The following headlines seem to be increasing in numbers lately. Some are questioning weather they are a sign of increased summer construction, while others argue that a slow news week is bound to turn up these times of headlines. Still one has to argue that maybe the recession has something to due the increased numbers of workplace accidents.
One unfortunate victim of the economic downturn has been residential home builders. With less residential work available many home builders have jumped head first into the commercial building market. Some do very well given their strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit. Still otherscan quickly find themselves in a precarious position both economically and legally.
The lack of commercial job experience means that many home builders are not aware of the finicky nature of commercial investors, bonding, and safety measures. Many find themselves loosing money on jobs and woefully vulnerable to OSHA violations. There has been speculation that some workplace accidents can be prevented if residential builder put the same emphasis on safety that larger commercial builders do. Only time will tell whether there really is a connection between the increase in workplace accidents and the influx of residential builders in the commercial market.
Man buried in 3 tons of window pane piping
May 29th, 2009 @ 8:35am
By Andrew Adams
SALT LAKE CITY — A man is in critical condition after a freak accident while making a delivery Friday morning.
The man was delivering a truckload of piping for window frames to Amsco Windows at 1900 South and 1000 West. When he went to unstrap the load, three bundles, weighing about a ton each, came off his load and fell on him.
Workers at the scene worked quickly to lift the load off the man using a crane. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Man crushed by tank dies
May 29th, 2009 @ 6:57am
DELLE, Utah (AP) — Police say a Salt Lake City-area man has been killed after being crushed by a steel structure that collapsed on him as he tried to topple it.
Tooele County Emergency Management spokesman Wade Mathews says Ronald Samford, 50, died Thursday.
Samford was the owner of Rocky Mountain Construction Services, which had been contracted to demolish the Marblehead lime plant. Mathews says the plant had been unused for nearly 15 years.
Mathews says a hopper bin weighing about 100,000 pounds unexpectedly collapsed on Samford, who was dead by the time emergency crews arrived.
Another worker was slightly injured and a third was unhurt.
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Information from: Deseret News
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UBI NEWS
Report: Working families struggle with budget
May 20th, 2009 @ 4:17pm
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A new report says up to one third of Utah’s working families don’t earn enough to cover basic costs like food, shelter and health care.
The report from Voices for Utah Children says that even though 82 percent of Utah’s low-income families are employed — 10 percent more than the national rate — they don’t always bring in enough to pay for essentials.
According to the report, Utah’s cost of living is no longer significantly less than in other parts of the country and low-income workers are hit the hardest by the state tax system.
The report calls for a state earned-income tax credit to act as a work incentive.
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Information from: Deseret News
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UBI NEWS Tags:
budgets,
tax,
Utah
What owners and managers need to know about having employee!
Presenter:
Deborah Stone, SPHR
Evolutionary HR
Do you know the legal aspects of having employees? What state and federal
regulations must you observe? If you have one employee or a thousand, you need to
know the laws that apply to you as an employer. Our HR 101 Workshop will address
these and other questions as we help you to navigate the “alphabet soup” of Human
Resources – ADA, COBRA, EEO, FLSA, FMLA, HIPAA, and more. We’ll also cover some
“best practices” in creating an environment where your employees can do their best
work.
When: Wednesday, May 13, 2009
8:00 AM to 9:30 AM
Continental Breakfast will be provided
Where: Universal Business Insurance Office
Old Mill Medical Center
6360 S. 3000 E. Suite 205
Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted in
UBI NEWS Tags:
Business,
employees,
Human Resources