We know it is important for you to feel safe in your own home, and we make that our top priority, but we also want you to feel safe in the middle of circumstances you can’t predict. When your family has a small food storage, you won’t have to panic every time the weatherman predicts a natural disaster. Beginning food storage is simpler than you think. Let’s dive into food storage basics because it’s an important aspect of all emergency preparedness.

Food Storage 101: How to Start Storing Emergency Food Supplies

You know that it is important for your family to have food stored in case of an emergency, but if you’re like the vast majority of people, you have never taken the time to build up a food store. Perhaps you keep putting it off, thinking that you’ll get to it later.  Maybe you think it’s unlikely that you’ll ever need to use stored food to provide for yourself and your family.

If so, you may be forgetting that even smaller natural disasters like blizzards and power outages can make access to grocery store food unpredictable. Something as simple as a trucking strike could leave the shelves in your community bare much more quickly than you might expect. You don’t have to have a doomsday in mind to realize that storing food for an emergency is a prudent idea.

Even on a much simpler scale, it’s really nice to have a store of food available in your home, in case you come upon financial hard times. Having a month’s supply of food can really relieve stress if someone in your family is laid off or if an unexpected bill has to be paid. These kinds of financial tight spots can happen to any of us.

So where do you begin?

Beginner tips for long-term food storage

1. Begin with a three-day supply of food.

The items you include in your initial food supply should be just enough food and water to last your entire family for three days. These food items should be stored in a place that is easy to access and in one or two containers that you could take with you if you had to leave your home. (Think duffel bags or backpacks.) Make sure that none of the items in your three-day supply require cooking of any kind.

2. Move on to a larger food supply. 

Once you have your three-day food supply ready to go, gradually work your way up to larger supply of food. The goal should be to have anywhere between 1 and 3 months of food stored in your home. You don’t have to buy these items all at once, but when you are at the store, buy a few extra of the staple non-refrigerated items that you eat on a fairly regular basis. Don’t forget to buy water as well. Don’t worry about building this food supply up quickly, just be consistent and you will soon have everything you need.

3. Eat from your food storage. 

This may seem counter-intuitive but once your supply is built up, eat out of your supply and replace the items you eat. This keeps your freshest food in your supply. You will constantly be eating from and refreshing your food storage, which means that the food in your storage will never expire. If you just built up your food supply one time and forgot about it, everything in the food storage would expire within 1 to 4 years. However, if you eat items from your food storage and replace them with new items purchased at the store, you will keep your storage supply up, but continue to push the expiration dates back. Here’s some great advice about eating from your stored food supply from the Utah State University article “Food Storage – ‘Use it or Lose It‘”:

“When you rotate stored foods, you will always be sure of high quality and flavor. When you buy new items, push previously purchased ones to the front of the shelf or storage area. Place the new items behind them. Do not let containers of food gather in your cupboard corners, on the bottom shelves or in back rows. Keep a written inventory so that use levels for each food item can be established. Then as items are used, stored foods can be replenished when they go on sale.”

4. Don’t forget these essentials.

Once you think you have a pretty good long-term food storage built up, check to make sure you have these essential nutritional items included.  Fats, like vegetable oil, mayonnaise, butter or margarine should be a part of your food storage. Dry milk is an item that you may not be able to eat and replace because it just isn’t something most people incorporate into their normal diet, but it is definitely worth including in your food storage, even if you have to throw it out and replace it once every few years. Make sure you have a variety of dried fruits, dried vegetables and dried meats. In an emergency, you will want to have the same kind of variety of foods that you are used to eating now.

5. Optimal conditions for food storage.

When you are thinking about where to store your food, remember that you are going to need a place that you can access easily with enough space to store all the food and water that you will need for an extended period of time. Watch out for humidity which can be one of the biggest obstacles to food storage. A dry location with temperatures between 40 and 70 degrees is ideal for food storage. So, you should be thinking more along the lines of a cool basement than a hot attic. You should also try to keep food out of direct sunlight and up off the floor.

Important Considerations for Food Storage Beginners

You’re off to a great start, but there are a few important bits of advice we’d be remiss not to mention.

1. Don’t forget about your pets.

When prepping your emergency food storage, you don’t want to overlook these very important members of your family! Stash enough food for each critter in your clan for as many days as you have food for your Homo sapien family members.

2. Yes, water counts as food.

Dehydration is a serious danger in many emergency situations. If an earthquake destroys the water line or a blizzard freezes your pipes, you certainly don’t want to be without a fresh water supply. FEMA recommends storing “at least one gallon per person per day” and this will be used both for drinking purposes as well as things like brushing your teeth, cleaning wounds, and other sanitation needs.

The post Preparing Gives You Peace: Food Storage For Beginners appeared first on Verblio.

On-the-job injuries are, unfortunately, a reality for many workers. Though we don’t like to think about it, the possibility of getting hurt on the job is always present, so it’s important to be mindful about the tactics we take to ensure employee safety.

Violence Pattern In the Workplace

Accidents and assaults are among the leading cause of workplace deaths. Common accident-related workplace deaths include falls, electrocutions, and being caught in or between objects.

In 2020, assaults caused 20,050 injuries and illnesses, resulting in lost work time for victims and 392 deaths. Assault can take the form of a variety of violent acts, including but not limited to strangulation, stabbing, shooting, sexual assault, bombing, and arson.

COVID-19’s Emergence

The COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges for employers and employees regarding workplace safety. One of the biggest challenges is that the virus can be spread through close contact, which is often unavoidable in the workplace. 

Employees who work close to each other, such as in an office setting, are at a higher risk of exposure. Similarly, employees who work in jobs that require close contact with the public, such as healthcare workers, are also at a higher risk.

Life-saving Incident Analysis

In 2020, with a global COVID-19 pandemic looming, disease prevention was a top priority. This unprecedented worldwide shutdown provided several opportunities for businesses to advance their safety standards. That’s why we’re writing this: to stress the significance of incident investigations to firms. Reviewing safety accidents is an important job that provides insights that can be used to then prevent future harm.

What’s the Point of Dealing With Incidents?

As a matter of law, businesses must provide their staff with a risk-free working environment. Furthermore, companies benefit from an increased focus on safety. Increasing the thoroughness of your incident investigations will make everyone feel safer and save lives.

Mortalities in the Workplace Are More Prevalent in Some Industries

Various factors contribute to the risk of death while on the job, and some occupations are more dangerous than others. The following are the ten deadliest jobs in the United States.

1. Logging workers
2. Fishers and related fishing workers
3. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers
4. Roofers
5. Refuse and recyclable materials collectors
6. Driver/sales workers
7. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
8. Construction workers
9. First-line police and detectives’ bosses
10. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

These occupations are considered the most dangerous based on the number of fatal work injuries in 2020. Logging workers had the highest fatal injury rate, with 128.8 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers.

There are more vocations on the list; however, remember that anyone might get injured on the job. It only takes one mistake or avoidable act to take someone’s life.

Maintaining a Safety Culture

To foster a safe culture within your company, you must ensure everyone on staff has the proper training. A companywide emphasis on safety is essential. You should initiate a full-scale investigation immediately after serious injuries occur and hold everyone accountable for keeping details. In the long run, it would be detrimental to the company if its actions gave the impression of being secretive.

You can avoid accidents if workers get the appropriate training and safety protocols and if incidents are investigated thoroughly, and the causes are found.

What an Incident Investigation Plan Contains

In most cases, businesses will use a checklist to gather information in the event of an incident. Filing the appropriate report will safeguard your company even if you label something as an incident.

Companies must be thorough in their documentation to create a safer workplace and prevent future incidents. Prompt your organization to take a wide stance, guaranteeing complete incident awareness. Furthermore, your company shouldn’t refrain from conducting investigations for fear of uncovering employee misconduct.

Your company’s good name is on the line when an employee is hurt while on the job. Strive for maximum openness in all aspects of the investigation.

Everyone must be invested in learning what went wrong and how it can be avoided in the future through training and policy changes if we are to keep our safety culture strong. One thing your business should never do is stop investigating accidents that came close to being fatal. Because personnel will come and go and similar mistakes may be made in the future, it is important to keep these documents on file.

Key Components of an Incident Investigation Plan

While there are no universal guidelines for what to include in an incident investigation plan, many businesses across sectors follow these six guidelines.

Getting to Work Immediately

When security or EHS emergency occurs, the company’s staff should respond quickly. They are responsible for interviews with victims and other staff members who may have useful information. 

Preparing for Investigations

You should identify who needs questioning, where their location is across the organization, and any potential internal electronic information sources essential to a smooth process.

Collecting Data

Take a broad view to ensure your employer doesn’t overlook any information that could help them recreate the circumstance.

Also, gather first-hand accounts from as many eyewitnesses as you can.

Evaluating the Information

You can discover the root of the problem by carefully examining the available evidence. Don’t jump to the conclusion that human error is to blame for the incident; doing so could bias the results.

Adopting Corrective Measures

One or more departments may have problems, such as out-of-date operating procedures or an unsafe work environment. Investigating this further might help pinpoint at least one possible explanation.

Reporting Findings

If you’re confident that all safety concerns are resolved, this section will detail the company’s steps to fix the situation. Remember that this report can be presented in a meeting or training program or posted on the company website.

Getting Started

The safety and well-being of your employees are always your priority. But accidents do happen. Incident investigations help you determine what went wrong and prevent it from happening again.

In 2020, the National Safety Council estimated that the average cost of a worker’s death was $1,310,000. Even if your company has hazard insurance and worker’s compensation coverage for all employees, an occurrence could be so serious that the company’s financial future is jeopardized.

Don’t wait for a crisis to affect your employees and their families to take action. Improving safety practices and reports does not necessitate starting over. Maintain workplace safety and constantly conduct incident investigation reports.

The post Keep Employees Safe in 2023: Why You Should Conduct Incident Investigations appeared first on Verblio.

Why is copper theft such a major issue? For one thing, the value of copper has gone up in recent years. For example, the daily COMEX price of copper per pound opened at over $3.50 in 2021 and has seen a high of $4.76 as of this writing. Obviously, copper’s increased value (even as scrap metal) has made it a more attractive target for thieves.

In addition, there is a great demand for copper, especially from developing nations such as China and India. This steady demand has led not only to the creation of a robust international copper trade, but also to the emergence of gangs, crime syndicates, and embezzlers who desire to exploit this demand for personal gain.

The bottom line is that copper theft is becoming more common with each passing day. With that in mind, what can you do to protect your business from this threat? Below, we share 4 tips that can help.

1. USE SUBTERFUGE TO MAINTAIN PRIVACY

Privacy is one of the core principles of an effective security system. Put simply, when copper thieves don’t know that your business has large quantities of copper to steal, they won’t make it a target. 

One of the most simple yet effective ways to maintain privacy around your copper components is to paint them black, thus making them appear to be regular (relatively worthless) tubing instead of valuable pieces of metal.

2. PUT PHYSICAL BARRIERS AROUND YOUR COPPER

Areas that house items containing copper are an obvious target for break-ins. Based on the item’s value, you may find that a fence or other type of physical barrier is worth the investment. For instance, copper is used in heat exchangers in many high-efficiency air conditioning units in commercial buildings. That said, the amount of copper in these units isn’t worth much. Rather, the true cost comes from units being rendered inoperable (due to theft) and the length of time it takes to replace them.

3. INSTALL ALARMS AND SECURITY CAMERAS

Installing alarms is one of the best ways to deter any potential thieves — and you may just catch them in the act, too. There are many alarm systems available (hard-wired, wireless, professionally monitored, etc.).

Choosing the right one will depend on where the copper is located, what items contain copper, and how much you can (and should) reasonably invest in a security system. For cooling and heating units, you may want to choose an alarm that’s triggered when the unit stops working, for example.

In addition, surveillance cameras may help law enforcement officials identify the thieves in the event of a break-in. Perhaps, the greatest value well-positioned security cameras can offer is their ability to deter potential criminal acts in the first place. Deterrence is the first element in the U.K.’s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) methodology, and as such should always be considered a top priority when designing any security plan. In practical terms, the visible presence of surveillance cameras around the perimeter of your business may encourage copper thieves to look for an easier target elsewhere.

4. EMPLOY A PROFESSIONAL SECURITY FIRM

No physical security system is complete without the presence of experienced professionals to monitor the premises on a 24/7 basis. Contracting with a reputable security firm can greatly reduce your risk of copper theft. It can also provide the peace of mind that comes from knowing your business is in good hands.

Studies show that security companies are in high demand. In 2020, private security comprised a $240 billion dollar global industry, a number greater than the GDP of 100 countries. And, in three countries (China, India, and the United States), private security guards outnumbered police officers. Currently, the United States has over 1.1 million private security guards but only 666,000 police officers.

As the global marketplace evolves, the need for private security will increase. If you’d like to learn more about how to implement effective security measures as a safeguard against copper theft, reach out to our team of experts today. We’d be happy to help you find a solution that aligns with your needs and budget.

The post 4 Tips To Reduce Copper Theft at Your Business appeared first on Verblio.

If you find yourself in any of these frustrating situations, don’t try to save money by attempting to fix the problem yourself.

Instead, here are four compelling reasons it’s worthwhile to hire a certified locksmith.

1. Certified locksmiths are highly trained.

The post Four Reasons You Should Hire a Certified Locksmith appeared first on Verblio.

By preparing for basic self-defense situations with your family, however, you can be sure that you and they will be ready for whatever comes your way.

Think About Where You Are Most Often

Where do you spend the most time with your kids? Do you find yourself out shopping on a regular basis? Is the park your favorite hangout? Take the time to think about the places where you find yourselves most often, including your own home. Imagine the scenarios that you’re attempting to prepare for. Do you worry more about “stranger danger“, or is there someone specific who comes to mind when you imagine a need for self-defense?

Think about the scenarios that are the most likely as well as the ones that worry you the most.

Set Basic Rules In Place

When you have young children, it’s critical that you have a few basic rules that your children know to follow no matter what the emergency might be. As you start thinking defensively, make sure your children know those basic rules.

For example, your children might need to know:

• How to respond if a stranger asks for their help. Remember, strangers should always ask adults, not kids, for assistance!

• What to do if someone grabs them that they don’t know. Remind them to kick up a ruckus. Older kids, especially boys, might need to be reminded not to try to handle a situation on their own, but to bring help to them by shouting!

• Where to go to find a safe person if you’re otherwise engaged. Teaching your kids to find a uniformed police officer is great, but that only works if you’re lucky enough to have one around when you’re in trouble! Teaching kids to find another mom or dad with children is a great way to ensure that they’ll end up with someone safe in an emergency.

• Who they aren’t supposed to go with. If there’s a family member who is a problem, make sure kids know that they aren’t supposed to go with them if they show up at school.

You should also have a word or phrase in place that tells your kids that you mean business and they need to listen to you now. When you use this phrase, there’s no arguing—just instant obedience. This phrase is good for emergencies that aren’t self-defense situations, too: weather emergencies that come on suddenly or fires, for example.

Discuss Scenarios Specific To Your Family

Some families find themselves in more need of self-defense discussions than others. If your family has a specific situation that you’re worried about, make sure you talk about it! Preparing your kids ahead of time will allow them to respond with less fear and panic if a situation does arise.

Talk about people who are a danger to your family.

If you have sole custody of your children and the noncustodial parent is sniffing around, make sure the kids know about it—and that they understand to find a responsible adult and notify you if they see them.

If you have another family member or old friend who has become a problem, let kids know to look out for them. You don’t want them to inadvertently go with someone because they still think they’re “safe.”

Talk about the weapons you carry.

If you carry a gun or knife for self-defense, make sure that the kids know that you have it and where you carry it. Teach your kids and your spouse not to crowd the hand you use to draw your weapon. Those few seconds can be a huge difference in an emergency.

Talk about dangerous situations you’ll be in together.

Do you have to walk through a bad part of town to get to a specific destination? Is your neighborhood less than savory? Be sure that the kids know to be on their guard in those specific situations.

Not talking about it won’t make bad situations go away. Talking about it won’t stop it, but it will prepare your kids. Their mental preparations will help them respond appropriately in an emergency.

Practice Common Sense

One of the most important details of self-defense, whether by yourself or with your family, is avoiding bad situations. If a situation feels bad, trust your gut!

Otherwise, a few common sense tips can help you stay out of trouble:

• Pay attention to your surroundings. Wait until you’re in the car or in a safe building to check your cell phone—and encourage older kids to do the same.

• Make eye contact with people as you’re walking through the parking lot. Make it obvious that you’re paying attention and that you’ve seen them.

• Practice de-escalation habits. You’re better off handing over your wallet than you are fighting a thief. Make a habit of not carrying much cash, and it won’t be an issue: you can always cancel your cards.

• Never go with someone who wants to remove you from a location. You’re better off fighting when there are people around then letting them get you alone.

• Choose your parking spot carefully, especially at night. Choose in favor of lighting and being as close as possible to the building.

As you’re practicing common sense strategies for self-defense, discuss them with your kids. Talk about why you do things. Don’t simply assume that the kids will absorb it; instead, provide them with the information they need to be safe whether you’re with them or not.

Self-Defense at Home

No matter how safe your neighborhood is, the possibility exists that someone will break into your home. Many people plan to deal with this by “having a gun,” but having one alone isn’t enough. You need to practice with it on a regular basis, store it properly so that it is easily accessible to you but not to children or intruders, and make sure that you have a plan in place for how to use it legally.

A few other preparation tips will help ensure that your family is protected against intruders:

If you have weapons, make sure your kids know what to do with them.

Little ones should know the three basic rules of gun safety: don’t touch, get out of the room, and tell an adult. As they get older, gauge your kids’ responsibility levels and teach them age-appropriate (and capability-appropriate) firearm safety.

Have a plan in place for how you will deal with a home invasion.

Discuss it with your spouse. For example, you might decide that one of you should grab the kids and get them to safety while the other one engages with the invaders. If you know how you’re going to react before an emergency happens, you’ll be better able to respond when it comes.

Know the laws in your state.

Legally, most states will not allow you to pursue someone who is attempting to flee your home. Those laws may dictate whether you have the right to attack someone who is simply on your property or if they must have passed the threshold of the house with intent to do harm to you and your family members. “Castle law,” which allows you to have a weapon for protection of your home even if you aren’t licensed to carry in your state, may dictate what weapons you’re able to have.

Make sure you’re familiar with the laws so that you don’t go outside them in protecting your family.

Check your exits.

If at all possible, you want to get your family out of the house in the event of a home invasion. Check your exits and make sure that everyone knows where to go, even if it’s the middle of the night and they’re sleepy and confused. Ideally, you want to have multiple exits available. In the event that the exits aren’t an option, know where you would prefer to make your stand.

The best way to prepare your family for a situation in which they might have to defend themselves is to talk about it. The last thing you want in the middle of an emergency is a crying child who is wrapped around your leg and panicking instead of going where they need to go—or worse, ignoring you and running in exactly the wrong direction. By taking the time to set a few basic rules in place for yourself and your family, you can increase the odds that they’ll stay calm in spite of the danger.

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