|
Serving Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming
|
|
Cost Of OSHA Noncompliance Going Way Up!
OSHA's penalties, which have not been raised since 1990, will increase by 78% due to the two-year budget President Obama signed on November 2, 2015.
The top penalty for serious violations is increasing from $7,000 to $12,471 and those for willful or repeated violations are rising from $70,000 to $124,709.
The new civil penalty amounts are applicable only to civil penalties assessed after Aug. 1, 2016, whose associated violations occurred after Nov. 2, 2015. OSHA is required to implement by January 15 of each year an annual cost-of-living increase, with the adjustment tied to the increase in the Consumer Price Index.
Because of a rash of injuries, including amputations and some deaths, the printing industry is on OSHA's target list. Is your company ready for an inspection? Would it pass or be forced to pay thousands of dollars in fines.
A safe and healthful work environment is a key factor in running a successful operation. The health, safety, and environmental responsibility of your company is one of the main concerns of Printing Industries of America, which employs a three-person team just for this discipline. PIA's Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Affairs Department knows and understands the printing industry inside and out and are available to help with all of your EHS needs!
Among the consulting services they provide: - Compliance program reviews
- Agency permit preparation and reviews
- Agency correspondence and communications
- Environmental compliance audits
- Safety compliance audits
- EPA and OSHA inspection assistance
- Agency interaction
- And much more!
The next time you have a compliance question or need assistance regarding safety, sustainability or the environment don't hesitate to contact the experts at Printing Industries of America.
You pay business insurance. Why not insure against being potentially fined thousands of dollars by engaging one of PIA's EHS consultants.
Call toll-free at 800-910-4283 ext. 792 or email EHS@printing.org.
|
|
New Mexico Workers Comp Law Addresses Workers Under The Influence
A new law in New Mexico is designed to clear up confusion on how workers' compensation benefits can be lowered when a worker is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The law was enacted because New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration (WCA) judges have faced troubling issues raised by two conflicting statutes. One law said a worker found to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of an injury wouldn't be entitled to any workers' comp indemnity benefits at all. Another law said the judge must reduce benefits by 10%. In practice, the no-benefits law was usually ignored, and at most, a worker's indemnity benefits were reduced by 10% if the accident appeared to be at least partially caused by the use of drugs or alcohol.
The specific language in the old laws was another problem. The 10% reduction provision went into effect only when the worker's intoxication or impairment was a "contributing cause" of the workplace injury. The total-loss-of-benefits provision applied only when the workplace injury was "occasioned by" the worker's use of alcohol or "occasioned solely by" impairment resulting from drugs. Both provisions proved difficult to apply in real-life situations.
The new law amends the existing statutes to make them consistent and clearer. It defines "intoxication" and "influence." It also requires WCA judges to reduce a worker's benefits by "the degree to which the intoxication or influence contributes to the . . . injury or death," starting with a minimum of 10% and capping at 90%.
The law requires employers to adopt two measures to take advantage of its provisions. First, an employer must adopt a written policy stating its workplace is alcohol- and drug-free. The policy may include postaccident drug and alcohol testing, and it must provide notice to employees that their workers' comp benefits may be reduced if their use of alcohol or drugs contributes to a workplace injury.
Second, the law prevents an employer from claiming the benefits reduction if, before the workplace accident, it knew or had "constructive knowledge" that the worker was intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, had a reasonable opportunity to take appropriate measures in response, and failed to do so. This part of the law likely will lead to disputed claims that may result in workers' comp trials.
Source: Barbara J. Koenig
Foster, Rieder and Jackson, PC
|
|
Printing Industry's Largest Wage And Benefit Survey- Please Participate
With the recent Department of Labor re-definition of exempt vs. non-exempt parameters, employers are analyzing their current employee compensation structure to ensure compliance. A crucial part of this analysis is compensating employees fairly, within the company and marketplace.
PIA's Wage & Benefit Survey is THE tool that can be used to help managers make these types of decisions. It's the most comprehensive survey available within the printing industry and provides salary/wage information on over 100 positions as well as current benefit practices.
If you participate in the confidential survey, we will provide you the report - a $250 value ($1,000 for non-members) - FOR FREE.
All WSPA member companies have been forwarded paper copies of the survey along with usernames and passwords should you wish to complete the survey electronically (CLICK HERE). Should you wish to participate online, go to http://www.cvent.com/d/cfqyjb.
Please take the time to participate and take advantage of the intelligence you will glean from the survey findings such as are you leaving money on the table? What are my competitors paying? And what are the prevailing benefits in the industry?
The deadline to participate is August 8, 2016 and the report should be available in October.
FAQ
1. Can I partially complete the survey and come back to it later with my earlier responses still there? Yes, Just go back to the survey link. You may have to re-enter your password.
2. Can print out my responses when completed? Yes, near the completion of the survey you will have a screen with all of your responses that you can print out. Note that you will have to hit the "FINISH" button at the bottom of that page to submit the results.
3. Can I see the jobs and job descriptions for the survey first? Yes, Click Here. There are plenty of open fields to enter other job titles that are not listed.
4. Who do I ask if I have a question about the survey? Contact Jim Kyger at 1-800-910-4283 (ext. 503) or jkyger@printing.org.
|
|
Huge Member Savings On FSC Certification
We continue to see FSC® Chain of Custody Certification as a requirement of many our customers.
For many print providers, the cost and discipline required in order to be part of the supply chain is difficult to justify, but that may no longer be true.
As a member of WSPA, regardless of your company size, we can provide technical support (control forms, logo approval, and planning) as well as the audit through well-recognized agencies (Rainforest Alliance or SCS) for a single fee at discounted pricing - including travel and FSC® fees.
So if you are currently enrolled in a Chain of Custody program, or contemplating FSC® certification, contact June Crespo at 1-844-237-1550 or jcrespo@wsprint.org. We'll be glad to outline our "Small Group" program as well as our "Large" printer program, and provide you significant savings! Many of our members have saved thousands of dollars a year through this program.
|
|
Sales Compensation Report Available For Just $99
One major category not covered in the aforementioned Wage and Benefit Survey is sales compensation (with the exception of salaried VPs).
Sp what do top printing sales reps earn across America? How is their commission structured? What percentage of companies pay on a value-add system versus gross sales?
These questions and many others are addressed in The 2016 Sales Compensation Survey of Printing Industries of America, available for purchase now.
Along with surveying compensation methodologies (salary, salary + commission, commission, etc.), we also attempted to gather information about these methods in regards to major production processes (heatset/coldest web; sheetfed; digital; mailing; fulfillment, etc.). Given the number of ancillary services added by many print providers the past decade, and that there have been marked differences between sheetfed and web compensation methods, it was important to differentiate the information gathered. CLICK HERE TO ORDER your copy for just $99. |
401K plans are now the dominant vehicle for employment based retirement savings. Properly structured, they give participants an opportunity to save and invest in a tax deferred environment. They also provide a mechanism for employer contributions without creating liabilities that are associated with traditional defined benefit pension plans.
Because the participants make their own investment choices, employers should be sure that a sufficient range of choices are available in the plan and that the fees associated with those choices are minimized. These points are a focus area for the U.S. Department of Labor and the subject of governmental audits.
Since the key members of management are usually the largest account holders, they have a personal interest in being sure that their money is not wasted on poor or expensive choices. At minimum, the interest of top management is best served by having the firm pay all of the costs of administration, as if it is added to participant accounts, the top people will pay most of it personally.
It is also useful to look at options for "opt out" rather than "opt in" enrollment as the former will enhance employee participation. It is also worthwhile to investigate structuring the employer contribution so that the "safe harbor" regulations are met. This will enable top management to contribute to the plan without being limited by employees who do not participate or do so at minimal levels.
|
WSPA has just launched a brand new member service - a Job Bank where job seekers can post their resumes for free and members can post available positions - also complimentary!
CLICK HERE to visit the new Job Bank.
The bank lists not only positions in WSPA territory but in other states as well. Job seekers must first register to be able to post their resumes.
For WSPA member companies, you should already have received an email with your LOGIN ID and temporary password. If you would like this sent again, simply call our office at 844-237-1550.
|
|
Lessons From Lindgren:
Contract Pricing
Multi-year contracts for a fixed price are not common in our industry (with some exceptions for the publication printing sector). However, there is an occasional client interest in such an arrangement. As a practical matter these contracts begin with fixed prices for specific products and thus they are like estimates, but estimates that are intended to cover a series of actual transactions. In constructing these, consideration should be given to the fact that paper is likely to be the single biggest cost element and one which is beyond the control of the parties. A practical solution is to exclude the paper from the fixed portion of the agreement with the client being charged for the actual cost of the paper used. Since estimating systems usually contain mark-ups on paper, these values need then to be moved into the fixed prices so that they are not lost by the printer. One of the motivations of such a contract might be to encourage increased buying by a volume related discount. If this is implemented, it is preferable to do so by way of periodic rebates due after specific volume targets have been met. Because such arrangements are for larger amounts, it is doubly important that detailed terms of sales are agreed upon. A useful model for this is Printing Industries of America's Best Business Practices. Bob Lindgren is the President and CEO of Printing Industries Association of Southern California, the largest affiliate of PIA. Mr. Lindgren has more than 40 years of experience in the industry and is an expert in the area of print finance. |
 |
|
1. Falling for fads. With so many management gurus hawking books and seminars on leadership, some managers tend to blindly follow whatever is popular at any given moment. Filter every trend and idea by asking, "will this work for us and this organization?" If not, don't follow it, no matter how popular the idea is. 2. Obsessing over defects. You want to correct mistakes and improve quality. But if you spend all your time just looking for what's wrong, you'll never see what's working correctly, and you'll miss the opportunity to reinforce good practices so they get repeated. In addition, employees will dread reporting to you. Pay attention to the things that go right, and reward people for doing a good job. 3. Missing the big picture. Coaching and guiding individual employees are important, but if you spend too much time working with them one on one you may neglect the larger situation. Think of your department and organization as a system of interconnected parts, and make decisions that support the system as a whole. Don't forget about your people; just maintain a broad perspective.
|
|
Time To Hit the Links!
The dates are set for WSPA's golf tournaments in Denver and Phoenix. DENVERWSPA will return to the Heritage Eagle Bend Golf Club on Friday, September 9th.Described by Golf Digest, as "one of the best places to play in Colorado," the Arthur Hills designed course is a links-style 18-hole championship course that makes use of dramatic elevation changes, native areas, panoramic views and wide, accommodating fairways to appeal to players of all levels. Tickets are only $125 and include greens fee, golf cart and lunch. Foursomes and individual tickets will sell out fast so be sure to sign up ASAP. Don't golf? Join us for lunch for just $25. Interested in sponsoring the tournament? Contact Golf Committee Chair Sandi Neuman at 602-228-5858 or sandineuman614@gmail.com. CLICK HERE TO SPONSOR
|
|
|
PHOENIX The Phoenix Golf Tournament will return with a vengeance on Saturday, October 22, 2016 at the stunning Arizona Grand Golf Resort.
Join colleagues and friendly competitors from the industry for a day of fun on the links followed by the Par-Tee on the Green, where bragging rights will be on display and awards presented.
Tickets are only $99 and include greens fee, golf cart, lunch and two drink tickets. Foursomes and individual tickets will sell out fast so be sure to register as soon as possible!
Last year the tournament sold out quickly so book your foursomes early! Sponsorship Opportunities
Interested in sponsoring the tournament? There are numerous opportunities still available including individual hole sponsorships - many helping to support future GCEF Scholarships. All sponsorships include signage at the event plus recognition in program and on website. Email current HIGH RES LOGO in jpg, eps or vector format. In-kind raffle prize donations are also welcome.
For details contact tournament chairman Gary Matchinsky at 480-829-8890 or garym@bctarizona.com.
|
What Do They Do In Their Spare Time?
Do you want to find out whether job candidates are self-motivated? Ask them about their extracurricular activities.
People who are willing to devote their free time to continuing education or volunteer work are demonstrating an energetic attitude that will likely carry over into their workplace practices. And having other outside interests means they're probably well-balanced people who will be a healthy addition to your staff.
|
Weekly Photo Feature:
Are you Kidding Me?!
Each week, E-Connects shares incredible photos on just how lax individuals can be when it comes to safety. Some pictures showcase carelessness, others plain stupidity. The goal - to keep a safe work environment front and center on the minds of all of your employees. Pictured: "Would someone please turn off the power!"If you come across a funny safety pic you think should be featured, email Michael Makin at mmakin@wsprint.org. |
|
What's New?!
Have exciting news at your facility? For example, recognized for community service or install a new press? Hire a new employee you want to show off? Held an open house or party?
Let us know so we can share in a future edition of E-Connects.
|
|
Quote For The Week
"Genius begins great works; labor alone finishes them."
Joseph Joubert
|
|
Want Others On Your Team To Receive E-Connects?
|
|
|
|
