Exposure to hazardous chemicals is a serious threat to workers. Employees have the right to know what chemicals are being used, their hazards, and how to safely handle them. OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard is intended to “improve the quality and consistency of hazard information, making it safer for workers to do their jobs and easier for employers to stay competitive,” as described by former U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.

Theft, fire, collision, upset, and overturn all threaten the equipment you depend on to deliver projects on time and within budget. Direct losses from contractor’s equipment are estimated to be over $1 billion annually. Even if just one piece of equipment is damaged or out of service, it can significantly impact your project’s timeline and cause productivity to suffer. What can you do to protect your equipment and control losses?

Do you have employees driving their personal vehicles on behalf of your organization? Perhaps for making sales calls, visiting clients, running to the post office, or picking up equipment or supplies? If so, what risk management strategies have you adopted to ensure your company is properly protected and your employees are properly insured for business use?

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Joe Calloway, author of “Be The Best At What Matters Most” and several other game-changing business books. We hope you enjoy Joe’s wisdom and perspective.

The hard stuff is reaching deep down inside and looking honestly into your soul and asking, “Do we really want to do this, and are we willing to change how we’ve done it up to now?”

2014 was one for the employee benefits history books! The roll-out of the individual mandate, modified community-rating for individual and small group policies, and the public exchanges.

2015 will be yet another chapter in the revolution of employer-provided health insurance with the employer mandate taking effect and additional compliance and reporting responsibilities placed on employers. Throughout all of this, the overriding themes will continue to be creating and maintaining a culture of health within the workforce and the evolution of technology.

Active shooter incidents are scary. These stories flood the news and make us worry about the safety of our children. Yet despite its overwhelming presence in the media, active shooter incidents are not the highest cause of death in schools.

They are extremely serious matters. Schools should take steps to prevent active shooters and train staff on how to respond should an incident occur. But it is critical not to overlook the often quieter, more frequent causes of school fatalities such as school transportation, homicides, and suicides.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Katie Tryniecki, Marketing Specialist at Gibson. We hope you enjoy Katie's wisdom and perspective.

“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”

Most people associate Vince Lombardi with this line. But in fact, it wasn’t the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers who first said it. Some attribute it to college coach Red Saunders and others to John Wayne in the 1953 film Trouble Along the Way.

Fall protection for the construction industry has topped the OSHA list of most frequently cited standards year after year. In fact, falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry with 294 of the 796 fatalities in 2013 being attributed to falls. Yet these fatalities can be prevented. What can you do to protect your employees from fall hazards?

As if the cold weather and snow weren’t enough to deal with, the winter also brings the danger of ice dams. The combination of snow on your roof, the freezing temperatures, and heat escaping from your home can create chunks of ice along edges of your roof. This prevents melted snow from draining off. The backup of water created can then leak into the home and cause significant damage.

Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Ron Kitchens, Chief Executive Officer of the Southwest Michigan First Group of Companies. We hope you enjoy Ron’s wisdom and perspective.

We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.
- Max De Pree

In 2015, leaders need to first and foremost do this one thing: take care of themselves.