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robintek

Aug 01
Love0

SLEEP DEPRIVATION: A RECIPE FOR A HEALTH DISASTER

By Life and Health

Today’s society carries an unrealistic expectation, if not demand, for individuals to fit more and more into their lives. The often teetering balancing act between work and everyday life causes many to defer sleep to get everything that’s expected of them done. Late nights and early mornings can be a recipe for a health disaster. The problem is that sleep isn’t something that can be brokered and traded for supposedly more important tasks.

Most people are fully aware that getting enough sleep is something that’s beneficial to their mind and body, but did you know that getting too little sleep could actually increase your risk of an early death from cardiovascular disease, stroke, and heart attack?

A new study published in the European Heart Journal analyzed data from fifteen different sleep studies that involved adults from various countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Israel, and Japan. The research followed almost 475,000 adults for up to 25 years and found that having sleep disrupted or sleeping less than six hours a night resulted in a 48% chance of dying from or developing cardiovascular disease. The chance of dying from or having a stroke was 15%.

The researchers recommend that six to eight hours of regular nightly sleep is optimum to protect one’s health and reduce their risk of developing chronic illnesses. They also warn that people get into trouble when their sleep is less than five hours per night since this causes problems the next day from being tired and steadily increases the risk of developing a chronic illness in the future.

According the study, chronic sleep deprivation can cause an array of changes to the human body, such as the production of chemicals and hormones that increase the risk of developing strokes and heart disease. For example, cytokines, which are chemical inflammation markers for hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), can be activated by chronic sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation also increases the risk of developing hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity, which are ironically also known risk factors for heart disease and stroke. For example, hormone changes can lead to certain markers for type 2 diabetes, such as insulin resistance and glucose intolerance.

On the other hand, the study’s authors also caution against getting too much sleep. Over nine hours of sleep could have negative implications and be an indicator of a number of underlying illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease or depression.

Although the study does indicate that sleep deprivation should be considered a lifestyle risk akin to sedentary lifestyles, alcohol abuse, and tobacco use, some experts caution that there’s still a lot unknown about the mechanism and causation when it comes to the association between sleep disorders and the increased risk of stroke and heart disease.

In the meantime, those that would like to reduce their risk of heart attack and stroke might consider integrating the American Heart Association’s key health factors into their daily lives – reducing blood sugar, controlling cholesterol, managing blood pressure, smoking cessation, weight loss, eating better, and being more active.

Aug 01
Love0

INCOME GROWTH DICTATES NEED FOR MORE LIFE INSURANCE COVERAGE

By Life and Health

Many people fail to realize that when they accomplish goals like earning more money and achieving a higher standard of living, they increase their need for Life insurance. That’s because Life insurance provides support for your dependents if you die prematurely. It allows your family to maintain the same standard of living they have become accustomed to, even after you are gone.

If you stop and think of the many ways your family depends upon your income and what would happen if it were suddenly taken from them with no replacement, you will begin to understand the importance of life insurance benefits. If you have a stay-at-home spouse, they may need the death benefit proceeds from a policy to pay the mortgage or save for your children’s education. The money your spouse receives from the death benefit can help them continue to care for your family in the interim while looking for a job. Without that financial cushion, your spouse might have to sell the house or your children may have to delay going to college.

To be certain that you adequately provide for your dependents, you should increase your Life insurance as your salary increases. The ratio between your coverage amount and your salary decreases, as your salary gets higher. So if you begin with a policy providing a death benefit equal to ten times your salary, by the time you reach 50 years old and are earning twice as much money, the coverage amount will have decreased to only five times your salary.

Another misperception regarding Life insurance is that once you turn 65 and your children are grown, you no longer need it. Remember, most people live up to every penny they earn. As their income increases, they tend to increase their standard of living via expensive new cars or second homes, so that at age 65, many of them could still conceivably be carrying mortgages or auto loans. In order for the surviving spouse to maintain their current lifestyle, the insured would have had to increase their coverage to keep pace with their spending.

When considering Life insurance needs, there is also the issue of longevity. Today people are living into their eighties and beyond. If the insured dies at 65, the surviving spouse could live another twenty to thirty years, in which case they would need the death benefit proceeds to cover living expenses.

It is not difficult to see that there is a real need to have your Life insurance keep pace with your salary. You should review your life insurance with your agent on a yearly basis to develop a plan to ensure your dependents will remain financially comfortable after your death.

Aug 01
Love0

INDIVIDUAL HEALTH INSURANCE: KNOWING WHAT YOU’RE GETTING AND FIGURING OUT WHAT YOU NEED

By Life and Health

Although most Americans with Health insurance are covered under an employer’s plan, there are still many employers that don’t have Health insurance offerings. Workers of companies not offering insurance are left to find and purchase their own private individual health insurance directly from an insurer.

There are actually several advantages to purchasing private individual health insurance:

  • Unlike those covered under an employer’s plan, you won’t just have a limited number of plans that were pre-selected by someone else to choose from. You, instead of your employer, get to determine what plan features are desirable and pick the plan that you see fit. By having a variety of plans available to you, such as those that don’t cover services you don’t want and that have higher deductibles, you can take advantage of lower premiums.
  • Since private health plans are under your control, not your employer’s control, you also won’t have to worry about losing your coverage if you ever want to change jobs. As long as you pay your premiums when they’re due, the coverage is yours to keep and the insurer can’t drop you.

However, there are also several disadvantages to private health plan coverage, for example:

  • Even if paying the same premium rates, individual plans usually provide less coverage than employer plans because individual policies have a larger percentage of the premium dollars going toward paying operational costs.
  • The premiums for private health insurance plans increase as you age in most states. Since renewal rates tend to be higher than new policy rates, you can avoid the rate hikes for awhile by changing plans as rates become higher. However, this isn’t a long-term solution. Eventually, your age will make it more difficult to find an insurer and your individual policy will become more expensive.
  • Group plans are typically required to insure all employees and their family members. On the other hand, if an applicant of an individual plan doesn’t have an ideal health status, then the insurer can reject the applicant.

You will also want to keep a few questions in mind to ask your agent as you compare plans:

  • What are the plan’s monthly premiums, coinsurance, and deductibles?
  • What benefits does the plan offer?
  • What pre-existing conditions affect my coverage?
  • Is the doctor or hospital I want to use covered under the plan?
  • If I use out-of-network providers, will there be additional fees or charges?
  • How does the referral system operate?
  • How is care handled should I need medical services when I’m away from home?
  • Does the plan have a maximum amount it will pay over my lifetime or per year?

In closing, purchasing private market insurance isn’t as complicated as it might seem, but getting the right policy will take a little effort on your part. Remember to approach it just as you would any other major purchase – research all your options, do price and benefit comparisons, and seek expert advice and assistance.

Aug 01
Love0

THE CLUE REPORT: DON’T BE LEFT CLUELESS ON INSURING YOUR NEW HOME

By Personal Perspective

If you don’t properly educate yourself on the home buying process, it can very well be like walking into a minefield. Most buyers at least have a novice understanding on areas like their credit, pre-approval, a home inspection, and so forth. However, most buyers don’t have a clue what a CLUE report is, much less what an important element it is when buying and insuring a new home. Considering that around 90% of all insurers underwriting Homeowners insurance subscribe to the CLUE service, it’s certainly something that you should know about.

What Is CLUE? The Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, or CLUE, is a database that allows Auto and Homeowner insurers to exchange information about property loss claims. Unless your state specifically requires it, prior notification isn’t required before your information goes into the system. ChoicePoint, one of the largest personal consumer data compilers in the United States, maintains the database. Property loss claims and even inquiries into coverage are entered into the CLUE database.

Your insurer can access the CLUE database when you apply for Homeowners insurance on your new home. The system will allow them to see any past claims that previous owners filed on the house. It also allows them to see past inquiries on damages, even if there wasn’t a claim filed. You could find yourself in an insurance nightmare if a bad CLUE report causes insurers to be unwilling to provide you with coverage. Furthermore, it’s not just your new home under scrutiny. Old claims that you made on your previous home are also available through the CLUE database and can affect the cost and/or availability of Homeowners insurance on your new home.

What Do I Do about CLUE? The best thing you can do to keep CLUE from affecting the cost of your Homeowners insurance and/or your ability to obtain insurance is to know your rights. Just as with any other credit reports, CLUE reports fall under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, or FCRA. This means that you’re entitled to certain rights, including the following:

  • Notification if the insurer intends any adverse actions, such as increasing the cost of your new policy’s premiums or denying your new policy, based on the information they obtained from your CLUE report.
  • Get a copy of your insurance scores and the actual CLUE report. The FACT Act is a recent amendment to the FCRA that entitles you to one free copy of your CLUE report per year. Aside from your one free copy, you’re entitled to get another copy of your CLUE report if you’ve had your policy canceled, coverage limited, premiums increased, or an application for insurance denied.
  • Dispute incomplete information or inaccuracies within the CLUE report. You can do this at the ChoicePoint website. ChoicePoint is required by law to investigate your dispute. If you aren’t satisfied with the investigation by ChoicePoint, you can file a statement. This statement must be attached to all future reports.

In summary, you can see how a CLUE report can substantially impact your home purchase. Do keep in mind that you can’t obtain a CLUE report on a home that you don’t own yet. This means that you will need to ask your real estate agent to obtain a CLUE report for any property you’re considering purchasing.

Aug 01
Love0

INSURANCE COVERAGE: TO CONSOLIDATE OR NOT?

By Personal Perspective

Keeping in mind that there are many types of coverage and each individual consumer will have different specific insurance needs, there may be several reasons to consider consolidating your various policies with a single carrier. For most people, the pros of consolidation usually outweigh the cons, but here are some points from both sides:

Cost. Consumers often find there’s a cost benefit in consolidating their coverage with a single carrier. While the exact number will vary from company to company, it’s very possible to save 15% or more. Specialist companies still exist, but many generalist insurers have diversified their product lines to include an array of business and personal insurance and financial products. Since an insurance carrier is gaining customer loyalty and reducing their marketing costs when an existing customer purchases additional products, they’re usually willing to pass a portion of their savings on to their consumers.

Gaps. Depending on the types of coverage you’ve purchased and your unique situation, certain coverage gaps could be reduced when you consolidate your insurance portfolio. Take purchasing General and Professional Liability through the same carrier as an example. An accountant, for example, would have little risk of their professional services leading to property damage or bodily injury, but a travel agent, for example, routinely makes professional recommendations that could have physical consequences for their clients. The travel agent might be unaware that a lodging they recommend to a client is undergoing renovations. The client slips and falls due to unsafe conditions and sues the travel agent for not knowing the condition of the lodging before recommending it. If the travel agent has General and Professional Liability through two different carriers, then he/she may find the two carriers pointing the finger in opposite directions and disclaiming coverage. Whereas, if the travel agent has both coverages under the same carrier, then the disclaiming concern is moot since there isn’t another company to point the finger at.

Tailoring. Many carriers have learned to anticipate the common problems associated with coverage gaps, such as in the example discussed above. These carriers have created tailored packaged policies or programs with multiple different coverage options. These options interlock, but don’t unnecessarily duplicate coverage or dangerously leave gaps between coverages. Umbrella policies perform best when written by the carrier of your primary coverage(s).

Cons. As with most everything in life, there are cons to consolidation. It’s important that you look at the financial strength of the insurance carrier. If an insurance carrier is poorly rated by any of the rating services that monitor insurers, then the increased risk of going with an insurer that has questionable financial strength might outweigh any of the cost, gap, and tailoring pros. Another con is that the insurer might quickly change their hunger for a certain product and leave you having to find replacements for multiple policies. Research the company’s track record – have they typically stuck it out during bad and good times or have they timed the market to make a quick dollar and exit? Although most generalist insurers have diversified their offerings, it’s possible to miss out on some coverage benefits still only being offered by specialists.

In closing, consider the above points and how each could or wouldn’t meet your needs. In most cases, you’ll find that coverage consolidation and the right carrier creates a winning scenario for all parties involved.

Aug 01
Love0

THE IMPACT OF MOVING VIOLATIONS AND DRIVER’S LICENSE POINTS ON YOUR INSURANCE PREMIUMS

By Personal Perspective

Americans love to hear about point systems. After all, many involve us earning desirable rewards, discounts, and freebies. However, not all point systems are about earning something desirable.

In most states, you earn points on your driver’s license after being ticketed for moving violations like running a red light or stop sign, illegal u-turns, unsafe lane changes, and so forth. Although no driver relishes the thought of paying moving violation tickets, the financial implications are actually much broader when the points accumulate. This could be in the form of higher insurance premiums or even the suspension of your driving privileges. The details of the point system vary by state. For example, some states assess points to drivers that are at fault in an auto accident. That said, most point systems will assess points one of two ways:

1. One point per basic moving violation, with two points being assessed for speeding violations that involve the driver substantially exceeding the posted speed limit. Drivers assessed either eight points over three years, six points over two years, or four points over one year will have their license suspended.

2. Two points for incidences like slightly breaking the speed limit, an illegal turn, or other minor driving violation. Drivers with more serious moving violations, such as running a red light or stop sign, will be assessed three to five points. Drivers that are assessed 12 points within a three year period will have their license suspended.

Should you get a moving violation ticket, you’ll want to look for the vehicle code violation number on the front of your ticket and contact your state department of motor vehicles. Be sure to ask the number of points, if any, the violation carries; how many points you already have; and how many points will result in a license suspension.

These points can cause your insurance premiums to increase by 20% to 30%. Most insurers will regularly review the driving records for all their customers. Depending on your insurer’s policy and state’s laws, some insurers may be able to raise your premiums for just a single point. Most insurers will allow one moving violation every couple of years before they raise your premiums, but check with your insurer to determine their specific policy.

Can I Avoid/Remove Points? You can contest the ticket. This might be especially prudent if your points are nearly suspension levels. Keep in mind that contesting the ticket is an iffy proposition in that avoiding the point will depend on you being successful.

An option that offers more certainty in avoiding the point is paying the ticket and attending traffic school. However, some jurisdictions will not allow anyone ticketed for driving 15 m.p.h. or more over the speed limit to attend traffic school. If you’re eligible, then you may need to attend anywhere from once a year to once every two years, depending on your jurisdiction. Some states will require a court appearance or visit to the court’s clerk to enroll in the class, while other traffic schools are completed online. Some traffic schools give you the basic information with a splash of humor to make it less boring, while others may require you to sit through eight hours of lecture and films on gruesome accidents. In any case, it shouldn’t be too big a sacrifice when you consider the alternative higher insurance premiums from the point(s) going on your record.

Driver education courses, such as a defensive driving class, can help you remove existing points from your license. The department of motor vehicles for your state can give you a listing of applicable options.

In closing, insurers typically either avoid risk or charge exorbitant premiums to take it on. Having a number of moving violations is a strong indicator that you have habits that could lead to costly accidents and claims, and would therefore be a risk to insure. Most insurers do understand that humans err occasionally, but you’ll have the best chance at keeping your rates down by avoiding traffic violations altogether.

Aug 01
Love0

NEVER CUT CORNERS WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE

By Unregistered

Some employees are happy to take chances when it comes to safety. They take needless risks in an effort to save time or cut their work load. In reality, all they’re doing is subjecting themselves and others to hazards that could cause a serious injury.

Workers form bad habits when they repeatedly perform their jobs in an unsafe way and don’t get injured. They become convinced that because of their skills they are incapable of being hurt. It’s this attitude that usually ends up doing them in, because they take even more chances until eventually a serious accident does occur. Unfortunately, that one accident can turn out to be fatal.

Most of a chance-taker’s careless acts can be broken down into one of the following categories:

  • Failing to follow proper job procedure
  • Cleaning, oiling, adjusting, or repairing equipment that is moving, electrically energized, or pressurized
  • Failing to use available personal protective equipment such as gloves, goggles, and hard hats
  • Failing to wear safe personal attire
  • Failing to secure or warn about hazards
  • Using equipment improperly
  • Making safety devices inoperable
  • Operating or working at unsafe speeds
  • Taking an unsafe position or posture
  • Placing, mixing, or combining tools and materials unsafely
  • Using tools or equipment known to be unsafe
  • Engaging in horseplay

Although OSHA does not cite employees for safety violations, each employee is obliged to comply with all applicable OSHA standards, rules, regulations, and orders. Employee responsibilities and rights in states with their own occupational safety and health programs are generally the same as for workers in states covered by Federal OSHA.

Employees should follow these guidelines:

  • Read OSHA notices at the jobsite
  • Comply with all applicable OSHA standards
  • Follow all lawful employer health and safety rules and regulations, and wear or use prescribed protective equipment while working
  • Report hazardous conditions to a supervisor
  • Report any job-related injury or illness to the employer, and seek treatment promptly
  • Exercise these rights in a responsible manner

If you are working with a risk-taker, ask him to stop and consider what jeopardy he is putting himself and others in. Then buddy up with him to find a safer way to perform the task. Remember, unsafe actions don’t result in saving time if a worker gets injured in the process.

Aug 01
Love0

WHY AN ANNUAL BUSINESS INSURANCE REVIEW IS CRUCIAL TO YOUR EVOLVING BUSINESS

By Business Protection Bulletin

Most new business owners are concerned that everything is favorable for the success and safety of their business, which includes obtaining the protection of business insurance. However, longevity and success can cause complacency. Let’s say you started your business 10 years ago with just a small space and computer desk. Today, you have an office full of employees and equipment. Do you still have the same insurance policies from 10 years ago? If so, you might not realize how under-insured you’ve become. Business owners need to ensure they’re reviewing their business insurance programs annually. Errors happen and circumstances change, even when policies were initially obtained with care and caution. Without yearly examinations, substantial expense and risk can ensue. It’s common for small businesses to start out with basic insurances, such as Commercial Property and General Liability policies. However, as they evolve, most find they need other types of insurance, such as:

  • Excess Liability or Umbrella – covers claims exceeding your standard policy’s limits.
  • Workers Compensation – once your business reaches a certain number of employees, this type of insurance will actually be required in most states to provide payments for an employee’s lost wages and medical expenses following a workplace injury.
  • Professional Liability – covers your service-provided mistakes and usually your attorney fees.
  • Auto, Hired and Non-Owned – protects your business should an employee cause a vehicle accident in their personal or rented vehicle.
  • Commercial Auto – coverage not under personal auto policies, such as to your business and for employees unloading and loading.
  • Employment Practices Liability – coverage for HR issues, such as those related to termination, harassment, and discrimination laws.
  • Directors and Officers liability – financial protection for directors and officers should they be sued for wrongful acts stemming from performance of their duties.
  • Employee Benefits Liability – covers liability issues from an omission or error in the administration of an employee’s benefits that results in the employee incurring a cost, such as a terminated employer losing benefits after not being providing with COBRA information.

Depending on your business, many of these insurances may be essential to adequately protect yourself. An annual insurance review is an ideal time to discuss these insurances, as well as your need for them, with your agent. Ensure the following elements are considered as you begin the review:

  • Revenue – more business is good, but it also means a greater potential for liability. Have annual sales changed?
  • Property – have you added equipment, computers, and such that would create a need to increase your commercial property policy’s limits?
  • Location – your business owner’s or general liability policy could be impacted if you’ve added, closed, or moved locations.
  • Travel – a hired and non-owned auto policy may be needed if your employees are frequently driving rented vehicles.
  • Employees – have you had an increase in your workforce, turnover rate, or use of contractors? Consider employment practices liability insurance for high turnover rates. Workers’ compensation insurance may be a new requirement if you’ve added to your workforce.
  • Services – are you offering additional services? For certain types of work, you may need additional endorsements to your general liability policy.
  • Customers – are you serving new clients or industries? This may cause problems with your professional liability policy if you’re servicing high concentrations of high-risk clients/industries.

The answers will be different for every business and usually won’t remain the same over the business’s life, and that’s why insurance isn’t a one-size-fits-all, unchangeable product. Take advantage of these attributes and annually review your business for exposures and insurance needs. Insurance may not cover everything, but it can certainly mitigate your risks. Start your annual business insurance review today with one of our insurance agents.

Aug 01
Love0

PROTECTING YOUR BUSINESS FROM NATURAL DISASTERS WITH A DISASTER RECOVERY PLAN

By Business Protection Bulletin

Of the U.S. companies that are victim to a man-made or natural disaster, the Contingency Planning Research Strategic Corporation says 43% never reopen their doors and 29% are out of business within the following two years. A study by Touche Ross found that companies without a disaster recovery plan only have a 10% or less survival rate. Business owners should be seriously asking themselves whether or not they have an adequate recovery plan for disasters. There are three crucial areas that all disaster recovery plans should cover:

  1. Physical Resources. Of course, the physical assets of a business, such as equipment, electronics, office furniture, and the building itself, are things that usually can’t be quickly or easily replaced if they’re damaged during a disaster. The following are questions that an adequate disaster recovery plan should answer:
    • Are there at least three days worth of emergency supplies on hand to carry the business immediately following the disaster?
    • What steps can you, should you, and will you take to protect physical assets?
    • How would physical assets hold up against various disasters – flood, hurricane, tornado, fire, earthquake?
    • Who will assess the damage to physical assets following a disaster?
    • Has a list been made to prioritize the replacement of key physical assets and what suppliers or companies should be contacted for the replacement?
    • Is access available from an off-site backup system if data and electronics are damaged and how often should backups take place?
    • How will important documents and records be kept secure and protected?
    • Is an alternative facility an option to resume operations if the primary location is unusable and what location and type of facility would be needed?
  2. Human Resources. All employers know that their employees are one of their business’s most vital assets. Therefore, employee safety and the resulting personnel issues that follow a disaster should be a top priority. The following are questions that an adequate disaster recovery plan should answer:
    • Have all staff been adequately instructed on the disaster recovery plan?
    • How will staff find safe shelter?
    • How will contact be maintained with staff during and after the disaster?
    • Are current contact numbers for all staff, vendors, suppliers, and clients available at an off-site location and how will this list be maintained and updated to stay current?
    • Have staff members been identified to assume mandatory or key roles should other employees not be able to resume their roles?
    • Are staff members assigned to form a crisis management team?
  3. Operation Continuity. This component is about getting the business back up and running after the disaster. The following are questions that an adequate disaster recovery plan should answer:
    • Does insurance, in particular business interruption insurance, provide adequate coverage?
    • What amount of cash will be available for emergency contingency expenses? * If the facility isn’t usable, then where should an alternative command center be located to coordinate the recovery? * Is there an alternative list of suppliers to use in the event regular suppliers aren’t operational? * What should be done for clients and customers during and after a disaster?

Employers might further assign specialized teams to be in charge of some of the tasks related to the above points. For example, a post disaster recovery team could manage recovery tasks like getting the business up and running quickly; an administrations team could handle areas like logistics, transportation, and emergency and survival gear; a public relations team could make public announcements and field inquires; a client/supplier communications team could advise vendors and clients of the business’s status; and an IT team could be responsible for software and hardware issues. Remember, disasters can strike with little, if any, warning. Business owners can keep themselves off the wrong side of the statistics by being prepared and being able to get themselves up and running as soon as possible.

Aug 01
Love0

PROTECT YOUR CONSTRUCTION WORKERS FROM HEAT STRESS

By Construction Insurance Bulletin

Construction workers are exposed to a number of hazards, from falling objects to chemical substances. However, as summer arrives with its scorching temperatures, workers face a risk that is not only difficult to escape, but often overlooked altogether – heat stress. The main components in preventing heat stress are recognizing the risk and taking action long before it becomes an issue.

Begin by making sure all your workers, including subcontractors, foremen, site supervisors, and hourly employees, are properly aware of the risk from the day they’re hired on. Information on the various types of heat stress, such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke, should be part of your orientation process for all new hires. Be sure to educate employees on the warning signs of heat stress, such as headache; weakness; mood changes; nausea and vomiting; dizziness; queasiness; fainting; and pale, clammy skin. Encourage workers to periodically assess themselves and their co-workers for any of the signs of heat stress. You might even create a formal buddy system to encourage awareness and the addressing of any incident of heat stress. Workers should be informed how and where they should seek help for themselves or a co-worker suffering from a heat illness.

Of course, such heat stress education must continue beyond orientation. Unless periodically readdressed, workers could forget the signs or what to do in response to heat illnesses. It’s also important that workers are reminded by their supervisors on a daily basis to protect themselves from the heat, as a lot of construction workers seem to think they are impervious to the serious impact heat has on the body.

Whenever possible, it may be prudent to schedule working hours to avoid the hot peaks of the sun. For example, the work day can start early in the morning, break while the sun peaks, and resume in the afternoon. If flexible work schedules aren’t a possibility, then be sure to encourage frequent breaks and hydration. You might also provide your workers with sunscreen.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) can help your outdoor workers tolerate the heat better. For example, you might replace front-brimmed hardhats with full-brimmed hardhats; light-colored glasses with darker safety glasses; and heavy and dark clothes with clothes that have a sleeve, collar, and are of a light weight and color.

Don’t let the sun come down on you and your employees before you take action. Remember, workers being aware of the serious risks that the sun presents and how to protect themselves will be the keys to a successful heat stress prevention policy.

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