Home and Work Fireplace Safety Tips

Most homes look and feel cozier when they have a fireplace, especially a workable one that the owners use on occasion. But even an attractive fixture of this type can be dangerous if it is not managed correctly or safely. If you have recently purchased a home that has a fireplace, find and read maintenance guidelines to make sure your fireplace continues to be a source of pleasure rather than pain.

When taking possession of your home, ask the previous owner about the condition of the fireplace. Find out whether it was used, and if so, how often. Inquire as to whether there were problems with the fireplace, and if the chimney ever needed or received any type of repairs. It also would be a good idea to ask if there had been any problems with a fire starting from the fireplace or if carbon monoxide levels were checked. Once you have this information, you will have a better idea of what needs to be done.

Get the chimney inspected. Even if the past owners confirmed that the fireplace was in good working order, an annual checkup is advisable to make sure the flue remains operational, and that creosote has not built up to dangerous levels. Besides, small animals like birds, squirrels, and bats can build nests in the chimney at any time, and severe weather can take an unexpected toll, so a yearly inspection is a good idea.

Learn how to start, maintain, and put out fireplace flames. Keep the necessary materials on hand, like kindling wood and a lighter. Do not burn just any kind of materials in the fireplace, as some, like aerosol containers, may explode while others may release toxic substances.

Keep the right equipment on hand. You will want to put up a screen to keep sparks from darting onto the floor or nearby furniture. A poker will let you stir the embers to check for embers. You will need a shovel and a small dustpan to remove ashes, as well as a bin for firewood. Don’t forget to keep a fire extinguisher on hand, and know how to use it. Teach family members what to do in case the flame should get out of control. Install a carbon monoxide detector and a smoke detector in the room to pick up early levels of problem fumes or smoke. Without the necessary items, you could run the risk of letting a fire spread into the room.

Never leave a fireplace flame unattended. Someone should stay in the room or be in and out frequently to monitor its burning. Otherwise, if a problem occurs, it could spread quickly without adequate supervision. Make sure the fire has burned out before leaving the house or going to bed. Don’t close the flue until the fire is completely out, or the house could fill with smoke or carbon monoxide.

A fire in your hearth is a beautiful sight, but it is important to learn how to tend it properly. Get the necessary guidelines and equipment before burning logs in your home fireplace.

Twelve Employee Newsletter Tips, Ideas, And Articles For Corporate Wellness And Health

Finding articles and content can be frustrating and anxiety provoking, especially if you have other things to do with your time. Have a formula to help you finesse’ this chore can help. I have been there! Here’s the ticket: Getting employee newsletter ideas and employee newsletter topics requires knowing what types or problems and issues affect your employees.

Keep the list of 12 newsletter topics shown below. Periodically, think “what is affecting the workforce right now.” Drop post-it notes in a box as ideas come to you. You can further divide each of the following issues into other problem sub-sets. Try to make about 6-7 sub-set categories under each main topic.

Here are the key subject areas that I have discovered most things fall under in the ten years that I have been writing employee newsletters for major corporations and small businesses. This list is “Dave Letterman Style”. Again, there are 12 topics in this list. Print or copy it for your use. Then google:

“editable employee newsletter articles“

to find royalty free sources for more employee newsletter articles

12. Workplace communication: conflict, personality issues, dealing with difficult people, attitude problems, issues, and “ulterior motives”, etc.

11. Worker productivity tips: time management, organization, setting priorities, procrastination, etc.

10. Family, home, and community issues: Consumer issues, teenager issues, family stress, marital and couples harmony, resolving conflicts, work-life balance, ADHD issues, etc.

9. Personal fitness and emotional wellness: Exercise tips, getting more energy, depression, emotional wellness, nutrition.

8. Personal effectiveness and goal achievement: planning your career, getting more done, planning for retirement, New Year resolutions, managing money.

7. Team building: Tips on better meetings, reducing conflict, improving communication, about cohesiveness, being a team player, etc.

6. Improving relationships with your supervisor: communication, knowing what your supervisor wants, completing assignments all the way, making an impression, how to “read between the lines”

5. Hot productivity and health topics: health issues in the news, ideas, and more

4. Stress management: ongoing tips, avoiding burnout, self-assessment, work-life balance, work-family balance, self-talk management.

3. Using the Employee Assistance Program (EAP): EAP education, confidentiality, what EAPs do, when to use your EAP. EAPs are powerful management tools that have extraordinary capability for reducing monstrous behavioral risks in the typical organization–but only if they are properly implemented.

2. Workplace safety tips and injury prevention: Avoiding short-cuts, injury prevention, thinking safety, building a culture of safety, more ways to think about safety

1. Customer service issues: attitudes, difficult customers, peak performance, staying positive, keeping customers happy, reducing your own stress.

It’s important to ensure that your employee newsletter makes mention of your company’s EAP or Employee Assistance Program. Your EAP is a huge risk management tool, not just an employee benefit per se. An employee newsletter can be a huge channel of referrals for it. And, let me just say, you never know when the potentially violent employee will self-refer.

If you have been assigned the grueling task of producing an employee newsletter monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly, you will eventually come to hate your job without having some tricks up your sleeve and the topics above will help you tremendously.

Another alternative of course is to google “newsletter articles employee newsletter” and there are a couple sources that will let you use royalty free articles.

Daniel Feerst – About the Author:

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Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/human-resources-articles/twelve-employee-newsletter-tips-ideas-and-articles-for-corporate-wellness-and-health-1579619.html