Preparing for the Holiday Fire Season

Winter is a season to be particularly careful about fires, starting with cooking fires, which increase during Thanksgiving celebrations, and continuing all the way through New Year's Day. The season’s many holidays increase the danger of structural fires and fires related to candles and decorations, according to studies published by the U.S. Fire Administration, insurance companies, and safety interest groups.

USFA's January 2005 report, "The Seasonal Nature of Fires," said about 5,200 Thanksgiving Day fires in 2001 and 2002 required a fire department response and caused 11 deaths, about 51 injuries, and $21 million in property losses. Cooking caused about 43 percent of those fires, with ovens and cooking ranges ranked as the leading type of equipment involved in Thanksgiving Day residential structure fires, the report states.

The report defined the winter holiday season as Dec. 1 to Jan. 7 and says each of the holidays within that period "has the potential to change the profile of fire incidence and cause." Decorations, candles, electric lights, and live Christmas trees can be involved in holiday fires; the report says both Christmas and New Year's in 2001 and 2002 experienced more than twice as many structure fires caused by open flame compared with the average day in those years.

Winter fires also were more severe than average fires during the year and resulted in more injuries and more deaths, the report shows. While cooking fires increase on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, there are fewer vehicle fires on Christmas Day than the year-round daily average. The total average dollar loss from an estimated 12,600 fires on Dec. 24, 25, and 26 fires in the two years was nearly $92 million, it states.

An excellent resource about fire safety for all seasons is NFPA's blog, located at http://nfpa.typepad.com/nfpablog/. Recent posts by the staff have discussed a new FDA initiative with partner organizations to prevent surgical fires, fire safety related to Halloween, the opening of a Denver field office by the NFPA Wildland Fire Operations Division.

By Jerry Laws

Tips for Organizing Personnel Files – Reward: Limiting Risk!

Did you know it’s important to keep certain personnel records separate? Well it happens to be very important.  Quite simply, you should have at least 2 separate personnel files for each employee.

Why should we have separate files for each employee? 

There are both federal and state laws that require employers to administer and maintain multiple types of personnel records. Due to record sensitivity and subject matter, certain personnel records must be kept separate from the main personnel file. The primary file should house all records directly relating to the employees position with your company. Any non-job related records must be kept separate.

PRIMARY Personnel File (#1) - employees' personnel related records:  

• Completed Job Application (with attached resume, references, certificates etc)
• Signed acknowledgement and receipt of  handbook (policies/guidelines)
• Employee agreement/non-compete (contract)
• Direct Deposit & Payroll authorization forms
• Change forms (pay, title, payroll, address etc)
• Performance reviews
• Counsels / disciplinary actions (completed forms)
• Termination forms / layoffs / LOA
• Equipment record (assigned items – company phone, vehicle, tools etc)

SECONDARY Personnel File (#2) - confidential, sensitive records:

This file will contain confidential and sensitive personnel information so should be restricted to authorized staff members only: 

• Completed Form I-9
• Records of grievances or complaints affecting employment status
• Survey of ethnic, disabled or veteran status
• Workers’ compensation claims
• Discrimination claims, charges and related documents filed with EEOC or state agencies, as well as records kept by employer to aid in investigations
• Health and Life information (medical history and status)
• ADA - Work restrictions or accommodation requests
• Harassment claims and/or investigation results
• Wage garnishment records

Keep your employee personnel files separate to protect your company and your employees. Failure to keep certain records separate could lead to large fines should your company ever be audited. 

Workplace Cancer Risks

Though your workers might associate cancer worries with the food they eat or the air they breathe, the truth is that there are cancer risks in the workplace, including:

1. UV exposure for outdoor workers
2. Secondhand smoke exposure
3. Carcinogenic chemical exposure

1. No Skin Off Your Back?


If you have outdoor workers, advise them that if they notice the following changes to their skin, report to their supervisor immediately:

• Any change on the skin, especially in the size or color of a mole or other darkly pigmented growth or spot, or a new growth
• Scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or itchiness, tenderness, or pain
• Dark coloring that spreads past the edge of a mole or mark

They should also see a dermatologist, because these symptoms may indicate skin cancer. Review your workplace's precautions and protection procedures with your outdoor workers.

2. Great American Smokeout


On the third Thursday of this month (November 17), the American Cancer Society (ACS – www.cancer.org) will observe its annual day of encouragement and empowerment for smokers to quit. Remind your workers of these statistics that ACS has gathered on how stopping smoking can increase life expectancy.

• Smokers who quit at the age of 35 gain an average of 8 years of life expectancy;
• Quitting at the age of 55 gains about 5 years; and
• Quitting at the age of 65 gains 3 years.

The ACS Great Americans website includes many helpful tips, programs, and calculators to help smokers quit. This is the year, and this is the day. Encourage your workers to do it!

3. Chemical Carcinogens


Millions of U.S. workers are exposed to chemical materials that could be carcinogenic. If any of your workers are in this group, train them to take these steps to protect themselves from carcinogen exposure:

• Enter regulated areas only if you're assigned and authorized.
• Wear assigned, undamaged personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Inspect PPE before use to be sure it's undamaged and fits properly.
• For standard operations in a regulated area, wear:
  • Coverall, smock, long-sleeved shirt and pants, or other full-body protection
  • Gloves
  • Shoe covers
  • Half-face, filter-type respirator.
• For tasks with risk of direct carcinogen contact, wear:
  • Impervious clothing, gloves, and boots, and
  • A continuous-air supplied hood.
• Don't keep or use food, beverages, cosmetics, smoking products, or chewing gum in regulated areas.
• Remove PPE properly when you leave a regulated area.
• Leave used PPE in area assigned for decontamination and/or disposal.
• Wash hands, forearms, face, and neck before leaving the area.
• Shower at the end of the shift or immediately after direct exposure.
• Put on street clothes in the clean change room. Do not take contaminated clothing, PPE, or materials home.
• Follow decontamination procedures for materials and equipment.

Safety Daily Advisor  

Tips for Organizing Personnel Files – Reward: Limiting Risk!

Did you know it’s important to keep certain personnel records separate? Well it happens to be very important.  Quite simply, you should have at least 2 separate personnel files for each employee.

Why should we have separate files for each employee? 

There are both federal and state laws that require employers to administer and maintain multiple types of personnel records. Due to record sensitivity and subject matter, certain personnel records must be kept separate from the main personnel file. The primary file should house all records directly relating to the employees position with your company. Any non-job related records must be kept separate.

PRIMARY Personnel File (#1) - employees' personnel related records:  

• Completed Job Application (with attached resume, references, certificates etc)
• Signed acknowledgement and receipt of  handbook (policies/guidelines)
• Employee agreement/non-compete (contract)
• Direct Deposit & Payroll authorization forms
• Change forms (pay, title, payroll, address etc)
• Performance reviews
• Counsels / disciplinary actions (completed forms)
• Termination forms / layoffs / LOA
• Equipment record (assigned items – company phone, vehicle, tools etc)

SECONDARY Personnel File (#2) - confidential, sensitive records:This file will contain confidential and sensitive personnel information so should be restricted to authorized staff members only: 

• Completed Form I-9
• Records of grievances or complaints affecting employment status
• Survey of ethnic, disabled or veteran status
• Workers’ compensation claims
• Discrimination claims, charges and related documents filed with EEOC or state agencies, as well as records kept by employer to aid in investigations
• Health and Life information (medical history and status)
• ADA - Work restrictions or accommodation requests
• Harassment claims and/or investigation results
• Wage garnishment records

Keep your employee personnel files separate to protect your company and your employees. Failure to keep certain records separate could lead to large fines should your company ever be audited. 

Maximize Employee Involvement for a Safer Workplace

Leader commitment and employee involvement are two "must haves" for a safe workplace. OSHA stresses their importance in standards and guidance documents. Consultants and unions encourage them. And safety managers of safe businesses attribute their success to them.

Certified safety professional Julie Sobelman, who oversees a large and diverse employee population as senior EHS consultant to the U.S. State Department, explained how to maximize employee involvement by keeping safety and health front and center all year long.

She advises building a 12-month safety calendar with low-cost programs that get people engaged. She says that safety and health should be integrated into work and culture, not stand-alone programs. "It's about creating a maximum opportunity for maximum participation."

Mix It Up
Sobelman reports that she always has at least one ongoing initiative in place. An example is Report It, Don't Ignore It, which encourages employees to report incidents, hazards, and near misses. The name of every employee who submits a report during the month is entered into a drawing. Winners receive a coin, which buys them an hour off work.

In addition to ongoing programs, Sobelman recommends short-term awareness efforts—for example, a forklift rodeo at a large warehouse operation.

A third category of safety program to encourage employee participation is what she calls "quick hits." These appeal to a broad demographic. An example would be a fall or spring campaign to change batteries in home smoke detectors when employees change their clocks. A minimotivator, like a pack of batteries, could be offered to encourage participation.

Source: Safety Daily Advisor - BLR

How to Determine if You’re Communicating Clearly!

Almost everyone thinks they’re a good communicator. Are you one of those “It’s always them not me” mentality when something goes wrong because you know you told them to do it. Well the harsh reality is it’s probably just as much your fault the communication failed if not more.

So how do you make sure that you’re communicating clearly? Read body language.

The fact is that the employee doesn’t want to seem annoying or show confusion by asking questions when given direction. You have to keep that in mind and know what to look for so you can ask them the right questions to ensure they understand and heard you clearly.

Employees are known to do one or more of the following when confused: 

1. Squint eyes
2. Avoid eye contact
3. Tilt their head
4. Close their mouth and keep their mouth closed
5. Lower their eyebrows
6. Cross their arms and legs 

If you see any of this type of body language then you are probably not communicatingclearly. Ask the employee to restate what you asked them to do to make sure they heard you right. If they get it wrong then say “Almost, but this is what I actually need...”.

Don’t be the person who spits it out and walks off and then becomes angry when the task wasn’t completed properly. Engage the employee, be aware of their body languageand ask questions to ensure clarity.

Texas Law on Personnel Files!

Did you know that if an employee requests a copy of their personnel file that you don’t have to provide it to them?

Did you know that if a disgruntled current or past employee’s lawyer requests a copy of the employees personnel file that you don’t have to provide it to them?

In Texas private employers are given the right to determine whether or not they wish to hand over a copy of an employees personnel file. Employers typically have their own confidentiality policy regarding personnel files which allow employees to view their file at any time. Other employers also allow employees to have copies of all documents signed by the employee. Neither is required but typical practices among Texas employers. It’s important to remember to follow your own company policy and to be consistent.

You can find more information on Texas law regarding personnel files by visiting http://www.twc.state.tx.us/news/efte/personnel_files_general.html.

Taxpayers May Benefit From IRS' Newly Announced 2012 COLA Adjustments

As a result of the rising cost of living, the Federal income tax brackets will jump higher and taxpayers will be able to set aside an extra $500 in their 401(k) plans in 2012. The IRS recently announced their cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for 2012 which are triggered when certain statutory thresholds are met. Highlights of the 2012 adjustments include:

• The 401(k), 403(b) and most 457 plan contribution limits will increase to $17,000 (up from $16,500 in 2011). However, the catch-up contribution limit for those aged 50 and over remains unchanged at $5,500 in 2012.
• The modified adjusted gross income limits for taxpayers that are covered by a workplace retirement plan and want to make deductible contributions to a traditional IRA will be phased out for singles and heads of household between $58,000 and $68,000 (up from $56,000 and $66,000), and for married filing jointly between $92,000 and $112,000 (up from $90,000 and $110,000).
• For an IRA contributor who is not covered by a workplace retirement plan and is married to someone who is covered by a plan, the deduction is phased out if the couple's income is between $173,000 and $183,000 (up from $169,000 and $179,000).
• The AGI phase-out range for taxpayers making contributions to a Roth IRA is $173,000 to $183,000 for married couples filing jointly (up from $169,000 to $179,000). For singles and heads of household, the income phase-out range is $110,000 to $125,000 (up from $107,000 to $122,000).
• The IRS announcement on cost-of-living adjustments for 2012 also affects the standard deduction, the personal exemption and the 2012 tax bracket thresholds as well;
  • The personal and dependent exemption will increase to $3,800 (up from $3,700 in 2011).
  • The standard deduction for married couples filing jointly will jump to $11,900 (up from $11,600) and for single filers and couples who file separately will jump to $5,950 (up from $5,800).
  • Tax bracket thresholds will also rise. For example, for married couples filing jointly, the 25% bracket will kick in at $70,700 (up from $69,000) this year. For single filers, the 25% bracket will start at $35,350 (up from $34,500). The top income tax bracket of 35% will apply to taxable income exceeding $388,350 for married couples and individual filers (up from $379,150).
• The estate tax exemption for 2012 will be $5.12 million (up from $5 million in 2011). The higher threshold is scheduled to expire at the end of 2012 and the $1 million limit under previous law is set to return in 2013.
• The annual exclusion for the gift tax will remain $13,000 for 2012.

Source: UHY LLP News Alert