The SBCA 2009 Award Program recognizes the top 5 percent of small businesses across the country. The winners of the award are chosen by the use of consumer feedback and how important the small businesses are to the American economy. The selection committee chooses the award winners from nominees based off information taken from monthly surveys administered by the SBCA, a review of consumer rankings, and other consumer reports. Award winners are a valuable asset to their community and exemplify what makes small businesses great.
“Being chosen as one of the top 5 percent of small businesses is fantastic and shows the public that we offer a great service,” said Greene. “The need for the best training possible is something that I hope more and more businesses will realize is essential to building a strong business.”
I hope that everyone makes workplace safety their New Year’s resolution and learns from the lessons of 2009 and looks to this company to make safety a priority in their business.
I think this video says it all – provide forklift training for your staff! Oh, and if you’re company sells alcohol, make sure that the workers aren’t keeping the party going while on the clock.
This video won’t teach anyone to park a car, but it definitely lets us know that we are surrounded by dummies who need to take a driver safety course or two. This driver, a 62 year-old woman, was arrested after completing this stellar parking job and leaving the scene of the crime. This video reminds us all that driver safety is extremely important because this could have been a tragic situation if the owners of those cars were inside.
Health care has obviously become a hot topic this year and continue to be one for years to come, but one thing that everyone can agree upon is the importance of privacy in terms of one’s health care. Nobody wants their private information being accessed by those you haven’t given approval. Without HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, private health care information could be distributed to unwanted parties. If the thought of that doesn’t make you feel a little violated I don’t know what does.
So what is the big deal about HIPAA? Well, everyone knows the dangers of getting your identity stolen. I mean it is a constant threat and businesses have been created just to protect people from being victims of this type of crime. HIPAA actual helps protect you from this sort of problem. Besides protecting you from cybercriminals, it also keeps your personal information safe from groups that may harass you for medical decisions you have made or from being discriminated against in the workplace.
HIPAA is a complicated policy that needs to be administered through proper training. This training is usually done through the Human Resources department in businesses, but where do these trainers learn how to properly share this information with employees? Here is a great online HIPAA overview that has interactive test questions throughout the course to make sure employees understand HIPAA.
This HIPAA Overview Training course will teaches viewers to:
Recall the history and purpose of HIPAA
Identify the definition of HIPAA
Identify the five rules created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as required by HIPAA
Identify the different company statuses and responsibilities under HIPAA
Identify the HIPAA responsibilities of the human resources officer
For most people, thoughts of lasers go to the cool special effects of hollywood blockbusters. Honestly, how many little boys wanted to be Luke Skywalker fighting with his light saber? More than I could possibly count. But on a serious point, lasers are used in many different ways in the real world. Medical procedures, manufacturing and mechanical production are just a few. When you think about the fact that tumors are being removed and people are getting 20/20 vision all because of a laser is pretty incredible. But if a laser can do all of that, the potential dangers in the event of a mistake should get your attention. Lasers are used more and more and learning proper laser safety training is a must for any business to avoid accidents. Knowing this, SafetySkills Laser Safety course, http://www.safetyskills.com/laser-safety-training, is the best way for any employer and employee to stay safe on the job using this type of technology.
This course teaches learners the basic principles of laser operations and three essential laser components, how to identify major types of lasers, beam-related and non-beam-related hazards associated with laser operation and the controls used to eliminate or minimize laser related hazards. It also allows grown adults to shoot lasers at UFOs during the competency sections of the course, which is pretty cool if you ask me.
It is easy to say that diversity awareness is a hot topic for 2009 and employers should take this October, Diversity Awareness Month, as an opportunity to share this with employees. With the appointment of Sonya Sotomayor to the Supreme Court and the recent Crowley/Gates controversy, the entire nation has become aware of how important it is to understand each others’ differences. No place needs to be knowledgeable of this more than the workplace. SafetySkills™ Diversity in the Workplace course provides employers and employees with an education on the advantages of diversity and how to respect each others’ difference to create a positive work environment.
“Diversity is extremely important to any business,” Trey Greene, CEO of noodleStream.com. “Getting as many different perspectives as possible can only benefit your company. Understanding various markets by employing individuals who fits that demographic really helps you realize what makes them tick.”
Besides the professional benefits diversity can lead to, having the proper training on the matter can help avoid misunderstandings and potentially offensive situations that could have been otherwise prevented.
“I believe very few people intentionally say something discriminatory towards another person, but that doesn’t make it any less hurtful to the injured party. Sometimes co-workers need to be taught how to work together. This is not only good for your staff, but also for your business’ protection,” said Greene.
To learn more about diversity in the workplace, visit www.safetyskills.com/diversity-in-the-workplace.
According to a poll done by Harvard, only 4 out of 10 adults are definitely getting the H1N1 virus vaccine when it becomes available this year. This number rises slightly, 6 out of 10, when asked if they would get the vaccination in the event that their community members were sick or dying from the virus.
Some might find these results shocking, but when the 1976 national influenza campaign gone wrong is put in perspective it makes complete sense. This campaign ended with blood on the hands of the government. The disease never spread as expected and 500 of those who were vaccinated developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, resulting in the 25 deaths. Knowing this and the effects that have been linked to countless other vaccinations, it’s only natural that people, especially parents, would be concerned about vaccinating themselves and their children.
But with all that said, there is still a great risk being expressed by experts about the dangers of swine flu. It is still expected to become a major problem and everyone should decide how they want to handle the situation. For those who would like the vaccination, contact your medical professional about the vaccine and when it will be available to you. For those who choose not to be vaccinated, be extremely aware of the other prevention methods you can take to avoid getting swine flu.
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year because it gives everyone an excuse to dress up, act like a kid and my favorite part – I don’t have to cook! That being said it is also a very dangerous holiday. I mean, one of the goals is to get scared, but not to get hurt. Luckily there are some things that parents and childcare professionals can do to help train children to have a safe Halloween.
Do candy checks
Wear costumes that are easy to see and move in
Know pedestrian safety
Only adults should cut jack-o-lanterns
Beware of stranger danger
Only trick-or-treat in well-lit and safe neighborhoods or trick-or-treat venues
Create an route for trick-or-treating and stick to it in case of an emergency
Children under 10 should probably NOT trick-or-treat without adult supervision
Bring a flashlight
Make a specific route for your child to trick-or-treat on if doing so alone. Set a curfew and if your child is late you know where exactly to look.
There are few families that have impacted the American people as much as the Kennedys. Through politics, activism, fashion, controversy and tragedy, one thing that everyone can agree upon is that this family name will be remembered. The latest tragic end has fallen upon Senator Edward M. Kennedy who died at the age of 77 on August 25th.
Kennedy spent over 3 decades of his life in the U.S. Senate and among his many contributions (over 2,500 bills), one of his passions was creating a safer workplace for American workers.
One of the most well-known rights Kennedy fought to give workers was the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This act gave all workers the ability to take unpaid leave to care for themselves or family members in case of a medical illness or for maternity leave without fear of termination. Over 60 million Americans have been able to take advantage of this act thanks in part to Ted Kennedy.
Kennedy also worked to provide Americans with the right to paid sick leave by introducing the Healthy Families Act, which would ensure 7 days of paid sick leave to be used for workers’ health maintenance as well as their family members. He also saw the need for the Working Families Flexibility Act in order to allow employees the ability to meet the needs of both family and work through a flexible job arrangement.
He even made a point throughout his career to address the financial discrimination that hits women where it hurts, their wallets. Women currently earn 78 cents to every $1 earned by a man. When the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 was signed by President Obama, Kennedy was a leader in its passing.
Another group Kennedy fought for are those in the mining industry, with his MINER Act legislation passed in 2006. Despite the new law being passed, Kennedy felt more needed to be done and he continued to call for safety investigations across the country concerning these workers.
He also worked tirelessly to pass the Protecting America’s Worker’s Act, which would expand the coverage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. “Enacting of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970 was a major step in guaranteeing the basic right of workers to be safe on the job. Since the law was signed, however, we have not substantially amended it to improve worker protections,” said Kennedy.
Although this bill has not yet become law, even after his death it will live on through the efforts of his fellow senators. He will be missed.
Everywhere you go all you see and hear is the need to go green. Green cars, green houses, green foods and clothing (aka organic), green cleaning products, if it exists there is probably a way to make it green. So it only seems logical that education and training courses would jump on the bandwagon. Online education and training courses are becoming extremely popular and cheaper than the traditional classroom method.
Perks of online education and training:
Can be done anywhere at anytime
Saves thousands of trees with online testing and record keeping
Lessens gas consumption which is better for the environment and your wallet
No building or utility costs
No trainer costs
Takes less time to complete
Companies worldwide have realized the benefits of using green training. This method allows employers to train their employees at anywhere and anytime with the most current content. On top of the fact that less time is spent by employees in training and more time working, it saves businesses by financially by the cost cuts that go with this change. Companies like Dell, Yahoo, Goldman Sachs and even the country of Norway have committed to going carbon neutral and are reaping the benefits, not only through the PR that it brings in but with the money saved.
As most of my readers know, I think that SafetySkills online training is pretty great. The company that created the SafetySkills brand, noodleStream.com, has receieved the 2009 Best in Business Award in the Safety Training Service category by the Small Business Commerce Association (SBCA).
