OSHA Increasing Penalties for Severe Violators

Officials at the AFL-CIO recently released their annual report called Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect. Citing an estimated 9-14 million workplace injuries in 2008, as well as recent tragedies in mining, refineries, and plants, the report lays much of the blame on shortcomings of the OSHA and the Bush administration. Since regulation of such matters directly affects most of our audience, I want to give you all a quick heads-up on what OSHA and lawmakers are currently doing to address these serious concerns.

As reported by Risk & Insurance magazine, OSHA is now increasing penalties for severe violators. Effective mid-June (as in now), OSHA will be focusing on employers with “indifference to their responsibilities under the law”. In addition, legislation is currently being considered by the House of Representatives that would greatly increase the penalties for violations capable of causing death or serious harm.

No matter what kinds of regulations the government places on safety in the workplace, it is ultimately the responsibility of the employer to provide a safe working environment, and proper training. Employees should also be held accountable to a certain degree, for ignoring regulations and knowingly using unsafe practices. Does your company actively enforce safety regulations? How do you handle non-compliance with the regulations by your employees? Leave your answers and see others’ in the comments below

Relocation Network Roundup

This week in our Relocation Network of Affiliates:

• How To Repair Leather Chairs And Renew Leather Furniture - JC Wood
• Leaping Figures? Anthony Gormley in NYC - Mana Fine Arts
• Creating Your Business Name - Go Mini's
• Decorating Ideas: How to Design with your Kids - Relocation.com
• Heading off to college? Add Health Insurance to your to-do list. - Bollinger Insurance Solutions
• BBB ? Spotting Rogue Movers Before They Have Your Goods - Priority Moving
• Fan Fridays: Ram Katalan of NorthStar Moving - Moishe's
• LEND(ing) a Hand - Two Men and a Truck

Word From Our CEO: Put it Down to Get it Done!

Thanks to our CEO/President Gadi Binness for the following post. Learn more about Gadi and connect to him on LinkedIn.

I belong to a group of local business owners here in the Tri-State area called The Alternative Board (TAB), which meets once a month to discuss and coach each other on a variety of topics and issues that we experience as small business owners. Participating in TAB meetings has helped me gain perspective on my business goals through hearing about others’ successes and failures, as well as sharing my own.

Professional gatherings like this can be an incredible source of ideas that can be implemented in your business right away. However, it wasn’t until recently that I realized that there is one thing I must do at these meetings to make sure I actually benefit from hearing others’ ideas—write it down! It may sound obvious, but in the past I had sometimes neglected to take notes and it was those times that my business probably did not benefit as much as it could have from those meetings.

That is to say, if I don’t put things in writing, I will forget about them. Whether your style is to use a simple notebook or to type notes on a laptop, the act of taking notes is a critical first step in turning new ideas into action. Not only can I refer to my notes later, but I find that I actually remember ideas better after I have physically written them down.

There is probably some psychological or scientific reason for this (and please feel free to look it up and send me your findings), but the bottom line for me is that I would not have gotten all my business ideas in place unless I wrote them all down at some point. Thus was born my new mantra (which I’ve repeated endlessly to my employees, friends, kids, and to myself): “Put it down [in writing] to get it done!”

What methods do you use to turn ideas into business practice? Please feel to share with us and our readers in the comments section below.

Affiliate Network Roundup

Here's what's been going on amongst our affiliates this week. Are you a Relocation Insurance Group affiliate and haven't seen your blog featured? Send us your blog URL here.

• Proud Sponsor of this Year's Le Book Tradeshow - Flat Rate
• World Cup Fever - America’s Moving Services
• New flood insurance policies won't be sold by State Farm - Relocation.com
• Moving Reviews Posted - NorthStar

Relocation Insurance Education: All Risk Policies - Valued Inventory vs. Lump Sum

There are several options consumers can choose from when insuring their possessions during a move or while in storage. Today, our focus is on the two types of All Risk policies Relocation Insurance Group offers: Valued Inventory and Lump Sum.

Full Replacement Value - Valued Inventory

• Advantage: By providing a detailed inventory, you are specifying all individual items that you want insured. All items listed are insured up to the replacement value based on the Terms and Conditions.

• Disadvantage: Items not listed and valued are not insured. If you do not list ALL of your personal effects, you are not insuring your entire shipment.

Full Replacement Value - Lump Sum

• Advantage: Declare a total lump sum of your shipment and list (with values) only items that are $500 or greater in individual value. Items below $500.00 (USD) in individual value do not have to be listed and are covered at their declared or replacement value and at a maximum of $500 each. Your total lump sum value must include the value of both listed, as well as non-listed items.

• Disadvantage: If you declare a total lump sum value lower than the actual total value of your shipment, or lower than $6.00 times the weight of your shipment, you may be underinsured and subject to the Co-Insurance clause.

Extra Credit: Co-Insurance

A clause under the Terms and Conditions of the policy, which determines the settlement compensation amount in case of a claim. Co-Insurance, or Underinsuring, is a situation in which a shipment or an item is insured for less than its replacement value. Settlement will be proportional to the declared value versus the replacement value of the shipment or item.

For example, if you insured your goods for $10,000 (i.e., a declared value of $10,000) while the entire replacement value of the goods is $100,000, your proportionate claim settlement amount (in case of a claim) would be 1/10 of the actual value. A lost table worth $1,000 will yield a settlement in the amount of $100 (minus any deductible, if applicable).

If your shipment weight is 5,000 lbs, the minimum policy amount required is $30,000. Unless you opt to complete a Full Valued Inventory, in order to avoid co-insurance, you must purchase coverage at a minimum of $6 per pound based on the weight of your shipment.

More information on all coverage options offered by Relocation Insurance Group

Positive Signs from our Relocation Affilliate Network

Lots of great stuff going on this week!

• Move for Hunger and Priority Moving work to Stamp Out Hunger - Priority Moving
  
• Extending “Bring Lebron James to the Knicks” Campaign! - Moishe's Moving
• Summer is here! - Elephant Moving and Storage
• Penske Logistics Presents Report: U.S. Logistics Industry Poised for Rebound - Penske
• Free Packing Course for Moving Customers - Ferguson Moving & Storage
• Get Cross Country Moving Rates - ABF U-Pack Moving
• GO MINI’S 2010 Dealer of the Year - GoMini's
• E-Z Movers’ Teams Up With Apartment People - EZ Movers

Self Storage Owner Denies Liability for Damage Caused by Admittedly Faulty Roof

The owner of a self-storage facility in Washington D.C. is denying any liability for water damage to its tenant’s belongings, caused by a leaky roof which the owner admits has been in poor shape for over a decade. As a recent article at DCist.com explains, the facility’s owner lays the blame on the contractors he hired to fix his faulty roof, and on the tenants themselves.  “Things can happen to your stuff in storage,” and “customers need to have renters' insurance,” according to the owner.

It is of course true that tenants should be aware of the risks to their belongings during storage, and that a good insurance policy can protect the value of belongings damaged by various perils. However, most tenant insurance policies would not likely cover such a claim as this one, where the facility owner admits to having a faulty roof for so long.

Who do you think is liable here—the owner, the tenant, or the contractor? Check out the full article at DCist.com and let us know what you think by commenting below.

Weekly Network Roundup

Weekly Network Roundup highlights news and events from our broad network of affiliates, vendors, and thought leaders. We hope you find our Weekly Network Roundup to be a valuable resource for business ideas, product and service commentary, and more.

Week ending Friday, June 4, 2010

Pre-planning Can Go a Long Way - posted by Prudential Van Lines


6 Computer-packing Tips - posted by Preferred Relocation


The Celebrity Beat - posted by Relocation.com


Penske Teams Up with NBC "Today" Show's Annual Lend a Hand Charity Effort - posted by Penske Truck Rental

The Relocation Referral Engine

There’s a great new book out there called The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself by John Jantsch (award winning social media publisher and author Duct Tape Marketing). The basic idea of the book is that you want your company to become a source of referrals for your customers and, in turn, your company will be sent referrals in droves.

Jantsch suggests that you should be able to refer your customers to the BEST companies that might fit their needs, outside of (but related to) the product or service you provide. For example, at Relocation Insurance Group, we refer customers to the very best movers, storage facilities, and mobile storage providers. We also use our industry experience and contacts to refer our affiliates to the very best vendors we know.

In return, Janstch tells us that the companies you refer customers to regularly will gladly return the favor when their customers are in need of a company offering your services. That is, if you are among the best! That’s the other (perhaps understated) half of Janstch’s magic formula: be remarkable. If your company is striving not only to see revenue, but to provide the very best product or service in your space, chances are you’re doing some remarkable things—and members of your network will refer customers to you.

What do you think of this idea of becoming a “referral engine”? Have any of you read the book? Leave your comments below.

5 Ways to Mitigate Risk during the Busy Season

With summer fast approaching and home sales showing signs of improvement (crossing our fingers), the moving season is in full swing and it's time to prepare for an increase in workload. While we all welcome the surge in business, let’s not forget that more work being done equals more chance for mistakes—and mistakes cost money. Following are five ways moving and storage companies can keep risk to a minimum in order to fully capitalize on the busy season:

1. Hire responsible helpers. In beefing up your crews for the busy season, don’t forget to do some careful screening of your applicants. Check on referrals, and ask questions about the applicant’s work experience, ethic, and attention to detail. If your primary source of labor is local college students, don’t be shy to ask for grades. Remember, you’re looking for brains as well as brawn.
2. Don’t breeze through the training. You want to get your new help out in the field just as much as they’d like to avoid watching hours of instructional videos. Make sure your program keeps the attention of your trainees by mixing in some hands-on tests in the warehouse in between lessons. The faster your helpers pick up proper techniques, the less chance there is that they’ll make mistakes handling your customers’ belongings.
3. Keep your crews healthy and happy. Mistakes happen when people are tired, overworked, or unsatisfied with their jobs. Make sure your summer crew is well-aware of the importance of hydration, taking appropriate breaks, and on-the-job safety. Keep your employees happy by showing your appreciation for all their hard work by scheduling a summer barbecue or two.
4. Reward attention to safety. Research shows that small rewards can go a long way. Hold monthly competitions for safety standards and give the winner a gift card, or other fun prize.
5. Keep the bar high. It is often easy to passively allow guidelines and regulations to loosen—especially when your crew is working longer, harder days.Set and keep the bar high, by communicating high expectations regularly.

What other tips or best practices do you have for keeping risk to a minimum during peak season?