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Posted: Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
Category: OSHA and Safety

Keeping an illness and injury log can be tough – sometimes, it can be downright confusing. There are many situations where you might be hard-pressed to find which date or type of injury to record, especially with those that develop over a period of time or are on the grey line between personal and work-related. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the frequently asked questions regarding injury logs, and hopefully be able to clear up some of the basic principles of keeping a log in general.

Say an employee develops carpal tunnel syndrome at the worksite. It may be definitive that it is a work-related injury, and that he needs medical attention for it, but it is hard to determine the date that should be recorded for the injury. If he has had it diagnosed by a medical professional, then the date recorded should be the date he was diagnosed. If the diagnosis can be traced back to a certain date, that date should be recorded. Similarly, if the injury was at first assumed to not be work-related but later was found to be, in fact, work-related, the date recorded should be that of the original injury and diagnosis.

Determining what is and is not a recordable case can also be difficult. Recordable injuries include any work-related injuries that result in death, loss of consciousness, treatment beyond first aid, any number of days away from work, restriction of normal working duties, or transferring to another position at work. Only injuries that are actually work-related and recordable should be recorded. For example, if someone develops a work-related rash, but it can be treated with a non-prescription ointment, it shouldn’t be recorded. If the employee gets a medical examination and is prescribed something, it should. If it is treated with a non-prescription ointment but is, say, on the employee’s hands and therefore he is unable to perform duties, it should be recorded. There are many ins and outs and loopholes that can confuse you, but common sense should be followed at all times.

Sticking to the handbook and checking all relevant clauses is important to properly recording illnesses and injuries. It might sound overwhelming getting every piece of information down right, but after a certain amount of time it becomes almost rote, and showing that you have a clear understanding of OSHA guidelines is an attractive skill to any employer.

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Posted: Monday, February 23rd, 2009
Category: OSHA and Safety

There are a lot of things you can do to avoid injury or illness in the workplace, and while many of them might seem like common sense, many people forget some of the basic principles of staying safe at work. In this brief article, we’ll take a look at some easy ways to avoid injury without making it a hassle.

Firstly, being under the influence of alcohol or any drug in the work place is not only illegal, it is extremely unsafe. Even prescription drugs that make you drowsy or impair motor function are a bad idea, and can cause serious injury. Always make sure that machine guards and related protective equipment are properly installed and in place before operating the machinery. If the protective equipment is not installed or is not being properly used, discontinue use of the machine until it is installed correctly. Similarly, scuffling or practical jokes involving dangerous machinery might seem like lighthearted fun, until someone gets seriously hurt. Crowding or pushing when boarding or leaving a vehicle should be strictly prohibited.

Employees should never operate, tamper with, or otherwise handle electrical equipment, heavy machinery, dangerous machinery, air or water lines, or otherwise hazardous materials that are not within the specific scope of their duties unless they receive specific instructions to do so. If you are injured on the job, whether or not it was your fault and whether or not it is due to something you were not supposed to be doing, report it immediately. Even if you do not think medical treatment is required, the injury should be reported and the necessity of medical treatment will be determined by a professional. When lifting, use your legs and not your back. Wearing a back brace can mitigate the danger to your back, but improper lifting techniques are one of the most common ways to get a work-related injury.

Keeping your area clean of not only hazardous materials, but other debris and dirt will make sure that no one has a dangerous fall, or inhales anything they don’t want to. When handling chemicals it is important to wear the proper protective clothing. When using ladders, make sure the ladder is in good condition several times throughout the day so that any damage to its structure can be reported, and the ladder can be replaced. Keeping these basic principles in mind will help you avoid injuries on the job and get home safely.

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Posted: Monday, February 23rd, 2009
Category: Real Estate License

Many people are concerned about the housing market in general, with the recent fluctuations, bubbles, and rampant foreclosures across the country. If you are one such concerned person, you may be looking for areas of the housing market that are still stable, even flourishing. In this brief article, we’ll take a look at what is causing this recent boom in certain areas of the market, as well as what these areas are and where you can find them.

Quite possibly the part of the housing market that actually benefited from this financial crisis and housing bubble is the college off-campus housing market. Off-campus housing is great for students that can’t afford to live in dorms, and need to scrimp and save to be able to go to college at all. Why, you ask? Due to the recent financial turbulence throughout the country, many people have been going back to school to finish their education, especially those that realized they were in financial trouble if they didn’t. So now, more than ever, there are lots and lots of low-income students attending colleges across the country, so anywhere you find colleges, you find flourishing off-campus housing.

Another housing market that is managing to stay afloat fairly easily is that in ethnic districts of large cities, such as Chinatown in San Francisco. Many immigrants have been flowing in to take advantage of American housing that is now cheaper than ever. Urban housing has seen a drastic drop in price nationwide, but districts like Chinatown have been hit significantly less hard due to the increased number of renters and buyers. Unfortunately, this increased immigration has lent support to complaints about immigrants taking work away from American citizens, especially now that jobs are being lost across the country.

There are plenty of other pockets of real estate that are springing to life, as there is always some sort of silver lining. It can be hard to gauge how some places do so well while others a few streets down do so poorly, but there are certain generalizations that work. Learning to keep an eye on certain types of property, rather than necessarily certain areas of property, can help you make predictions about what will and will not be stable in the event of economic disaster. Learning to differentiate between these types of properties will soon prove to be a useful skill for the potentially hard times ahead.

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Posted: Sunday, February 22nd, 2009
Category: Industrial Skills

While many of them don’t require years and years of education, and therefore might not seem competitive, there’s one great thing about trade skills – you can’t outsource them. There will always be a need for plumbers, mechanics, and electricians (as long as we have toilets, cars, and electricity, anyway). Despite the recent economic crisis the country has gone through, electricians can find work in relatively any part of any state in the country. In this article, we’ll go over the types of jobs electricians are likely to find, and the kind of experience most people are asking for.

Most electrician jobs currently on the market, and this is not surprising, are for industrial or construction work. These jobs mostly include setting wiring, housing, and attaching electrical lines for everything from office buildings to private residences. These jobs typically require journeyman status, sometimes with up to six years of experience. There are lots of jobs available for this type of work in places where real estate is still going strong, and areas that are being developed economically, like in the suburbs of large cities.

There are also electrical jobs for various school districts and universities being posted, in preparation for summer remodeling and repair work. These jobs are almost all temporary, obviously lasting around three months, but are steady work for that amount of time, and pay relatively well. If you are a freelancing electrician, consider taking on a school district job for several months while looking for a longer term place of employment. Commercial electricians are also in constant demand, with companies wanting to spruce up their buildings and make sure everything is working right before money gets any tighter.

Many private homeowners have been switching to electrical power due to the increasing price of natural gas, and therefore there are a number of electrician jobs for both converting gas heat, stoves, and the like to electrical, as well as repairing existing electrical equipment. While you may need to be a member of a union or private electrical firm to consistently get work at private residences, it is possible to work a part-time job at something like a school district and do residences on the side, if you have the right references. The important thing right now, especially with the coming economic hardship, is to stay busy and to start saving money whenever possible, even through off and on freelance work.

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Posted: Sunday, February 22nd, 2009
Category: Alcohol & Food Safety

Everyone has noticed the increased prices of, well, just about everything. This isn’t just inflation, either – everything has jumped in price, from tires to doorknobs, bananas to pajamas. This increase in prices is noticeable best in places like restaurants, and in this article, we’ll explain why. We’ll also take a look at how you can worm your way around these raised prices by shopping and eating differently, and what kind of foods you can avoid to keep your wallet as fat as possible.

Firstly, the cost of growing food itself has gone up. Since the cost of gas has fluctuated so much recently, the farming equipment used to grow is more expensive to operate. Job cutbacks have been made everywhere, so there are less people to produce roughly the same amount of food. The cost of other materials used in the production of food have also increased, and all of these factors bundle together to significantly raise the overall cost of production. Gas prices have also impacted shipping, and since some ingredients are shipped long distances before production can even begin, this creates a major impact on the cost as well.

This can all happen before the food even reaches a processing center. If you’re buying something that isn’t being assembled at the restaurant itself, like wine, you’ll see a more significant increase in price with these items. Even with items that are made from scratch but with a lot of ingredients, the ingredients all have to be shipped individually and can put a higher price tag on the food. Paying all the costs of operating a restaurant remains the same, but with higher prices on the actual ingredients for the food, the extra money has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is you.

The best thing you can do to avoid overpaying at restaurants is to eat at places that support local growers and producers. While these places might already have been pricier, they’ve likely been impacted significantly less than others, and so the prices will probably have evened out somewhat (and you’ll be getting better food). Restaurants that have been impacted the most will be places that buy foreign ingredients, or other products that have to be shipped long distances. Keep these simple tips in mind, and you’ll be sure to avoid paying needlessly high shipping prices for food that’s been in a freezer for days on end.

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Posted: Sunday, February 15th, 2009
Category: Cosmetology

A new trend has taken hold in the world of cosmetology – the late night salon. These unique new fashion centers are open into the evening, some even into the wee hours of the morning. Some night owl clients can even get their hair done while enjoying a cup of evening coffee or watching their nightly shows. In this article, we’ll take a look at this relatively new phenomenon, and go over some of the pros and cons of getting a late night trim.

Insomnia is now fashionable, with many of the newly-opened late night salons being rather upscale. For example, the Red Market Salon in New York is a two and a half thousand square foot commercial loft in the meat packing district, which has a notoriously rich nightlife. Two of the stylists, David Cotteblanche and Reynald Ricard, came up with the idea after giving after hours, almost party-esque haircuts in David’s apartment. There are eight stylists, a small bar with wine and coffee, high-end designer products, and a sound system that features local DJs at peak business hours. They are open until 11 p.m.

The benefits of these late night salons is obvious – those who are busy during the day and sick of rushing back and forth between business meetings, grabbing coffee, and getting their hair done now have a place to chill out after business hours are over and get their hair touched up. This can serve as a method of relaxation and as an opportunity for get-togethers, as the festive atmosphere and social ambiance make going to the salon as socially satisfying as it used to be. Possibly the best thing about these late night salons is that they combine the satisfying aspect of getting your hair cut by a pro stylist with the catharsis of being able to take it easy after a long day.

However, there are some potential problems these salons might experience. All luxury businesses, which of course include high-end salons, are going to see some turbulence in the economy affecting them more than other businesses. This, combined with having to pay stylists who went to a beauty school in France, as well as importing top of the line designer products, can make running a salon at these odd hours very risky. If you want this new and exciting trend to continue, do your new stylists a favor and visit them at night.

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Posted: Sunday, February 15th, 2009
Category: Healthcare

Many people have felt the weight of the recent economic turbulence, some more than others. Those who are being most severely affected by it are not only in danger of losing their jobs, but also their health. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the ways the economic crisis is causing people to risk their health, and the way stress is affecting people nationwide.

Stress is an odd thing, and it does odd things to the human body and mind. Firstly, enough stress can damage your immune system and make you less resistant to everything from the common cold to bacterial infections. Medical studies have shown that people who undergo more workplace stress experience higher rates of illness both serious and slight, and have a higher chance of making mistakes at work. If your job or the economy is stressing you out, find ways to relax after work, so that you stay well both at home and while on the job. Finding little ways to relax at work is also a good idea, as this can severely decrease the amount of stress you feel. Working through your lunch break might seem tempting, but resisting that temptation and taking a half hour to yourself is an important part of the working day.

Economic stress has also caused people to work more, and work harder. If you work on a contractual basis, or on a “by the job” basis, then you are probably inclined to work as quickly as possible to maximize your income. However, if you also work in a potentially dangerous or very stressful environment, making a mistake can be a huge problem. Which is worse, working more slowly and making a little less money, or making a mistake that can seriously injure you and keep you from working at all?

The most important thing you can do to avoid workplace stress is to pace yourself, take breaks, and relax whenever you need a second to yourself. A good way to avoid economic stress is to work at a pace that suits you, rather than the obvious, which is to work as much as you can so you can make ends meet. If you are having trouble making those ends meet, just try working in a more efficient manner, rather than in a dangerously fast and ultimately hazardous way, as this can be more trouble for you than pacing yourself.

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Posted: Sunday, February 15th, 2009
Category: Industrial Skills

Suzlon Energy, which is the world’s fifth largest producer of wind turbines, recently sold ten percent of its subsidiary, Hansen, to a London-based investment firm called Ecofin. Suzlon Energy acquired the Belgium-based Hansen in 2006 for roughly six hundred forty-five million dollars, as well as several other energy companies such as the German wind power company Repower Systems AG. It is increasing its holdings in several companies, such as shares held by Portuguese company Martifier.

Suzlon will acquire these shares in a payment program consisting of several separate payments – the first payment was one of 65 million Euros last December, 30 million Euros in April 2009, and a final payment of 175 Euros in May. Ecofin has agreed not to sell the shares of Hansen they acquire until June, and can also nominate one non-executive director to Hansen’s board of directors. Hansen raised roughly two hundred ninety pounds to set up factories in India and China recently. Ecofin is an investment firm that has made its specialty the global utility and national infrastructure sectors of business. It has roughly four and a half billion dollars in assets under management, for various companies, and manages four separate funds.

Suzlon is purportedly going to raise roughly five hundred million dollars, and is also supposedly undergoing talks with private equity majors Carlyle and TGP to sell a ten percent to fifteen percent stake at around three hundred million. The firm also plans to raise an additional two hundred million through a debt offering, a strategy of which the recent deal with Ecofin appears to be a part. The company has been in something of a twisting, turning turmoil that makes it relatively difficult to determine whether it is growing or shrinking in power, due to the grabs at other power companies it has made in turn with selling stakes of said companies.

Regardless, global power companies are seeing more and more attention and expectations placed on them, and are seen more or less as the solution to a global energy crisis. With the advent of renewable power and the decline of natural gas power, these companies are in a constant battle to see who will come out on top. Whoever does will be regarded as a world authority on renewable fuel, and will very likely have a huge amount of influence and persuasive power with almost every country around the planet.

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Posted: Sunday, February 15th, 2009
Category: OSHA and Safety

American Society of Safety Engineers’ President Warren K. Brown recently said that some companies are cutting safety processes in an attempt to reduce costs. “If companies believe they will save money by reducing or ignoring safety for their workers, customers and communities they do business in, they are mistaken,” Brown said. “The ongoing positive results are in and have been for companies that have a strong safety culture and continually invest in and implement effective safety processes.” Brown continues on to explain that safety is good business when people safe and they will save on turnover costs, and healthcare costs.

Even during tough economic times, when businesses are likely to want to cut back on costs, it is important to stay on the right path. By supporting employee safety during such rough times, companies will see that they are better off. A good idea may be to train employees a little better on safety procedures in order to cut back on costs associated with injuries. It is suggested by the South Carolina ASSE chapter that companies should make sure that employees are trained to follow proper working procedures that are normally associated with fines and downtime when orders are not followed.

Companies that do not properly manage the various workplace safety issues find that they are a part of their own problem. Over all it is said that about $170 billion dollars are spent each year due to injuries from the workplace and illnesses. There is about $1 billion spent every single week on the medical providers of those who fall injured or ill and for the sick pays of those who cannot work for a period of time. If more companies would simply invest more time into safety training the company’s bottom line will look much better in the future.

Laura Comstock, President-Elect of the ASSE South Carolina Chapter said, “Some safety related purchased and testing can be deferred, but other purchases, such as those for employee personal protective equipment like hardhats, safety glasses and respirators, are critical to operations.” Comstock continues, “We need to work together during these difficult times, but reducing or ignoring workplace safety should not be a strategic or budget option. The costs, both tangible and intangible, are far too high and hard to recoup.” It should be no surprise that when companies take this advice, they will have a much better bottom line in the end.

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Posted: Sunday, February 15th, 2009
Category: Insurance Training

Nationwide Financial Services, Inc. recently sold the last of its Class A shares to Nationwide Mutual Insurance, making the company a subsidiary of Nationwide Mutual Insurance. Nationwide Financial Services was a publicly traded retirement savings company, and was bought out for roughly two and a half billion dollars. Nationwide Mutual Insurance, a diversified insurance company, purchased each share for roughly fifty dollars, and bought roughly forty-six million of them.

Before the filing on October thirty-first, Nationwide Mutual Insurance owned all the class B shares, or about a sixty-five percent equity stake. It also held around ninety-five percent of the combined voting power of the Nationwide Financial Services shareholders. The deal was approved by government authorities, and was approved by Nationwide Financial shareholders on Wednesday, January twenty-first. The shares are increasing about five dollars a share over their original proposal of forty-seven dollars in March 2008. The vote to approve the transaction was completed on December thirty-first. This transaction was approved by a special committee that was not affiliated with Nationwide Financial Services to evaluate the proposal, and then approved by the Nationwide Financial Services’ board of directors.

Nationwide Mutual is based in Columbus, Ohio, and is one of the largest, most diverse insurance and finance groups in the world, and ranks number ninety-eight on the Fortune 500. It features a wide variety of insurance and financial services, which includes automotive, motorcycle, boat, home, life, and commercial insurances, as well as administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions, long-term savings, health, and productivity services. The company is renowned for its incredibly diverse range of services, and has maintained a reputation as one of the largest and most successful financial firms in existence.

Nationwide Mutual has been in business over eighty years, but began as Farm Bureau Mutual. It began as an automobile insurance company, and was incorporated in 1925. In 1955, it changed its name to Nationwide Insurance, and expanded into Oregon, then 19 other states. Over the years it has flourished into one of the most powerful insurance firms in the country, and today has branches across the country. It has roughly thirty-five thousand employees, although now that it has acquired Nationwide Financial Services, that number has further increased. This combination of insurance and financial services is guaranteed to be a tough competitor in the growing financial crisis, and these two companies have joined to make a very solid one.

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