This past month saw a flurry of OSHA inspections in KS and MO and our first article outline a few "weak" areas which should be of concern for most of our members. We also feature thoughts from Stuart Margolis as well as Dr. Joe Webb.

Over the past three weeks, six member companies were inspected by OSHA in Kansas and Missouri.  Is your house in order?

 

Although many of our members work hard to maintain a safe work environment, it's easy to overlook paperwork, and/or training requirements which could result in fines in an OSHA inspection. What areas are challenging for many companies? Here are several: 

 

1.) Machine Guarding. This continues to be one of the top items on OSHA's hit list (and one of the major reasons for random inspections).  Too often operators will take guards off equipment to help their productivity - but create a potential hazard to themselves and fellow employees.  

 

2.) Lockout/Tagout. This is an area where proper procedures and training is often overlooked.  Over the years, serious injuries or death have resulted because of no lockout/tagout procedures or poor training of employees/contractors. 

 

3.) OSHA Form 300.  This simple reporting document must be kept for five years and posted on an annual basis.   

 

4.) Forklift Training.  Anyone who operates a forklift, must be trained in its operation and the training must be documented as well as an evaluation of the operator's skills conducted every three years.  

 

5.) Also, don't forget that as of last year, the new Global Harmonization System must be incorporated as part of the Hazard Communications training.

 

PIA MidAmerica has been a leader in OSHA and safety compliance for over 25 years, and we have resources (online, books, publications, and consultants) which can provide invaluable information or assistance whether you are a company with five employees (if you are a print producer - you are covered by OSHA) or 200.  Give us a call at (800) 788-2040 or email us.  We can help!

 

The Graphic Excellence Awards Gala (Dallas/Fort Worth) is only one week away and everyone is invited! This year's event will be held on April 3, 2014 at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie and will also honor the 2014 Visionary Award recipient, Bob Johnson.  It will be a fun night for everyone in attendance.  Contact Amanda Gaffaney for information.

 

Three weeks later on April 24, 2014, Kansas and Missouri members should plan on attending the Kansas City Awards Gala at the American Royal Governor's Room.  Along with recognizing the Graphic Excellence Award winning entries, three individuals will be honored for outstanding commitment to the industry. Dick Johnson, Executive of the Year; Joe Cichon, EHS Professional of the Year; and Saori Miura, Educator of the Year.  Contact Teresa Campbell for information.

 

Reservations for either event can be made online (Dallas/Fort Worth) (Kansas City) or by calling (800) 788-2040.

  

The economy has changed, the banking industry has changed and traditional relationships between companies and their banks have changed.  The recent economic recession has caused heavy regulatory scrutiny of bank loans making banks more cautious about lending money, even to their best customers.  And this is no surprise to most of our members.

 

Industry specialist Stuart Margolis, CPA, observes that healthy banks want to lend money and create relationships with small businesses.  They have cash and want to move it.  Yet, these same banks are looking at customers more carefully.  In many cases, the loans are (at least loosely) tied to performance in forms of covenants, which serve as an early warning system to alert both the lender and the company that the business may not be headed in a positive direction.

 

Margolis has provided us with an article discussing banking covenants and what a borrower should now about them.  Visit the PIA MidAmerica Vault to download.

 

One of the topics discussed at the recent Dr. Joe Webb program was the advent of content marketing - and the role it plays in today's world of printed communication.  Here is a short article from Dr. Webb on that topic, 

 

"We've all heard the phrase 'content marketing' but it's one of those phrases everyone claims to understand but everyone seems to have their own definition. Wikipedia's definition is '...any marketing format that involves the creation and sharing of media and publishing content in order to acquire customers. This information can be presented in a variety of formats, including news, video, white papers, e-books, infographics, case studies, how-to guides, question and answer articles, photos, etc. Content marketing is focused not on selling, but on communicating with customers and prospects.'

 

We've always had it, such as brochures, sell sheets, case studies, and even more formats. Back when there was no Internet, people needed to request them. Today, because of search engines, they need to be found. There is even an organization that promotes it, the  Content Marketing Institute. They have some very good support and learning materials on their site. 

 

One of the marketing automation companies, Marketo (pronouced "Mar-KEE-toh") has a  very good infographic about content marketing's use. They cite that the most popular formats are "non-blogging social media (79%), article posting (78%), in-person events (62%), e-newsletters (61%), case studies (55%), blogs (51%), white papers (43%) and webinars/webcasts (42%)." They also explain that more than half of companies are increasing spending while 45% are maintaining their levels. On average, it's already 26% of advertising budgets, and growing. Do you know what content marketing is? Have you had a discussion with clients about their content marketing strategy? Can you help them with it? Can you help them repurpose their content to get full value from their investment?"

 

 

We have heard that there is a scam artist in North Texas who poses as a collection agency, collects a retainer from the firm, and collects the debt from the delinquent debtor only to vanish into thin air with the money.  This is truly a "fool me twice" scenario that negatively impacts printers and their customers.

 

Needless to say, it is NOT, a practice in the collection industry to ask for a retainer (unless there's potential legal action being taken); so, if you're not too sure, give PIA MidAmerica a call and we can help make sure that you're dealing with a well-established firm.