Spring Home Maintenance Checklist

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Interior of a modern living and dining room

You may have already done your usual spring cleaning, but there’s still some things in your home that need your attention.

To make sure you’re keeping your home safe and regularly maintained, go through this spring checklist:

  • Check the Roof— Look for missing shingles. You can use binoculars if it’s hard to see and you don’t want to climb up on your roof.
  • Clean the Gutters and Downspouts— Leftover leaves and other materials can make it difficult for your gutters and downspouts to remove water efficiently.
  • Check Sprinklers— Spring is a season for new growth. Your yard and plants can’t get water if your sprinklers aren’t running properly.
  • Check All Outdoor Concrete— You don’t want to fall or cause someone else to get hurt on your property for not making sure your concrete isn’t lifting, shifting, and cracking.
  • Examine Windows, Doors, and Seals— Caulk them if necessary. Be sure to check for holes in your window and door screens.
  • Check Woodwork— This includes railings, fences, trellises, and your deck. Make sure the wood isn’t damaged or rotting.
  • Check Your Basement— Spring often has a lot of storms, which can cause flooding. You’ll want to check your basement for damage periodically.
  • Check Smoke Detectors— Did you remember to add new batteries to your smoke detector?
  • Check Your HVAC Filter— A dirty filter will wear down your AC sooner than it has too.
  • Check Furnace Filter— If you want to keep your furnace running efficiently, keep your filter cleaned regularly.
  • Check Your Paint— Do you see any cracked or chipped paint? It’s a good time to do a paint touch up.
  • Prep Your Lawn Equipment— Summer will be here sooner than you know it. Make sure your lawn equipment is working and gets all proper repairs.
  • Flush Your Water Heater— This will help remove buildup, so your water heater can continue to run as it should.
  • Check Dryers— Clean out the lint filter and the dryer vent.
  • Check Your Outdoor Grill— Planning an outdoor barbecue? You might want to make sure your grill is cleaned and functional before use.
  • Clean Refrigerator Coils— Your refrigerator won’t operate properly if the coils aren’t cleaned regularly.

We want you to enjoy your home as much as possible during the spring season.

We hope this checklist helps you achieve the proper maintenance needed for supporting a safe and healthy home.

Click here to download this checklist.

Workplace Spring Cleaning Tips

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Interior of upper level in office building

Have you gotten around to cleaning your office, cubicle, or workplace in general?

Keeping your workspace or workplace clean is not optional.

A clean work environment is essential for safety and good health.

You wouldn’t want to trip and fall on objects that should have been put away or have to take medication for your allergies that are being triggered by the dust you won’t clean off your desk.

Need more motivation to clean?

These are the benefits you’ll receive from spring cleaning your workplace:

  • Increased productivity— Having to look for things or move stuff around to get what you need decreases productivity. If you keep everything organized and in its proper place, employees can work more efficiently.
  • Safer environment—Without things to trip on or bump into, you should see less workplace accidents. Less accidents means less claims and potential liabilities/lawsuits.
  • Better health— An unclean work environment will expose you and your employees to all kinds of pollutants, allergens, and germs. Keep things clean, so everyone can have better health.

What Should You Clean?

Essentially, everything that poses a safety or health risk to you and your employees.

Keep things out of the walkway, and make sure the floors do not pose a fall risk.

You should also consider cleaning things that will hinder productivity if not cleaned otherwise. This could be your desk, computer, drawers, or whatever else you and your team need to do your job efficiently.

Make sure important spaces and doorways are not blocked by clutter in case of an emergency.

Remember, organization is key.

Consider anything in your workplace that could use a little extra organization and tidy it up.

Labeling can help you with this.

You’ll spend less time looking for things because everything will be labeled and put in its proper place.

We want you and your team to have a safe workplace.

We hope these tips help you with your spring cleaning.

Should you have any questions about how you can better protect your employees, feel free to contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

Things You Should Always Have in Your Car

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Man changing a tire

When it comes to cars, your primary concern might be making sure it runs or even that you’re insured.

While that’s definitely a priority, making sure you keep the right items in your car is just as important.

Off the top of your head, can you say for sure that these items are in your car?

If not, you might want to consider stocking up on these supplies:

  • Jumper Cables— You wouldn’t want to be stranded with no way to restart your car’s battery.
  • First Aid Kit— Always be prepared for minor and major injuries.
  • Cat Litter— This helps with traction for your car if you’re ever stuck.
  • Spare Tire— You’ll always want a spare tire around in case one blows out.
  • Jack/Lug Wrench— You’ll have a hard time changing your spare tire without a jack and lug wrench.
  • Flares— This will let people see and know that they need to proceed with caution when driving past you.
  • Blanket— You never know when you might need to stay warm.
  • Fire Extinguisher— Vehicles can catch fire quickly. This’ll help put the fire out.
  • Flashlight— It’s hard to work and see in the dark.
  • Tire Pressure Gauge— Some vehicles aren’t equipped with a feature that tells you your tire pressure is low.
  • Duct Tape— This is good for quick repairs.
  • Multi Tool— One good tool that can do multiple things will come in handy.
  • Car Manual— If there’s an issue, your car manual can help.
  • Water— You never want to be stranded without one of life’s basic necessities.
  • Ice Scraper/Brush— There’s no way you’re getting ice and snow off your car with your bare hands.
  • Non-Perishable Food— You never know when you might need emergency food.
  • Paper Towel/Tissue— This is great for messes and cleaning.
  • Car Charger— You’ll need your phone to make emergency calls.
  • Spare Change— You don’t want to be out of money during an emergency or if you have an unexpected minor expense.
  • Weather Radio— If your car battery is dead, you’ll need another way of listening to the radio for news and alerts.
  • Warning Triangles— Flares won’t last very long. Warning triangles have reflectors that will help people see you and your vehicle on side of the road.
  • Plastic Bags— This is good for holding trash.
  • Seat Belt Cutter/Glass Breaker— In an emergency, you may need to quickly cut your seat belt and break the window to get out of your car. A seat belt cutter and glass breaker will do the trick.

While these are not all the items you should have in your car, these are the top supplies that can help you while you’re out and about.

Looking to find these as pre-made kits? Most of them don’t have everything, but there are many kits out there that you could supplement with a few items. Check out this selection at Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=car+safety+kits&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

 

Keeping Employees Safe While Working Outdoors

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Construction workers working on concrete

The spring can pose potential risks to your team members working outdoors.

Between the rainy and stormy weather, hot days, and various outdoor hazards, you’ll need to make employee safety your top priority.

If you have employees who spend a lot of their time outdoors, make sure you and your team stay up to date with outdoor safety tips. Here are a few to get you started:

Stay Safe in the Heat

According to OSHA, outdoor employees can be at risk for heat-related illnesses.

OSHA recommends the following for guarding employees against heat and humidity:

  • Spend time in the shade when possible
  • Always stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water
  • Use sunscreen
  • Dress appropriately for the weather and temperatures
  • Be mindful of how work clothes may affect you in warmer temperatures
  • Try to eat something light or small before working in the heat
  • Be aware and knowledgeable of heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion, so treatment can be given if needed.

Protect Yourself Against Insects and Poisonous Plants

Two of the major insects that OSHA mentions employees should be aware of are mosquitoes and ticks.

Both insects can sometimes carry diseases (West Nile Virus and Lyme Disease) that can make humans severely ill if bitten by them.

Make sure your employees are well prepared to prevent insect bites and to avoid encountering poisonous plants.

Watch the Weather

Your employees need to know how to be safe in bad weather.

Lightning, hail, flooding, and high winds etc., can be dangerous conditions to work in.

In a lot of cases, workers must hold off on performing a job when the weather conditions are deemed unsafe.

Make sure your employees follow proper safety protocols and procedures when dealing with hazardous weather.

Learn First Aid

Make sure your employees know basic first aid to treat the various issues they may encounter while working outdoors.

Train, Train, Train!

One of the best ways to be safe outdoors is by training your employees on how to be safe outdoors.

They will be better prepared if they’re aware of what to look out for and how to deal with it.

We want you and your team to be safe through this spring season.

If you have questions on additional ways you can help protect your employees, feel free to contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allied Insurance Managers Makes Crain’s 2019 Top Business and Insurance Companies List

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Top Business Insurance Agencies & Companies 2019

We are proud to report that Allied Insurance Managers ranked in Crain’s Top 26 Metro Detroit Business Insurance Agencies List for 2019.

As a professional organization, we strive to provide our clients with the best insurance solutions possible.

The Crain’s list includes national insurance brokers, privately owned insurance agencies along with employee benefit driven insurance agencies.

We are very proud of our staff and our clients for helping us achieve this great accomplishment.