Looking for ways to educate and engage your employees on safety & health topics throughout the year? Check out our 2018 Safety & Health Calendar.

Workplace safety and wellbeing should be a top priority for leadership and employees. But how can you keep your employees engaged all year long? For every organization the approach is different – you could have a safety committee, newsletters, monthly training sessions, and more. The 2018 Safety & Health Calendar is a valuable tool you can utilize to make your efforts more effective.

Each year OSHA releases the 10 most frequently cited standards. Many of the same standards have found themselves on this list in recent years. Fall Protection - General Requirements (Standard 1926.501) remains on top by a wide margin. The only new addition to this year's list is Fall Protection - Training Requirements (Standard 1926.503) at #9.

Are you taking proper precautions to avoid these hazards in your facility and promote workplace safety?

Exactly twelve years ago, around four o’clock in the afternoon, our Suburban came to a stop in front of Leighton Plaza, on Main Street in South Bend, Indiana. My wife had picked me up at Midway airport and driven me to South Bend. With the setting sun, it was already getting dark outside. I opened the door and a gust of cold wind swirled in. I put my foot down into the slushy mixture and looked up through the hazy sky at the Gibson offices on the fourth floor.

Only seven hours prior I had awoken to the blue skies and the radiant sun of Scottsdale, Arizona. After six years in the Southwest, we were returning to Indiana. I left behind great friends, a good career, and awesome co-workers based on a pitch from Dave Gibson and Greg Downes. At that moment, only one question was on my mind, “What did I just do?”

Winter weather often means an increase in slips, trips, and falls. The snow, ice, freezing rain, and cold temperatures can create more hazardous conditions for workers.  

To improve workplace safety, inform your employees of the dangers surrounding winter weather and educate them on strategies to prevent injury.

Giving your employees bonuses or gifts is often considered a way to spread cheer and thanks during the holiday season.

A holiday bonus could lessen employee financial stress during this busy time. But monetary gifts aren’t the only way to show your appreciation – don’t forget about personal thank you notes, celebratory events, team-building activities, time off, company swag, and more.

If you are looking to provide a holiday gift to your employees, it is important understand some of the implications these gifts may have – on you as the employer and on the individual employees.

The holiday season is often called the best time of the year. It is filled with special moments surrounded by family and friends. But come on, we all know what’s really important during this very special time of year: the food!

In these winter months, countless celebrations will be held. The gatherings will be filled with pies, turkeys, cookies, hams, candies, cocoa, and deliciousness galore! Unfortunately, that also means they will be filled with a variety of cooking perils. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), “three times as many home cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving as on a typical day.”

Be it on Thanksgiving or any other holiday gathering, don’t let kitchen hazards put a damper on your special celebrations. Consider these 7 tips to keep your holidays happy…and full of delicious food!

Every year, hundreds of organizations raise lung cancer awareness in November and for good reason. With an unfortunately high mortality rate, lung cancer is responsible for taking more lives than colon, breast, and prostate cancer combined. Although training and regulations are mandated, individual awareness may lack amongst individuals, especially in the workplace.

In honor of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, we’ve talked with the Mesothelioma + Asbestos Awareness Center to gather some advice on respiratory health awareness and how to keep safe while on the job. Taking time to understand these hazards and communicate them with your employees should be an important part of your workplace safety efforts.

The South Bend Alumni Association recently honored a couple, Greg and Mary Downes, inducting them into the Community Hall of Fame. This is fitting recognition for a lifetime played at a hall-of-fame level by Mary and Greg.

It got me thinking about my own legacy. Twenty-five years from now, will I be hall-worthy? If not, it won’t be because I was missing an example of leadership, duty, and compassion in the community. It won’t be because I didn’t have the opportunity to regularly and consistently observe the lesson – as President Kennedy borrowed from Luke 12:48 – that “to whom much is given, much is required.” And it won’t be because I didn’t have someone challenging my thinking and wondering if I’ve done my part. That’s because I’ve had the honor and good fortune of working for and alongside Greg for the past dozen years at Gibson. Luckily, this meant I also had a number of moments to engage with Mary, too.

Millennials are the largest generation of employees and for the first time in history, five generations of Americans are now in the workforce. The generational differences present a unique challenge for employers, especially when it comes to values and preferred communication styles.

January 31st will be here before you know it, and with it the deadline to file 1099 tax forms. In a perfect world, this deadline is met with security and peace of mind. In the real world? Not so much. We’ve seen many companies who couldn’t tell us where W-9s were kept or if the accounting department collected them at all. If you, like many companies, dread the deadline each year, there is still time. Read below to understand best practices for filing 1099s, why obtaining and maintaining your company’s vendors’ W-9s is important, and how to prepare for success for the approaching deadline.