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Welcome to Oram Security Consultants, LLC
Greetings!
The N1H1 flu, also called the "Swine Flu" has become news all over the world. In this month's news letter we address not only how to protect yourself from getting sick, but also how it might effect society, our families, work and with crime.
Take these everyday steps to protect your health:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
- Stay home if you are sick for 7 days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. This is to keep from infecting others and spreading the virus further.
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Protecting Your Workers, Means Keeping Them Safe At Work And At Home.
Most companies and businesses, no matter what their size, will have some type of "security" plan in place. This can range from just turning off the lights at night and locking the doors, all the way through a 24 hour live security presence with alarms and all the bells and whistles. But very few companies look at their security beyond their own doors. Your employees are one of, if not the greatest asset your company has! Protecting them at work is just as important as helping them protect themselves as they travel to and from work. By conducting training for your employees, you can not only create a safer work environment for them, but also increase your employees' company loyalty by showing an interest in their well being.
If you or your company does not already have workplace training in use, contact us to help you develop a plan of action and begin the training.
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How A Pandemic May Effect Crime Rates.
As a pandemic progresses in severity, the most probable reaction will be mass social distancing, whether instituted or spontaneous.
- Instituted, is when government entities have enacted measures leading to social distancing such as the closure of schools, public gatherings, non-essential business.
- Spontaneous social distancing is when families take it upon themselves to stay out of public locations.
We may see spontaneous school closures when parents keep their children home en masse, and parents remaining at home to care for their children will see some business curtailed as a result. Other threats will present themselves as well.
Robberies, particularly bank robberies, may increase. When people begin wearing the N95 cloth masks in public, one of the first groups that will take advantage of this will be the criminal element who will realize they can easily walk around in public concealing their faces without razing suspicion. Given the current financial situation, the stress and civil unrest added by a developing pandemic and the resulting economic effect of a pandemic, it is likely that the numbers of robberies will increase.
Domestic violence may increase dramatically since social distancing will alter the family dynamic. Families are accustomed to being apart for most of the day, and in this scenario, everyone will be home and on top of each other with the pandemic itself adding a level of stress. The potential for loss of income will also add considerable agitation to an already difficult situation and domestic violence will be a likely result.
Suicide and suicide attempts will also increase for obvious reasons.
There may also be an increase in fire. Cold and flu season is traditionally during the colder months and social distancing means that more people will be at home for longer periods of time and possibly using alternative heating devices (especially if there are issues with our critical infrastructure) for longer periods of time. Add to this the fact that more people will be cooking at home and we can readily see the risk for fire increases significantly. |
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Traveling? Health Insurance outside the US.
International travel can be fun and exciting, but it can also be dangerous. As is true in so many other facets of life, an ounce of preparation trumps a pound of cure every time. If you are planning to travel internationally, make sure your health insurance company will cover you in the country you are traveling to. If it does not, look into getting Travel Health Insurance. This insurance can be for just the length of your trip and can be canceled at any time you wish. In some countries, you may have to be transported hundreds of miles to the nearest high quality trauma center and this can cost an extreme amount. There is no substitute for a little research and intelligent anticipation of whatever hazards lie in your path to make sure you get the proper care you need. | | |
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Assessing Workplace Violence Risk to the Business
It's really a matter of risk management. Violence in all types and forms must be understood and managed.
Over the last two decades, the Department of Labor and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have provided insightful information on workplace violence fatalities and nonfatal incidents. While these statistical reports have provided essential details, in most cases businesses have not been able to translate them into cogent plans to address this ever-present problem. This article will focus on helping those charged with the responsibility for addressing workplace violence to understand the potential business and financial impact of violence on their work environment.
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Many companies monitor their brands online. Individuals, too, could benefit from such an approach by using Google Alerts. Users can type in personal information and receive an alert whenever this well-known search engine finds it online. Someone mentioned in a blog, for instance, may want to post a rapid response.
This site can help people protect their personal information by searching to see if their information is online where it shouldn't be. To initiate the search, users can type in data such as their name, address, and telephone number.
It's also possible to input your Social Security number, but that may not be wise. In an effort to add to your security, you may actually be making identity theft easier. Other aspects of the searching make more sense and carry less risk. Users who find that their information is where it doesn't belong can contact the Web master and ask that it be removed. | |
