Training Employees 101

A major step in hiring new people to work at a business is making sure they are trained on proper company procedures and policies. Whether the company is an office setting or an industrial site with more safety precautions, training is important to help create a comfortable employee dynamic and avoid costly accidents. This knowledge can be easily achieved with Marcom’s line of workplace training materials. They offer an extensive line of training topics, from “Preventing Sexual Harassment” and “Computer Workstation Safety” to “First Aid in Construction Environments” and “Scissor Lifts in Industrial and Construction Environments,” just to name a few. Most of the topics are geared toward regular employees, but a lot of them are also available for training new managers in their role with more responsibility in the situation.

A training kit for each topic includes a DVD training program with a leader’s guide and employee quizzes, employee booklets, and relevant posters to help ensure the full education of each employee.

IIS offers the full line of Marcom’s training kits and materials. Learn more about these products by checking out marcomltd.com or contacting IIS today!

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Decrease Toner Costs without Sacrificing Quality Prints

Printed documents can be an essential part of a business, and also an unnecessary stressor. The right printing equipment can help prevent annoying issues such as jams, smears, or overall poor quality pages. It may seem like the best way to prevent these nuisances is to buy the most expensive, brand name toner for your printer, however this may not necessarily be the case.

A common myth about exclusively using the original manufacturer’s toner in a printer is that if you do not use these OEM cartridges, it will void the printer’s warranty. However, this is actually untrue and, in fact, against the law for manufacturers to do so. Under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a manufacturer cannot require the use of any brand of toner unless they are willing to provide it free of charge in the warranty. If you are still uneasy about using a generic brand of toner for quality’s sake, popular brand, Xerox, also offers a range of different toners that are compatible with most printers, and are cheaper than the printer’s original brand type. Making the switch to a less expensive, but still brand name, cartridge may help ease your mind to switch to a generic toner and show you that you can save money without sacrificing quality prints.

Another factor which can cause printing errors is using ink printers and cartridges rather than laser toner printers. Printer ink is a liquid substance that is shot directly onto the paper while printing and usually takes a longer time to print and for the ink to dry afterwards than toner, causing prints to smear when a high quantity of pages is printed. Toner is a powder with wax particles in it that melt, making the toner become fused to the paper while printing, leading to a faster print process with minimal errors.

The combination of laser printers with toner and generic brand cartridges can help increase the quality of prints at the office while also decreasing the costs in the long run. Industrial Instruments and Supplies can work with you to determine your toner needs and aide in the transition to a more inexpensive product to make the work day even just a little less hectic.

Sources: 

http://www.suppliesguys.com/info/ink-vs-toner.htm

http://www.technize.info/10-unusual-facts-about-laser-printers/

CO2 Monitors Can Increase Productivity

Carbon Dioxide is a gas produced naturally by humans when they exhale. Despite making up much of the Earth’s atmosphere, too much of this gas can have adverse effects on the body. For example, in humans, increased levels of CO2 can cause discomfort, stiffness, and drowsiness. While these effects may be minimal, they can decrease one’s work ethic and productivity, particularly in a workplace environment with poor ventilation.

CO2 is measured in parts per million, or ppm, and is considered a normal level indoors at 450-600 ppm. Once levels reach 600-1000 ppm, there may be complaints of air stuffiness and general muscle discomfort. After 1000 ppm, drowsiness is likely to occur, with effects strengthening as the level increases. Carbon Dioxide levels don’t become too dangerous until 50,000 ppm, with nausea, headaches and impairment. Death can occur at 100,000 ppm, which is very unlikely in a normal environment.

In order to properly analyze CO2 levels, an indoor air quality monitor can be used to ensure a healthy working environment for optimal productivity.

Sources: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/indoorair/co2/

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/co2-comfort-level-d_1024.html

Driving Safety Tips for Wintery Conditions

Cold weather is upon us, and daily driving routines can become very dangerous if the proper precautions and safety measures are not followed. Be prepared by keeping your car maintenance up to date, especially in the colder months, to keep it running as best as it can. During winter, it is best to keep the gas tank at least half full at all times to avoid gas line freeze up. Make sure you also have a fully stocked emergency kit in the vehicle, equipped with items such as first aid supplies, thermal blankets, flashlight, and jumper cables, which can be crucial in the event of a car breakdown. IIS offers a variety of these types of kits already stocked with necessary equipment.

When the time comes for driving in the snow, be sure to accelerate and decelerate slowly, while keeping overall speed low. If you can, don’t come to a complete stop, such as at traffic lights. It’s easier for a car in snow to keep moving from a slow roll than to start moving again from a dead stop. In terms of driving on hills, try to keep a steady speed all the way going up, and don’t stop in the middle or risk sliding back down or getting stuck. When going down a hill, ride the brakes to move as slowly as possible.

Above all else, if you don’t need to leave the house and drive during a snowstorm, don’t. Staying off snowy roads is always safer than trying to maneuver them.

Source: http://exchange.aaa.com/safety/roadway-safety/winter-driving-tips/

The Health Risks of Prolonged Sitting

Just when you thought life couldn’t get any more dangerous, studies are released showing a variety of health issues caused by a simple action most people performing throughout most of the day: sitting. Yes, excessive sitting has been found to cause serious diseases such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. It may seem like these problems just stem from a lack of physical activity and exercise, however that is not the case.

Even if one were to go for a strenuous work out at the gym, it doesn’t do enough to counteract a long day of sitting at work. The best bet is to break up long sitting periods whenever possible with standing or walking, such as going to talk to a colleague across the office in person rather than just sending an email.

Other studies show that sitting for too long is correlated with reduced ability of the bloodstream to regulate glucose levels, a condition that dramatically increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.

It’s not always easy to keep your body moving when your job requires you to be at a computer for most of the day, but a way to ensure you get a good balance of standing and sitting during your work day is to invest in a standing desk, such as the ones manufactured by Luxor featured on the Industrial Instruments and Supplies’ website. However, standing all day is not great either for your knees and back, so be sure to maintain a healthy mix of both sitting and standing whenever possible.

Source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-health-benefits-standing-desks-180950259/?no-ist

Psychrometers Made by Yours Truly

Industrial Instruments & Supplies has been supplying our own psychrometers, manufactured at our Pennsylvania location, for the past 25 years. The IIS psychrometer includes both wet and dry bulb thermometers, which can determine an atmosphere’s relative humidity when the difference between the temperatures measured on each is calculated. There is also a battery operated fan to provide more accurate readings. In order to get the most accurate reading, it is imperative to place the psychrometer in an area that is not too hot or too cold, and not directly in contact with any persons.

For added convenience, each psychrometer also displays a psychrometric chart, enabling easier calculation of humidity. Simply find the intersection on the chart of the wet and dry bulb temperature readings and that is what the relative humidity is. All parts of the psychrometer are easily replaced, if necessary, as they are all available separately on our website. The battery operated psychrometer, manufactured by your friends at Industrial Instruments and Supplies, is the perfect solution for all your humidity measuring needs.