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robintek

Jul 01
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Summer Electrical Surges are a Serious Risk to Business Technology

By Risk Management Bulletin
Almost every modern business relies on expensive electronic equipment, computers and networks to maintain efficiency and day-to-day operations. While businesses take the proper precautions to secure these components from theft, they often leave them susceptible to another danger, electrical surges. Unfortunately, without the proper protection, surges can result in costly damage to a business’s physical assets.

Causes of Electrical Surges 

Electrical surges are caused by a variety of reasons, but most are the result of direct lightening strikes to a building or a nearby electrical source. In many cases, the strike occurs elsewhere on the utility system’s electrical distribution system and the surge travels into a business via the electrical lines. According to the Lightning Protection Institute, lightening strikes cause approximately $1 billion in property damage every year. Other causes of surges include accidental line crossing by utility companies or during severe weather when lines fall. They can also be caused when the electrical system is overloaded, such as in hot summer months.

Equipment That’s at Risk

Computers, servers, micro-processor-based controllers, telephone switchboards, robotics, cash register systems, and televisions are just a short list of the items that can be damaged by a surge. Basically, anything that is plugging into a wall or directly into the electrical system is at risk of damage when a surge occurs.

Physical Protection Devices

All electronic devices that plug directly into an electrical outlet should be plugged into a surge protector instead. The surge protector, also called a Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor (TVSS), is then plugged into the outlet. When electrical surges occur, the TVSS absorbs the current and stops it from flowing into the device. More advanced surge protectors must be installed on a business’s main switch board and any sub-distribution panels for larger facilities.

Insurance Protection

Of course, even the most prepared business can still suffer losses from electrical surges. That’s why business owners must ensure that all electronics and technology equipment are properly insured. Additionally, the surge protectors themselves can be costly and are also often insured under insurance policies if they fail due to an electrical surge.

 

Jul 01
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How to Conduct an On-Site Safety Meeting

By Workplace Safety
Meetings require brevity and clarity, if you want your message received. Attention to your audience breeds attention to you. Think about the meeting as a three act play.

Act I: Define your world and its dangers:
1. On the construction site, in the plant, around the storage yard, in the warehouse:
2. Overexertion, Slips and falls, poor ergonomics, being struck by an object:
3. Causes X% of all injuries (those four mentioned total 72%)
4. So today’s topic is important to your health and safety.
Act II: The lesson
1. Overexertion is the leading cause of job site injury.
2. Assess your load for weight and handle-ability
3. Are proper lifting devices available? Forklift, pallet jack, hand truck
4. Is help available for two man lifts?
5. Can you lift alone with proper technique?
6. Ask for any help you need to accomplish the task safely.
7. Complete the task

Act III: Define the New World of Safer Conditions
1. Overexertion is to be avoided
2. Assess the task
3. Ask for help or equipment
4. Complete the task.
All attendees should sign an outline of the topic acknowledging their understanding, and given a copy.

Act I takes one minute. Act II should never exceed seven minutes, five is better. Act III, two minutes, tops. Why so brief? Attention span is hard wired into humans and seven minutes per topic is about all you have to teach anything. That’s why a good attention-getter like self-preservation works; you’ll get the full seven minutes.

Act II is a good place for visual aids. Perhaps your company has a forty pound lift rule. Handle-ability might be demonstrated as a five gallon bucket of water or a forty pound eight-foot long bench. Both offer challenges, but the bench may require help for an easier task.

Act III is redundant. It wraps up the key points for emphasis. You might want to remind employees that safety is the number one employee benefit, we want you home safe at night.

 

Jul 01
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Back up alarms and Safety Belts On All Equipment

By Workplace Safety
Back-Up Alarms and Seat belts, two safety features on mobile equipment that are too often disabled.

Seat belts serve many purposes, not just keeping the operator in the seat or in the machine during an overturn event.

Especially rubber tire equipment, the operator bounces in their seat when moving between locations. Many operators suffer head injuries by bouncing into the structure of the cage when not wearing belts properly.

Usually the belt has a built in security feature whereby the ignition will not work unless the belt is properly snapped into position. Some operators choose to buckle the belt, and then get in the seat. This override leads to injuries.

The equipment manufacturers installed automatic neutral control settings when hands were not contacting the joy sticks. So when the operator pops out of the seat, the tracks stop rolling and the bucket stops moving.

Unfortunately, the neutral controls are not fail-safe either.

The best option requires the operator to stay in his seat while operating the machine. That requires a seat belt. Insist they be worn at all times while operating any ride-on equipment.

Back-up Alarms

Jobsites are inherently loud places. They can be a bit chaotic when several crews work in close quarters. Vehicle traffic insensitive to large equipment operations with limited visual fields can create bedlam for the operator.

Check back-up alarms daily. It is one warning system that may not save property losses when people park their vehicles ten feet away from a back-dragging dozer; but it may save the driver when it warns them to get clear.

Excavators track systems have forwards and backwards orientation; but the cabs can turn the full 360 degrees. So the cab can face forward and from the operators perspective move backward, but the tracks believe they’re moving forward and not warn people behind the machine.

Excavators should be equipped with a motion alarm that warns whenever the machine is moved. Visibility is not great from those cabs.

Consider using lighted warnings as well. The yellow warning beacons are noticeable on busy construction sites where sound may not be the best warning system. And, sound pollution is diminished while the beacon serves as a motion detector rather than purely a back-up indicator.

Safety devices keep everyone safer; use them properly and enforce their use on operators. Then try to improve them using beacons or other add-ons.

 

Jul 01
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How workers compensation costs affect workers paychecks. Tell them.

By Workplace Safety
As advocates of disclosing the costs of employee benefits to the employees, workers’ compensation premiums are often ignored. Why? It’s difficult to give a specific cost per employee since the premium is part fixed cost and part variable to their wage.

Employees are poorly educated in the area of how much money is available for payroll, or more broadly, remuneration. The entire conversation about production versus remuneration can be boiled down to they need to bring in more money than they cost you. That’s understandable. How much more money in excess of their paycheck is more difficult to comprehend.

For the sake of this discussion, assume all workers’ compensation is ten percent of payroll. With preferred rates and experience modifications, that can vary between 8 and 12%.

Your employee must learn that safety and claims puts up to 4% of their paycheck at risk. Companies with excellent safety records and low claims have more money filter down to paychecks, and still remain price competitive.

It’s a hard lesson for employees to learn. If an employee earns $25 per hour, they make about $50,000 per year. Safety and low claims can free $2000 per year for additional payroll? Over the long run, the answer is yes. And, it’s a good policy to bonus employees in this way. Even if some of the long-term savings are used to match 401K contributions, or some other safety benefit idea.

The most important rule is: have this discussion. Safety equipment, protection or processes may cost money, but injuries cost more. If employees support the safety culture, less money is spent on injuries so more can be spent on remuneration. It is a long-term process, several years to accumulate savings and gain an historical confidence in the culture.

Workplace safety can be the most important employee benefit in their plan. They definitely help control the costs and actively gain other employees participation.

 

Jul 01
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Ergonomics isn’t just for chairs

By Workplace Safety
Ergonomics, the word is so associated with office chairs people forget to apply similar principles to work like lifting.

Chair ergonomics is all about comfort for a long day at a computer. The seat height adjusts so your feet are grounded comfortably, the back supports your lumbar region, and armrests must allow the chair to pull fully to the desk so you can reach your work without stretching.

As an employee making a lift or moving a load on a cart, your number one job is safety. Safety relates to comfort and reducing stress and strain on your body.

Assess Your Load

Like assessing your workstation for layout, assess the load to be moved. Is it too heavy for one person? Is it too unmanageable of a shape to balance the load?

Decide if this lift is solo or seek help. In seeking help, take the lead in choreographing the lift and carry to minimize miscommunication or working at cross purposes. Once both parties are on the same task, begin.

Use Proper Lifting Ergonomics

1. Properly attach a lifting belt which supports your back and shifts some of the load to your shoulders.
2. Bend with your knees and keep your back straight.
3. Be sure you have a good grip, wear gloves if needed
4. Keep the load close to your body.
5. Balance with your feet, don’t twist your body while lifting.
6. Lift with your major leg muscles.
7. Store heavier loads at an easier lifting height.

Carts and Hand Trucks

Consider the pathway you will be following: any obstructions, tight corners, traffic, low ceiling heights, any obstacles? Decide on the best path and secure traffic.

After balancing and securing the load, push the truck or dolly whenever possible. The load and path are visible to you when pushing rather than pulling.

Ergonomically, pushing is easier on your back muscles. Arms straight, lean your body weight into the load; then when you achieve the correct straight posture, push with your leg muscles.

If the load does not move, get help. Do not allow the load to move without the strength to keep it under control.

Keep your back straight and lumbar supported. Let your legs do the work. And, do not twist. Work in a comfortable posture.

 

Jun 01
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The Heat (App) Is On!

By Your Employee Matters
Heat illness sickens thousands of workers every year, and severe cases can be fatal. To help keep outdoor workers cool, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration developed a free app to calculate worksite heat index and risk levels, and educate users about how to respond to a heat emergency. More than 187,000 people have downloaded the app since its 2011 launch. In the app’s first big update on May 5, iPhone users discovered new features. With an attractive, easy-to-use interface, the new version is optimized for the latest iPhones. The app automatically provides the current conditions and maximum heat at your location and can accept manual input if users don’t have cell service.
California and perhaps your state may also have info on preventing heat illness http://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/heatillnessinfo.html 
Don Phin, Esq. is VP of Strategic Business Solutions at ThinkHR, which helps companies resolve urgent workforce issues, mitigate risk and ensure HR compliance. Phin has more than three decades of experience as an HR expert, published author and speaker, and spent 17 years in employment practices litigation. For more information, visit www.ThinkHR.com

 

Jun 01
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Nursing Homes and Residential Care Facilities Hit With Overtime Claims

By Your Employee Matters
This month the United States Department of Labor reported that from 2011 to 2014 it recovered more than $6.8 million in overtime and unpaid minimum wages for more than 1300 employees in Bay Area nursing homes and residential care facilities.
Working conditions in some residential care facilities can be difficult for many caregivers. Many of the facilities require employees to stay overnight on the premises to ensure round-the-clock care for patients. Despite the fact that they are on call assisting residents overnight, investigators found that some workers were not paid for such time, and some were denied adequate sleeping facilities and were forced to sleep on the floor. Such conditions can erode the quality of care patients receive.
Additionally, investigators found that employees who are paid hourly often worked 10 to 14 hours per day, six days per week, but were only paid for eight hours per day. Some workers were paid a flat weekly salary regardless of the hours they worked and were therefore denied time and one-half pay for hours worked beyond 40 per workweek. Employees were also threatened and harassed if they questioned their working conditions. Some employees were intimidated or retaliated against by their employers and were instructed not to cooperate with Wage and Hour investigators.
Investigations completed in the past year reflect the disturbing trend in violations. These include:
• The owners of Retirement Plus of San Carlos and four other Bay-Area facilities paid its caregivers as little as $5 per hour and misclassified one employee as an independent contractor. The employer paid more than $630,000 in minimum wage, overtime and damages to resolve the case.
• Lake Alhambra Assisted Living Center violated a protective order prohibiting retaliation against caregivers for cooperating with the investigation. Ultimately, the business paid $304,000 in back wages and damages to 32 caregivers, plus $25,000 in civil money penalties, as ordered in a consent judgment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The order also included the appointment of an independent monitor to ensure the business pays its workers properly in the future.
• Anne’s Guest Home, which operates six facilities in Pleasanton and Livermore, was found in violation of the minimum wage, overtime, and record-keeping provisions of the FLSA. The company paid some workers below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and failed to pay overtime at time and one-half for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. The firm was ordered to pay more than $447,000 in back wages and damages in a consent judgment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
• Farol’s Residential Care Home paid caregivers salaries below the minimum wage in many cases and did not pay overtime when employees worked over 40 hours per week. The business was ordered to pay a total of $405,284 in back wages, damages, interest and penalties in a consent judgment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Twenty-seven workers will receive back wages in this settlement.
• Vicky Rebecca Quedado, doing business as We Care ICF/DD-H and Becker Home Inc. of Northern California, operates three intermediate residential-care facilities and will pay $261,356 in back wages and liquidated damages to 21 low-wage workers for violations of the FLSA. The division found that the business paid the workers flat salaries for all hours worked instead of paying them overtime when they worked more than 40 hours in a workweek, as the law requires.
The FLSA, which the Wage and Hour Division enforces, requires that covered, nonexempt workers be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour for all hours worked, plus one and one-half times their regular wages for hours worked beyond 40 per week. Employers also must maintain accurate time and payroll records.
Don Phin, Esq. is VP of Strategic Business Solutions at ThinkHR, which helps companies resolve urgent workforce issues, mitigate risk and ensure HR compliance. Phin has more than three decades of experience as an HR expert, published author and speaker, and spent 17 years in employment practices litigation. For more information, visit www.ThinkHR.com.

 

Jun 01
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Even When You Win, You Lose

By Your Employee Matters

Following Ellen Pao’s highly-publicized loss at trial of her gender discrimination claims against venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the defendant filed a costs bill for $972,814, including more than $864,000 in expert witness fees. The defense offered to waive costs if Pao agrees not to appeal. While it is possible that many of these costs were covered under an EPLI policy, it is equal likely they had no such coverage. Think of that, at least $1,000,000 in costs, not including legal fees (probably in a similar or even greater amount), or wasted executive time, simply to prove you were right.
Point is: nobody “wins” a lawsuit. Imagine the brand damage and angst felt by the firm going through the litigation process. Imagine the position Ms. Pao now finds herself in. Going backwards trying to prove she was “right” and perhaps cash in on a big payday to boot. How’s that helped her career or psyche?
Question: Would you hire her?
Don Phin, Esq. is VP of Strategic Business Solutions at ThinkHR, which helps companies resolve urgent workforce issues, mitigate risk and ensure HR compliance. Phin has more than three decades of experience as an HR expert, published author and speaker, and spent 17 years in employment practices litigation. For more information, visit www.ThinkHR.com

 

Jun 01
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Editors Column – NLRB Punishes Employer for Past Unlawful Handbook Policies Despite Employer’s Attempt to Repudiate

By Your Employee Matters

In Boch Imports, Inc., the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found that the employer, a car dealership, violated the National Labor Relations Act because the dealership’s social media and dress code policies were overbroad and interfered with employee rights to engage in protected, concerted activity. In particular, the employer’s social media policy required employees to identify themselves when posting comments about the employer and also prohibited employees from using the dealership’s logos in any manner. The employer’s dress code policy prohibited employees who had contact with the public from wearing pins, insignias, or other message clothing.
The NLRB’s findings regarding the employer’s policies aren’t especially noteworthy; the Board has repeatedly found similar policies unlawful. What is significant, however, is that during the Board’s processing of the underlying unfair labor practice charge, the employer worked with the NLRB regional office to bring the dealership’s handbook policies into compliance. Based on its discussions with the NLRB regional office, the employer removed unlawful policies, except the dress code, from its old handbook, and replaced them with new ones. The employer then issued a new handbook to all employees in 2013.

Despite the fact that the employer had rescinded several allegedly unlawful policies and replaced them with policies blessed by the NLRB regional office before the hearing in this case, the Board found that the rescinded policies could still provide the basis for labor law violations against the dealership. While established NLRB precedent allows an employer to “repudiate” its unlawful conduct, the Board found that the employer’s issuance of the 2013 handbook without notice to employees that it was revising the handbook because of the unlawful policies and that it would not interfere with employees’ Section 7 rights in the future, did not constitute effective repudiation.

To dissenting Member Johnson, this was a case of no good deed goes unpunished. Where, as here, the employer worked with the NLRB regional office to fully comply with the Act, he would not have applied the NLRB’s repudiation criteria with “hyper-technical precision” and believed that the employer had effectively repudiated its alleged misconduct. Member Johnson added: “the best, quickest way to achieve universal handbook legal compliance with Section 7 standards is to encourage employers to involve the Agency in redrafting problematic provisions rather than to effectively punish them.”

Article by Erin Fowler courtesy of the Franczek law firm www.franczek.com

Don Phin, Esq. is VP of Strategic Business Solutions at ThinkHR, which helps companies resolve urgent workforce issues, mitigate risk and ensure HR compliance. Phin has more than three decades of experience as an HR expert, published author and speaker, and spent 17 years in employment practices litigation. For more information, visit www.ThinkHR.com

 

Jun 01
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Top Resume Trends and Tips for 2015

By Employment Resources

When did you last update your resume? Now’s a great time to add new work experience, verify references and insert several resume
trends that are popular this year.

Add Breakaway Text

Magazines often use breakaway text to draw your eye to main themes. While your resume won’t include enlarged text or boxed quotes, you can figure out what points you really want a potential employer to remember about you. Place those in a short sentence or two on the top half of your resume as you highlight the key reason why you’re right for the job you really want.

Include Value Propositions

You could use your resume to rattle off facts, but show potential employers why they should interview you when you include value propositions. They showcase the skills and experience that sets you apart from other candidates, and they persuade hiring managers to contact you for an interview.

Utilize Charts or Graphs

Boring paragraphs won’t get your resume recognized, no matter how many achievements you have. However, a colorful chart or graph shows potential employers your skills, including revenue generation, client satisfaction or office savings.

Add a Video

Give potential employers a chance to get to know your personality and poise when you record a video resume. The 30-to-60-second video gives you a chance for you to verbalize your top skills and is easy to include on your paper resume or LinkedIn profile.

Write to the Audience

It’s time to toss your general resume. Instead, write to your audience, which means you have to know the job and the recruiter, HR director or decision maker who decides whether or not to interview you. Then you know the tone, vocabulary and other target keywords you need to use in your resume for each specific position.

While these 2015 resume trends and tips won’t guarantee you’ll land your dream job, they do help you stand out in the crowd. They also help you succeed in moving up the ladder at your current job. Ask your coworkers and human resources manager for additional tips as you maximize your resume today. 

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