Flashings

Love your job!

Your attitude and demeanor may make the difference between considering your job the daily grind or a vocation you love. To make your work life more enjoyable, try the following:

• Maintain a healthy balance between your work life and private life.
  
  
• Consult employees about your performance.
  
  
• Credit employees for their work.
  
  
• Develop a checklist of future accomplishments, and keep it in your desk to remind you of your goals.
  
  
• Continue learning on and off the job.
  
  
• Have fun at work.

Source: Adapted from MSN Careers as cited by First Draft, May issue.

Serve alcohol responsibly

Summer may be coming to an end, but there's still time for a company barbeque or picnic before cold weather strikes. Company events often include serving alcohol, which can affect people more when they're in the hot sun. To avoid alcohol-related problems at your company event, consider the following tips for serving alcohol responsibly:

• Remind workers about your alcohol policy. When announcing the event, restate the company alcohol policy. If your company does not have an alcohol policy, remind employees to use good judgment.
  
  
• Plan a varied event. Games, sports and other activities that keep people busy will take the focus off alcohol. In addition, serving nonalcoholic drinks and a protein-rich meal will help keep people from becoming intoxicated.
  
  
• Hire a professional bartender. A professional bartender will be able to identify someone who has consumed too much alcohol and control how much people drink. You also should consider limiting drinking time. For example, ceasing bar service one hour before the event ends will decrease the possibility of drunk drivers.
  
  
• Offer transportation. To avoid drunk driving, hold the event near public transportation, offer shuttle service, book hotel rooms or designate sober drivers before the event.

Source: Adapted from The Manager's Intelligence Report, July issue.

FTC proposes R-value Rule amendments

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released a Federal Register Notice proposing changes to 16 CFR 460, "Labeling and Advertising of Home Insulation," which is known as the R-value Rule. Proposed amendments include improving disclosures for loose-fill insulation, streamlining advertising disclosure requirements and updating testing requirements. FTC wants to make the changes to increase benefits for consumers and sellers, minimize costs and include new technology.

Public comments are being accepted about the proposed amendments until Sept. 22. Visit www.regulations.gov to submit a comment.

The rule is designed to help consumers compare insulations' thermal-performance characteristics by requiring manufacturers to provide R-value information. The rule establishes uniform standards for testing, information disclosures and product performance claims. An Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for 16 CFR 460 was issued in 1999.

An important quality-assurance tool

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2387, a peanut butter sample (that's right—peanut butter). The sample is designed for food manufacturers to ensure accurate production and quality-control procedures and labeling occur. SRM 2387 also can be used to evaluate other foods' fat and protein contents.

And, hey, if NIST can develop "the ultimate peanut butter" to validate measurement methods, the roofing industry should have little trouble developing performance criteria to help roofing professionals design, manufacture, install and maintain quality roof systems. (For more information, see "New council, new standards," July issue, page 14.)

Can you send that fax?

Sending faxes to solicit business and promote programs is part of many companies' marketing and business strategies. But the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may make the way businesses and nonprofit organizations operate more difficult.

On June 26, FCC proposed changes to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 requiring businesses and nonprofit organizations to obtain written consent from solicited businesses before faxing "any material advertising the commercial availability or quality of any property, goods or services." The changes would eliminate the established business relationship rule that allows businesses to fax information to those who express a written, oral or electronic interest in receiving information.

For example, if a customer calls your business requesting product information be faxed to him, you won't be able to fax any documents without receiving signed, written consent from him. In addition, associations won't be able to fax invoices, promotions for meetings and conventions, solicitations for sponsorships and other documents without consent.

According to the proposed changes, businesses and nonprofit organizations sending faxes must receive consent forms that include a solicited business's or customer's full, proper legal name and fax number(s) and the signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the business or customer. Businesses seeking consent cannot fax written consent forms though signed consent forms can be faxed to businesses. Consent forms can be sent to customers via mail or e-mail (electronic signatures via e-mail are permitted).

Those violating the rule could face FCC enforcement, state enforcement and private lawsuits up to $1,500 per violation (a maximum $500 fine per violation can be tripled if the rule is knowingly and willingly violated).

The changes were expected to be effective Aug. 25. At press time, the rule has been stayed until Jan. 1, 2005, to give people time to comply with the new regulations.