Smart Inventory Management Improves Client Balance Sheets

A trend we have noted since the economic downturn, and particularly since the cash crisis, is the growing attention companies are paying to cash flow and balance sheet in addition to income statement and purchase price when it comes to their safety suppliers. In other words, Arbill customers have been placing a heavier reliance on supply chain support in keeping their employees safe. We have responded by successfully partnering with our client accounts to streamline their inventories. Arbill has a variety of inventory solutions to meet each client's unique needs, and this has been a great asset for us to minimize client risk - ultimately resulting in strengthening their organizations' balance sheets. Looking forward, I believe supply chain support services demand will keep growing as organizations continue to seek ways to streamline overall.

Nitrile Supply Status

Nitrile, a compound commonly used in thin-walled safety gloves, and also as a coating for abrasion protection, may soon be in short supply. This development is attributable to cuts in operating rates in Japan due to March's massive earthquake and the resulting power outages and transport difficulties. Japan has traditionally been one of the largest sources of nitrile in the global market, along with China and Taiwan. We are monitoring the situation and taking proactive steps to ensure that Arbill's product supply is not negatively impacted. This includes:

• Reviewing our inventory levels of nitrile-containing products
• Increasing stock levels of these items

The Arbill operations team is monitoring this and any other supply-related situations that may develop closely, and is committed to ensuring that our customers do not experience any supply interruptions.

Safety MarketWatch - Japan Update

Arbill and our manufacturers worldwide have been and are continuing to evaluate the impact to the Safety supply chain as a result of the Japan earthquake. As with any major natural disaster, this event is fluid and conditions are ever changing. Although the general manufacturing sector is experiencing some effects due to the shutdown of Japanese factories, I am glad to report that as of today, Arbill is not impacted in its ability to supply safety products for the following reasons:

• Arbill does not purchase any safety products in the regions impacted by the earthquake
• Large domestic manufacturers of safety products have already begun to increase productions of products (such as respirators and adhesive bandages) that may be used in the Japan clean-up efforts in order to address increased demand
• Arbill has strong relationships with a wide variety of domestic manufacturers, allowing for alternative and/or substitution of "like" products if and when required
• Inventory levels and production forecasts of Arbill's suppliers remain on target to date

Likewise, Arbill is not projecting a significant impact to our Arbill-manufactured TruLine product supply, since none of our factories are in regions affected by the earthquake. We are, however, taking the following steps proactively as a part of our business contingency planning efforts:

• Reviewing inventory levels
• Increasing safety stock levels on critical items
• Placing production orders in advance of normal schedules where feasible
• Preparing to scale our TruLine factories as needed

Please be assured that we are monitoring this situation closely and will continue to take proactive measures to ensure that our customers do not experience any supply interruptions. I will be posting weekly updates here, which will include Arbill's perspective on any shifts in market conditions.

Warmest regards,
Julie

Love Your Workers? Love Their Hearts!

Valentine's Day is a good time to think about heart health and safety. A staggering statistic I recently came across (courtesy of OSHA) is that 13% of all workplace fatalities result from Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) - when heart function ceases abruptly and without any warning. Pretty scary - not only for the employee experiencing SCA, but for those around him/her in the workplace. As an employer or safety manager, the best policy is to prepare your workplace in two ways:

1. Equip your workplace with accessible Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs). Defibrillation within three (3) minutes raises a victim's chance of survival to more than 70%. Local EMS can rarely respond that quickly.
2. Train your employees in both Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and AED usage.

Another smart move is to create awareness in the workplace of SCA risk factors so that employees take control of their own heart health. Factors include:

• History of early heart disease, heart attack, or cardiac death in the family
• Unexplained fainting or near-fainting after heart palpitations
• Chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting with exertion during heavy activity/listing
• Heart failure or heart attack
• Weak heart muscle or a low cardiac Ejection Fraction (EF) or percentage of blood pumped out of the pumping chamber during each heartbeat. Low is less than 40%
• Other cardiac risk factors, including high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking, and high cholesterol

Happy Valentines Day, and love your heart!

Keeping Your Feet in Winter

Whoa, it's cold in the Northeast! Slip and Fall injuries are the third largest cause of workplace injuries, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, and they increase in the winter due to the snow, ice, and salt that is plentiful around this time of year. The following tips will help to keep you and your workers safe this season:

• Remove the snow from the bottom of your shoes before entering a building
• Slow down and take smaller steps
• Wear shoes with rubber soles that have good traction
  
• Be aware of surface conditions where you are walking; and walk around (versus through - no matter how "snow proof" your boots are) patches of snow and ice when possible
• Give yourself extra time to get to where you are going so you can walk more slowly
• Avoid the temptation to walk with your hands in your pockets-your arms are necessary to restore balance if you should slip
• Use handrails whenever possible

Keep your footing, keep safe, and keep warm!

Julie

Hazard Awareness - Little Things Matter

Did you know that of 124.9 million workers in private industry, there were 3.7 million OSHA-recordable cases in 2008*? This doesn't include the countless unreported cases. When I come across facts like this, I am reminded how worthwhile it is to take time to reinforce the importance for all of us to keep up with "the little things" for safety:

*National Safety Council Injury Facts 

• Make a quick cord inspection before you plug in a tool
• Clean the truck or forklift windshield before you drive
• Inspect and don your harness and/or anchor your lanyard securely every time you use a boom lift
• Check the accuracy of any documentation for your job and correct through on the errors
• Perform a thorough inspection each month

The "little things" do count, and each workers' initiative helps keep everyone safe!

Be safe, 

Julie

Flu Pandemic: Are You Ready?

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated 25-50 million cases of the flu are currently reported each year in the U.S., leading to 150,000 hospitalizations and 30,000-40,000 deaths annually.

You'll be best prepared if you follow the three steps below:

• Be Informed about the latest flu, where it is going, what to do if you or a family member becomes infected, what resources are available, what your school and/or business is doing to address it as far as rules of when to return, etc
• Be Prepared. Have a plan, and have an emergency safety kit.
• Be Involved. Your state's web site can link you to local organizations to help you and your neighbors learn more about how to cope with a pandemic and other emergencies. 

The CDC's web site. www.CDC.gov is your best source of information about each of these steps. 

Most importantly - get vaccinated! Supplies of the vaccine are robust this year, so there are no age or health restrictions on receiving the dose. Also, the H1N1 strain has been incorporated into this year's vaccine, so just one dose is required. Your primary physician is a good place to start, since it is often free of charge. Local pharmacies and supermarkets are also running flu vaccine clinics at the cost of about $30 per vaccine. 

Be safe, 
Julie