Guaranty Association Benefits Company

We've all heard of the dangers of lead-based paint. If you are a general contractor or renovation, painter, plumber, carpenter or electrician, this is a question you probably treated when working on structures built before 1978. activies renovation in older structures such as sanding, cutting, and demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips. If the structure is a house, establishment of day care, school, or other building where children are present, it is important for you to do what you can reduce the risk of lead contamination during activities renovation.

To help protect against this risk, the EPA issued a "renovation, repair and painting (RRP)" rule. Basically, the rule states that, regardless of the number of employees, there must be at least one certified renovator on every job where lead-based paint is present who is trained to follow lead safe practices. These certified renovators must be trained by instructors approved by the EPA. Compliance with the EPA is in full effect as of April 2010.

To be certified, a contractor must submit to EPA or their EPA-approved state program and pay the fee. The eight-hour course is taught by a training provider approved by the EPA. After certification, the contractor must follow strict guidelines when renovating old buildings. Renovators must contain the work area to prevent the spread of dust and debris. This applies to work outside as well. All windows and doors should be closed and covered doors, while the floors should be covered to contain the dust. The EPA also has cleaning requirements and specific certification upon completion of the task. See EPA publication "Small Entity Compliance Guide Renovate Right" for more information about the rule and compliance.

If you think that you are exempt from EPA fines, you may want to reconsider. Here are some examples of how the EPA has begun to apply this rule with EPA permission "Press News 05.04.2012 Headquarters"

"On March 20, 2012, Valiant Home Remodelers, a new window Jersey and the coating company, agreed to pay $ 1,500 to resolve violations of not following the rule of PPR during a window replacement project and siding a house in Edison, NJ. Valiant Home Remodelers failed to contain renovation dust, contain waste, and train workers on lead safe practices. "

" February 21, 2012, Johnson Sash and Door, a home repair company in Omaha, NE, agreed to pay a $ 5558 fine for failing to provide the owners or occupiers of dwellings constructed before 1978 with information about the dangers of lead pamphlet approved by EPA or for confirmation written before the renovations to five homes. The complaint also alleges that Johnson failed to obtain initial certification before making renovations to these residences. "

Do not be hit with heavy fines! Take action now to become a certified renovator. Not only will you protect your bottom line, you protect your customers. Have you taken additional safety measures regarding lead-based paint during renovation?

How do you spend on groceries each month? Gas? Mobile phones? Car insurance? I recently made a list of my monthly expenses in preparation for a meeting with my financial advisor. How my list looked after completing this task not so fun? Like most people, my home mortgage was at the top. Food and gas were also right up there. However, I was surprised to see car insurance down, below cell phones and the internet!

Interesting, no? For something that has a reputation for being expensive, is really relative to your other living expenses? Consider this, according CarInsurance.com, the average person will spend about $ 94,000 on car insurance during their lives. How it compares to your iPhone or a daily stop at Starbucks? You might be surprised ...

• The use of a 32GB iPhone from 21 to 75 years, buying a new phone every six years, you run $ 72,000. Compulsive valuation and heavy data users should pay more. *

• Hitting Starbucks each morning for a $ 4 latte will cost $ 88,000 over 60 years. Make your coffee at home will almost cover the cost of your car insurance for life. *

Most people can not "live" without their cell phone or the daily dose of caffeine. I hope the same is true for car insurance. The recession has made us all a little savvier with our money, but does not compromise on the cover to save a little money. If you shop or plan to buy online, get a quote from a qualified professional in the business. A trusted agent choice is a good place to start

Here are some ways to save money on car insurance :!

1. Going paperless and pay online (and on time) could earn you a higher quality credit.
2. Porter higher deductibles on comprehensive and collision coverage could save you money.
3. Finish driver training or an accident prevention course can be a great way to learn safer driving habits and save money.
4. many carriers offer a discount to young drivers who earn good grades.
5. Vehicles with Anti-Theft and retained liabilities options can reduce your premium.

Remember, the reductions vary by insurance company to contact an independent agent today to learn more about discounts available to you. For more information on insurance discount, you can check another of our blogs, insurance discounts with no coupon required.

So what do you think? If you had to choose, would you give your vanilla latte every morning to the security and protection insurance?

* Vallet, Mark. "Your life auto insurance bill: $ 94,000" Www.carinsurance.com November 29, 2012.

The new year is a time for making resolutions to improve your life. We pledge to eat better, exercise, spend more time with our children and improve our general well-being.

In 2013, I want to ask each of you to take some time to also review your insurance coverage. Yes, I know it does not sound very exciting, but I promise you that will give you the peace of mind for the new year. It will also help protect your home, cars, jewelry, and other assets.

When was the last time you reviewed your coverage? Most of us see our policy when we have to file a claim - when the toilet on the flow or you lose your favorite shows. It is time that we rustle in the file cabinet to find our policy. We dust off the paperwork and realize that we have no cover for lost items of jewelry or we have a franchise that is far beyond our means. Be proactive now and review your coverage

The following recommendations are for review :.

• Watch the policy of your own and check your coverage and policy limits, located on the declarations page of your policy. Some questions :?
  • What is the limit of the policy for my structure, personal property and loss of use
  • If my house burned to the ground I would have enough money to replace my house and property?
  • what is the coverage that I have water damage?
  • do I have any protection for my foundation?
  • Are my cutlery content on a basis of replacement cost

If you feel that you are underinsured or are unsure what is covered and call your insurance company or agent and review your policy.

• Check your deductible on your homeowners and your auto insurance policies. Can you afford the deductible in case of disaster?
• are your adequately protected valuables? Do you need separate coverage for the wedding ring of your wife or piece of art in your living room? What type of coverage you have for antiques and firearms?
• Contact your insurance representative if you made additions or improvements to your home can increase its value.
• Review your liability limits on your auto and homeowner policies. Your assets properly protected?

Do not wait until the tree is in the middle of your living room! Take a look at your policy and contact your independent insurance agent or representative and discuss your coverage. Have a great and prosperous year!

In current economic crisis, people are looking for every way to save an extra dollar or two. With gas prices around $ 4 per gallon, putting off gassing your car to squeeze every extra mile out of your vehicle before the next fill-up may seem a good way to save money, but there vacuum line of long-term effects.

we all know that running out of gas is still possible if we push this gas gauge too far, leaving us stranded on the side of the road . At that time your options are to start walking, hoping to come across a gas station, or to call a friend (or AAA) to bring you a little gas to get you back on your way . This is always frustrating and happens at the most inopportune moment generally. That said, this is not the only danger of the vacuum line.

According to Consumer Reports, driving your car on a nearly empty tank can cost much more in the long run than filling. Fuel pumps supplying gas from the tank to the engine, and the fuel pump using gas to cool the motor of the fuel pump. If you are running on empty, the fuel pump will suck air which can heat up the pump. This can cause the pump to wear, meaning costly repairs to your vehicle. In many new cars, the fuel pump is located in the fuel tank, so you will not only replace the pump, but the gas tank as well. This repair can cost hundreds of dollars more to leave you without wheels while a mechanic made the necessary repairs.

Another side effect run on low fuel is clogging your fuel filter. Sediment can build up in an additional fuel tank, and this sediment settles to the bottom. If you leave the sink of the gas gauge to almost empty when sediment gets sucked into the fuel pump, thus clogging the filter and require more costly repairs.

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your fuel pump and avoid costly repairs.

• do not let your gas tank get below ¼ of a tank.
• do not count on the your vehicle's gas monitoring system as driving habits can seriously affect the amount of gas you use.
• If you need gas, be sure to fill before you start on your way to avoid a problem when unexpected delays occur, such as traffic jams or long stretches of road with no gas station.

Although the supplement to fill every week can cost you an extra $ 40 or $ 50, it's better than having your car break down on the way to work. Between repair costs, being late for work, and having to find a temporary replacement vehicle, the cost of failure far outweighs the additional savings of not fulfilling immediately.

For more information on driving on empty, visit the Consumer Reports website. Do you run regularly low on gas? Have you ever run out of gas? Share your story!

Some days you wake up to a beautiful day with a smile on your face and then something goes wrong and instantly your mood changes. Or sometimes you wake up, a dark sad mood and just not want to get out of bed Regardless of what you put into this moody, you must get out of your system, so things may start looking brighter. I know we've all had those days so I thought I would find some tips on how to move only in a bad mood at the door and welcome the sun!

• You to Move it, Move it -. exercise can improve your mood by relieving tension, increase energy and growing optimism
• Enjoy -. hot bubble bath, hot chocolate or coffee, home of the face, small gift shop ... the small things could give you the boost you need
• Tell Cheese - surround yourself with pictures of people and things you love. I have lots of pictures displayed at work, in my house, on my phone, etc. Not just to show my lovely nieces and nephews or my amazing friends and family, they are also to lift my spirits. ! A look at them and I instantly felt my facial muscles pushing a smile
• Sniff some odors - inhaling the smell of lavender or orange can reduce anxiety and improve your mood
• Go to a quiet place - .. even if it is just the office bathroom, take a few minutes to sit in a quiet space can do wonders
• Get some sun - a boost of vitamin D can keep the blues away. Head outside for a brisk walk around the block. If this is impossible, the station you are near a window for a few minutes (and ignore the stares of fellow)
• do yoga -. Some hip openers could be the answer to a brighter day. Think it's impossible to do yoga in a cabin or other small work space? Think again
• Laugh - .. There is no possible way you can have a laugh and be moody yet
• My favorite ... Jam to the beat - when I need a little pick-me-up, I crank the tunes and sing (if you can call it that) at the top of my
lung

moods are contagious, so do yourself and those around you a favor and make your positive and optimistic mood! There are so many other ways that you can bust the bad mood. What is your secret?

radon. While perhaps not as well known as carbon monoxide he cousins ​​or natural gas, odorless, colorless, tasteless is just as deadly. Naturally produced from the decay of uranium in the soil, rock, and water, it has been proven to be the second leading cause of lung cancer next to smoking. Studies show that radon can also cause emphysema, hardening of tissue irregularities lungs, pneumonia, and chromosome that lead to birth defects.

Do not live near a power plant or travel in a foreign country to have radon exposure. It is a natural element that is produced in the open ground under your house. Because it is a gas, it moves through cracks and holes in the foundation of your home, through floor drains, sump pumps, construction joints, and even the tiny cracks or pores in the hollow block walls. Radon can be found in any building at any time of the year. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Office of the Surgeon General, radon in the home is responsible for about 20,000 cancer deaths each year lung.

The Survey of national residential radon EPA shows radon levels are regularly present in approximately six million households in the United States. A high level of radon be nothing or greater than 4 pCi / L (picocurries per liter). According to the EPA, the concentration of the average indoor radon for America's homes is about 1.3 pCi / L If you find that the level of radon in your home is at or above 4 pCi / L (picocurries per liter), you should seek professional help and identify a good strategy to reduce the radon for your home. The average cost of radon mitigation in a typical house can vary depending on the solution you choose, but generally does not exceed many repairs / maintenance costs of the home you have faced as owner in the past.

Testing your home is the only way to know what your home radon levels are. There are no immediate symptoms that alert you to the presence of radon and it generally takes years of exposure before any surface problems. Keep in mind that high levels of radon have been found in every state. According radon.com, an average of 1 every 5 homes has high levels of radon. Visit the website to see the levels of your state. There is no need to panic or move to another state - this is not that kind of problem. It is, however, something you need to test and treat if necessary. If, after testing your home, you find that your home has high radon levels, there are ways to reduce them to acceptable levels for less than $ 500. Some common mitigation techniques are: ..

• Sealing cracks and other openings in your house foundation
• Sub-slab suction - remove radon from laden air from under the foundation of your home
• Improve ventilation in your home.
• Installing a sump system in the basement.

If you want or need the assistance of a professional, there are several resources for you to use. You can use the list of certified radon attenuators for your state, you can reference the Web page of the EPA radon testing, or you can reference these resources useful EPA and radon.com.

Have you ever tested your home for radon? How did you wrong?

Almost all of us have probably had some kind of encounter with lightning. At one time or another, we have ignored the danger of a storm to finish that last bit of gardening or putt on 18 ^e green. We tend to believe that the chances of lightning strikes we are small, but how foolish we can be. It is, in fact, the number two killer storm (after the flood) in the United States, causing more deaths than tornadoes and hurricanes.

cloud to ground lightning is extremely fast, hot and powerful. Lightning discharge occurs over the duration of 100 milliseconds, heating the air around it to 15,000 to 60,000 Fahrenheit and carrying a peak power up to 30,000 amps. Yet people are repeatedly prepared to accept the risk of coming into contact with something so deadly.

A 1997 report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has analyzed 35 years of lighting injuries and mortality data in the US Some of the study of interesting conclusions:

• 84 percent of the injuries and deaths of the victims were men
• June, July and August accounted for 21 percent, 30 percent and 22 percent of incidents, respectively ..
• peak period for incidents was 14: 00-18: 00
• incidents were most common, Saturday, Wednesday and Sunday.

data analyzed by the National Lightning Safety Institute (NLSI) from 190 to 03 revealed that there were 756 deaths in the United States during this period. Florida, with 126 deaths, was the deadliest state by far, followed by Texas (52) and Colorado (39). Most Western states had high per-capita death rate, led by Wyoming to 2.02 deaths per million inhabitants.

What can we do to ourselves and our loved lightning protection? The NLSI offer some personal safety tips on its website. Of primary importance is planning our outdoor activities in time if we are not taken outside ignore. If you are outside with a thunderstorm, avoid lakes, open spaces and high ground. In addition, you should avoid contact with metal objects, including electrical wiring and fences. Maintain a distance of at least 15 feet between people. If you are indoors, stay away from doors and windows, water sources, electrical appliances, computers and landline phones.

When planning and participating in outdoor activities this summer, make sure you give Lightning the respect it deserves. Have you ever had an encounter with lightning?