Charter Partner's Quarterly Newsletter!

Marijuana Drug Testing Takes Center Stage

The Life Safety Alliance (LSA) Loss Control Sub-Committee members gathered October 25th at the farm for their bi-annual meeting.  Safety and Human Resource associates met to discuss a variety of safety and regulatory topics affecting operations.  

One hot topic identified at their May meeting was the impact of drug testing for marijuana in the work place, as varying phases of legalization occur.  PMA was instrumental in assisting us in obtaining a presenter to educate the group.  We would like to thank Sarah Smiley from Precision Diagnostics for sharing information on interpreting marijuana drug tests.

Members On-the-Move 

Life Safety Alliance (LSA) long-time member, John Lawlor of Keystone Fire Protection (and KPI Holdings Inc.), has purchased the assets of Communication Systems Inc., a Lehigh Valley-based security, fire and communication systems integrator.

The newly formed business Communication Systems Integrators LLC (CSi), will join the KPI family of life safety systems businesses. Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., CSi will extend KPI's mission of life safety and property protection. 

"The addition of CSi to our other businesses perfectly aligns with KPI's mission," said John M. Lawlor, president and CEO of KPI. "The high-end security integration and communication technologies are a strong complement to our core fire protection business."  Read More...

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Motorcoach Partners with Integrity (MPI) member, DeCamp Bus Lines, visit insurer Lancer Group in Long Beach, New York.  A long-time insured of Lancer, this was the first visit to Lancer's home office.  Pattie Cowley & Glen Welch of Charter Partners attended the meeting along with Jonathan DeCamp & Erwin Pantel of DeCamp Bus Lines.  Attending from the Lancer team was Wayne Ricci, Tim Delaney & Ken Anthony.  We thank Lancer for their hospitality!

More About DeCamp Bus...

DeCamp is a f ounding member of MPI and has been in business since  1870.  They are a family-owned company located in northern, New Jersey. Their company history is very interesting.   Major Jonathan W. DeCamp originated the idea of operating a stage service between Roseland and Newark via the Newark-Mount Pleasant Turnpike (known today as Mt. Pleasant Avenue). Jonathan had returned from the Civil War where he served with distinction, earning promotions until he achieved the rank of Major before he was honorably discharged from the Union Army in 1865. 

He returned to New Jersey and operating the family farm-when he formed his idea. Major Jonathan DeCamp built a covered wagon, hitched it to a team of sturdy horses, and started his stagecoach line.  Imagine, a t the time a round trip from Roseland to Newark took an entire day.  

Erwin Pantel, Glen Welch, Wayne Ricci, Tim Delaney, Jon DeCamp and Ken Anthony. Photo Credit Pattie Cowley :)
 
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Another MPI member, Bailey Coach, sponsored a veterans trip November 9th to Gettysburg.  

The day began with breakfast at the York Expo Center and departed for Gettysburg.   Approximately  400 Veterans and guests attended this year's event!  Kudos to John Bailey and his team for honoring our vets in such a special and generous way Read more.


Have news to share?  Please send it to us to share with the rest of the Charter Partner's community!  Contact Pattie Cowley.
We Are In For A Bumpy Ride 

In general, I am in favor the autonomous vehicle transformation. I must admit I do enjoy driving more than most, and will no doubt talk nostalgically about the times when we were passing one another, each traveling at 60 miles per hour with nothing but two 5-inch yellow lines separating us from catastrophe. 

Fortunately, there are some encouraging predictions of smooth sailing ahead once self-driving vehicles become commonplace, but in the near term I am afraid we are in for a bit of a bumpy ride. Ahead of this transformation we are facing some real challenges, long before we begin the conversion to a self-driving vehicle environment. The transition itself will cause additional safety and expense challenges as we first  segregate, then integrate, and finally fully convert.

Today's challenges are manifesting in the following ways;
  • More miles driven every year, we are up just shy of 3% in 2017, which does not seem like a lot until you apply that percentage to the 3.22 trillion miles we drove last year. 
  • Increasing driver distraction that we do not seem to be able to get under control. It is not just the addiction and dependency to mobile devices that have caused the distraction. We live in an over stimulated world where multitasking and access to massive amounts information (whether we want it or not) is the expected norm. Fatalities are up 6% even though cars through technology are getting safer.
  • Commercial truck driver shortages are estimated to be several hundred thousand and increasing every year. This number does not recognize the many businesses that depend on employees getting to and from work sites safely and while driving is not the primary skill set, it is a significant part of many jobs. This shortage is pressing less qualified and experienced drivers behind the wheel. Mandatory electronic logs which has significant safety improvements but is adding pressure to an already stressed environment. 
  • Significant rising health care cost for auto related injuries, escalating vehicle repair cost and increased focus from attorneys driving increased litigation and settlements.
This is adding up to a less safe and costlier near-term future.
What can we do while we wait, and humans still have control over their vehicles?
  • Create a strong employee retention plan, including recognizing employees who consistently demonstrate safe and responsible behavior. 
  • Invest in vehicle safety technology, telematics, GPS, cameras, and blind spot monitoring.  The options are increasing, and the cost is going down making these safety tools accessible. 
  • Instill a strong safety culture, communicating the significant responsibility each employee has when driving and representing your company. Create accountability, sharing the concern for their safety the increasing exposure.
Unfortunately, the challenges for drivers will likely get worse before they get better. Now is the time to be more diligent, make the efforts to fend off these emerging exposures so you can make a smooth transition from a position strength and well-established safety performance.

President & Co-Founder of Charter Partners
New Jersey Paid Sick Leave Law Update: NJDOL Issues New Guidance.  Are Your Ready?

In response to many questions about  the New Jersey Paid Sick Leave Law , which went into effect on Monday, October 29, 2018, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) issued a detailed list of answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) on October 24, 2018. Many of the answers to the FAQs simply restate the provisions of  the proposed regulations , but others clarify open questions. 

Read more of some of the more significant clarifications the NJDOL provided (verbatim from the NJDOL's FAQs). Review their own FAQ responses in their  three-part blog series  that provides additional information on the new sick leave law.

We Wish You A Happy & Safe Holiday Season!

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Charter Partners USA, Inc. | 610-438-3535 | www.charterpartners.com