Here are some terms you should know when evaluating your quote:

Liability Insurance: Reimbursement to others for damages, injury or losses that you or your car caused. Liability insurance comes in two flavors, Bodily Liability Insurance and Property Damage Liability:

• Bodily Injury Liability: Covers what you owe to a victim of an accident where you were at fault that resulted in injury or death.
• Property Damage Liability: Pays for damages you caused to property.

Collision Insurance: Covers replacing or repairing your car after a collision whether or not you were at fault for an accident.

Comprehensive Insurance: Covers non-collision related damage to your car.

Medical Payments Coverage or “Med Pay”: Covers physician, hospital and funeral costs and compensation for you and any passengers who might have been in the car with you.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP): Is a broader version of Medical Payments Coverage. It covers medical bills and related losses for you, your passengers and pedestrians regardless of who’s at fault.

Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage (UM/SUM): Pays for losses from accidents with uninsured, underinsured drivers or hit-and-run accidents where it’s impossible to track down the party at fault. This kind of coverage is New York.

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A subluxation is a misalignment of the bones that house and protect the spinal cord. Any misalignment puts unnecessary pressure on the nerve system and cuts off the nerve supply to different parts of the body. Vertebral subluxations that are left undetected and unadjusted for many years can lead to symptoms of pain, diseases, and an unhealthy expression of life.

How do I know when I am subluxated?

It can be difficult for you to know without visiting a chiropractor whether or not you are subluxated. Sometimes they cause pain, but often the nerves that have been affected by the misalignment are damaged and cannot carry pain signals.

Subluxations can exist for years without warning signs, but if left untreated they can negatively impact organ function and lead to a deterioration of your health.

Chiropractors are trained to detect the subluxations with their trained hands and correct them properly.

How did I get subluxated?

A person can become subluxated in a wide variety of ways. Simple things like how you sleep, sit, and stand can contribute to subluxations. Some subluxations can even be developed during birth.

Normal childhood activities like falling from a bike, sledding, playing ball, or anything else that results in a jarring impact cause subluxations in children.

Why do subluxations take so many chiropractor visits to cure?

Because most subluxations have persisted so long, the muscles around the misaligned bones have conformed to these incorrect positions. Muscles try to return to these positions and resist chiropractic adjustments at first.

As with a workout routine, the muscles need to be trained. In the case of subluxations, your chiropractor will train them to conform to an aligned position, which takes time. Over time the adjustments to “hold” for longer and longer periods. Eventually the visits will taper off until you only need minor fixes every once in a while.

Will this cure my back/neck pain?

While correcting subluxations might bring you relief from pain, the general aim of the chiropractor is not to merely fix painful backs and necks, but to enable the body to express a full range of movement, without interference from misalignments. Correcting subluxations contributes to overall wellness and health because the body is able to function as it was meant to. Without the nerve blockages subluxations cause, the body can boost its immune system and more effectively fight disease and illness. Relief from back and neck pain, which are the most common symptoms that bring people into a chiropractor’s office, might come about from the adjustments, but there are no guarantees.

This post sponsored by Dr. Phillip D. Golinsky, Reston VA Chiropractor

New regulations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on effluent limitations for the construction industry are now in effect. The final regulations establishing Clean Water Act (CWA) technology-based Effluent Limitations Guidelines and New Source Performance Standards for the Construction and Development (C&D) point source category were recently published.

The EPA expects compliance with this regulation will reduce the amount of sediment and other pollutants discharged from construction and development sites by approximately 4 billion pounds per year. As of February 1, 2010, all permits issued by the EPA will incorporate the new requirements which set numeric limits for the discharge of storm water from a construction site.

To further familiarize yourself with these regulations go to: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-28446.htm

This heads up sponsored by Volvo Construction Equipment Rental franchises of North Carolina and Georgia:

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Electricity provides us with lights and power, both on the job and at home. It’s such a normal part of our lives that we often forget that all that power can be dangerous, too. We’ve all experienced minor electric shocks, but shocks can be severe enough to kill. Careless use of electricity causes 10 percent of job-related deaths, as well as many serious injuries.

A QUICK REVIEW: How Electricity Works

When you turn on a switch, electric power moves from a generating station through wires to the light or tool you just turned on.

Wires are made of metals or other materials that conduct electricity, so they’re called conductors; the wires are enclosed in materials like rubber or plastic called insulators because they resist the electricity and keep the current on its path.

Electrical equipment and wires must be grounded—that is connected to the ground through a conductor like a metal circuit box or three-pronged plug. Grounding keeps the wire from touching you and making you a conductor that electricity will go through.

OSHA has some very detailed regulations designed to keep electricity from becoming a dangerous hazard. Control panels or switch boxes that could produce sparks have to be enclosed. You have to keep electrical equipment of 50 volts or more either in separate rooms or enclosures, behind partitions, or at least eight feet above the ground. Electrical equipment over 600 volts has to be locked or guarded within an 8-foot-high fence or similar enclosure. Nothing but electrical equipment can be kept in these areas so that contact with anything flammable is prevented.

The built-in protections in electrical systems include fuses or circuit breakers that shut off power when they get more of a load than they can handle. Ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), provide added protection outdoors, or in wet areas like bathrooms, by cutting off power if there’s any electrical leakage that could cause shocks.

GENERAL HAZARDS

A key reason for all these protections is to prevent a major electrical hazard: shock. That’s what happens when electric current goes through you because a wire isn’t properly enclosed, or has defective insulation, or because you make direct contact with “live” electricity like a power line. The risk grows with length of contact with electric current, especially if the current enters your body near your heart. The ultimate electric shock is electrocution, and it doesn’t take much electrical power to kill you.

Instant death is not electrical shock’s only hazard. It can cause pain, loss of muscle control and coordination, internal bleeding, damage to nerves, muscles, or tissues, and cardiac arrest. It could also cause you to fall and be injured.

There’s an even greater risk of shock if you mix electricity with water. You’ve all read warnings about being careful with hair dryers and other appliances in the bathroom. The reason is that water, especially when it creates moisture in the air or on the skin, can change what’s normally resistant to electricity—like your body—into something that conducts electricity. So if you plug in something electric with wet or sweaty hands, you will get a shock.

Another hazard is electric burn. If you touch overheated equipment, or if current flows through your body, you can end up with serious burns of skin and/or internal tissues.

If you overload circuits or equipment, you could encounter still another electrical hazard: overheating that causes a fire or explosion. This is especially dangerous in areas that contain flammable or explosive substances.
This post sponsored by Volvo Construction Equipment Rental franchises of Louisiana and Texas:

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OSHA has a number of electrical safety regulations (29 CFR, Subpart S, 1910.301 to 1910.399), most of which involve the design of electrical installations. The top four electrical violations in a recent fiscal year, each of which had more than 950 incidents, involved the following:
1. Conductors
2. Grounding path
3. Guarding of live parts
4. Covers and canopies

One of the OSHA electrical regulations is specifically aimed at reducing electrically caused accidents and injuries. The detailed Electrical Safety-Related Work Practices Standards (1910.331-360) limits certain tasks to “qualified” employees, who are defined as having “training in avoiding the electrical hazards of working on or near exposed energized parts.” Qualified employees must at least be able to distinguish exposed live electric parts and their nominal voltage, as well as the clearance distances and corresponding voltages to which they will be exposed.

The standard defines all other employees as “unqualified,” which means they have no special training in recognizing and avoiding electrical hazards but might be exposed to electrical shock on the job.

All employees, however, need some knowledge of electrical safety and the protections built into the new standard. We’ll cover the essentials in the course of this meeting.

Identifying Hazards
To use electricity safely, you have to be able to identify its most common hazards. Most occur in everyday work situations, rather than the specific electrical tasks covered by the new OSHA standard. Electrical repair should be left to skilled, trained people. So if you spot one of these hazards, don’t touch anything. Report it to me immediately so electricians can make the proper repairs.

Here are the hazards to watch out for:
• Loose electrical connections
• Cords with no insulation or frayed insulation
• Plugs that don’t match their outlets—like a three-pronged plug in a two-pronged outlet
• Non-waterproof cords used outdoors
• Equipment running over capacity
• Tools that smoke, smell, spark, or shock
• Wires running across the floor
• Electrical cords left near heat or water
• Electrical cords used around hazardous flammable or explosive materials and not designed for that use
• Extension cords instead of permanent wiring.

These safety tips brought to you by the Volvo Construction Rental Franchises of Massachusetts:
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In Hoffman’s piece he enlightens us to ideas on how to conduct business using sound environmental solutions for the end result of waste-reduction which ultimately helps our bottom line. “It’s remarkable how much demolition scrap can be recycled if properly segregated and separated,” says Hoffman. “Materials that are suitable for reuse include concrete, brick, doors, wood, HVAC equipment, plumbing fixtures, cabinets, windows, carpet, light fixtures, ceiling and floor tiles, wood, and decorative items. The countless possibilities of what to do with the materials, beyond sending it to the landfill, abound.”

Here’s a list of items Hoffman explains how to recycle along with their reuse opportunities: architectural salvage (windows, fixtures, doors and door frames, and millwork), metals, concrete, wood, gypsum wallboard, and bricks.

Before you start your next construction project, check out his article.

This post sponsored by Volvo Construction Equipment Rental Franchises of Gegorgia:
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Proper lighting must be provided to illuminate the work area; but at the same time night-time lighting needs to minimize glare, not interfere with the vision of oncoming motorists and it should uniformly illuminate the work area.

Your options in lighting equipment to meet that tall order include ground mounted towers, equipment mounted luminaires and trailer mounted towers. However, choosing the proper lighting vehicle is only the first step in letting there be light.

According to Khaled El-Rayes and Khalied Hyari, authors of Automated DSS for Ligting design of Nighttime Operations in Highway Construction Projects, other considerations for meeting requirements of sufficient lighting include, lamp lumen output, mounting height, lighting towers positioning, aiming angle of luminaires and lighting tower rotations.

Remember, working at night on a highway can put you and your crew in harms way. So before you begin any night-time construction, contact the Department of Transportation to identify lighting requirements or guidelines for your specific area.

If you’re considering equipment rental for your construction site, talk to your rental agency for advice about the proper lighting for their equipment. Or talk with experts on Boston Equipment Rental and Worcester Equipment Rental.

Post sponsored by Volvo Construction Equipment Rental Franchises of Massachusetts:

Volvo Construction Equipment Rental in Worcester, MA
Volvo Construction Equipment Rental of Boston, MA

Supervisors’ Safety Duties

Supervisors have many responsibilities in many areas — production, quality assurance, and management, to name a few. Because supervisors are so busy, employers can be tempted to delegate some of their safety responsibilities to others, such as the safety manager. But removing supervisors from the safety equation is usually a bad idea. It can weaken your safety program and increase liability risks for your organization.

Your supervisors are your primary line of defense when it comes to keeping your employees safe. Areas where supervisors should always be looped in include:

Training: While actual delivery of the training, and related recordkeeping, can be delegated, supervisors must know what knowledge and skills are required in order for an employee to perform a job safely. This includes knowing the requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as the requirements for special or infrequent jobs (such as cleaning tanks) where the supervisor will be directing the work.

Job hazard identification: Periodic inspections are something you may want to delegate, but your supervisors should be cognizant of the primary job hazards in the areas they supervise so that they can recognize and correct them in a timely fashion, including such areas as possible chemical exposure hazards, machine guarding, slip-and-fall hazards, heat-related hazards, and ergonomic hazards.

Incident reporting: Incident investigation and related paperwork may be something you feel can be handled by someone else. However, supervisors should know what the reporting requirements are, complete the initial report, and know what to do with reports if the issues raised are things they cannot address themselves.

Corrective action: One of the most important roles a supervisor plays when it comes to safety in the workplace is addressing unsafe behaviors that he or she sees in the course of employees performing their work. While it’s a good idea to have HR work in concert with supervisors on corrective action that falls under the employer’s disciplinary action system, supervisors should address those behaviors that deviate from the safest way to do something as they witness it, even if the behavior doesn’t necessarily warrant formal disciplinary action.

Following safety rules: When a situation arises where doing something the safe way will take more time, supervisors can sometimes be tempted to do it themselves without following proper safety protocol in order to get the job done. Supervisors should not be allowed to take a pass on following the safety rules that apply to their workers. In fact, your supervisors should be held to your highest standards when it comes to safety, since they are the ones setting an example.

For more information on getting the job done safely and under budget, with construction rental equipment visit:

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Pressure washers give you the cleaning power you need when the garden hose isn’t strong enough. But there are different types of pressure washers and several things to consider prior to renting one for your job. So how do you go about choosing the right pressure washer?

First let’s understand pressure washer basics. A pressure washer can be gas powered or it can be powered by an electric motor. The main difference is in the washers’ strength and speed.

Electric powered washers are best used for small projects like the grill or recliner while gas powered pressure washers are a more powerful choice and better suited for larger jobs that require more pressure.

Other differences in pressure washers would include grades – i.e. consumer, industrial, residential; styles – i.e. electric, gas, portable or mounted; and PSI. PSI is a measurement of water pressure that varies with different machines.

There is a lot to consider prior to renting the right pressure washer for your job. But don’t let it get in the way of your summer fun. If you have any questions, contact an expert in heavy and construction rental equipment at www.hardhatanswers.com. Alternatively, refer to the equipment guidelines or contact the manufacturer.

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A thorough job-site audit to assess every hazard and task is paramount when considering PPE.

You should also know what the key federal, state and/or industry regulations that govern your job sites are, and what the provisions are in each for the use of PPE. Consider what, if any, inspections are performed by regulators and what is included their inspections. Also, consider the strengths and weaknesses of your current workplace safety program. Can you identify any vulnerabilities that PPE can help address?

When you’ve identified your construction site hazards you can determine the necessary protection needed for each. Hard hats, for example, are designed to protect against impact and penetration from falling objects, and in some cases against electrical hazards. Head protection should be required wherever there is a hazard from falling objects, and wherever a worker may be injured by impact from stationary objects overhead.

Don’t overlook eye protection. The eyes are very vulnerable and should be protected from flying particles, molten metal, light, heat, chemicals, dust and other workplace irritants. Eye protection should be worn whenever someone is operating power equipment.

Ear protection is also a concern on job sites since high levels of noise can cause hearing loss and stress. How much noise is too much noise? If you have to yell to be heard over background noise, then the noise level is probably too high. Ear protection includes ear inserts, canal caps and ear muffs. The noise level and PPE requirements would dictate which type you would use.

Depending on the job, other parts of the body should be protected against burns, impacts and cuts. Protective apparel such as chaps can be used to help prevent leg accidents and gloves should be used to protect hands. Also consider protecting your feet from impact, puncture or electric shock. Safety shoes and boots may provide protection and shoes with impact-resistant toes can be worn to protect toes from heavy objects being dropped on feet. You may also want to consider a metal insole to protect the foot from punctures when where are sharp objects underfoot.

If fall protection is necessary consider a body harness, lanyards, anchorage, life lines and shock absorbers.

If you are considering construction equipment rental options, consult with the rental company about the PPE they provide.

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