and it holds moisture in the soil, saving water and giving plants a consistent source of moisture. Mulch includes many materials placed on the ground to prevent weeds from growing, including rocks, gravel and plastic. Leaves, grass clippings and tree bark are organic materials most often used on garden beds. Hay and straw also are used in vegetable gardens. Organic mulch breaks down into nutrients that feed plants. Be careful in vegetable gardens to avoid mulch with pesticides, herbicides or other garden chemicals. Also, used incorrectly, mulch can damage or kill trees and ornamental plants by depriving them of oxygen, so leave a 3- to 5-inch space around stems of younger plants and give mature tree trunks eight to 12 inches. North Carolina State University’s Cooperative Extension Service explains how to safely use mulch. Free or cheap sources of mulch: Grass clippings. Let them cool down before mulching. Raked leaves. Shred first with a shredder or lawn mower so air and moisture can reach the soil beneath. Shredded wood or bark. Electric utility companies and tree services may have cheap or free wood chips or shredded bark. Also, some cities collect leaves and branches, chipping them for use by local residents. Cardboard. Ask recycling centers and appliance stores for free cardboard. Wet it down, cut it to fit and place it around plants, covering with soil or bark mulch. This is best in wet climates where cardboard breaks down into the soil. WikiHow gives instructions on using cardboard and has more ideas for cheap mulch. 3. Seal wood decks The cheap way to approach this job is to do it yourself. It’s not difficult, although it’s nice to have help. You’ll spend a couple hundred dollars on supplies and rented tools. Do it annually or every two to three years, depending where you live. Ignore the job long enough and you’ll need to replace the deck, at a cost of thousands of dollars. Read the entire article here. Read more at http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2014/06/02/12-cheap-and-easy-summer-home-projects/#4f2LmYs5xjDE2Rbw.99