WSA Member Update 12.1.23

December 1, 2023  Dear WSA Members,  During these busy times some of your employees are likely going to be coming to work with less sleep than normal. They will also be performing seasonal tasks that may be largely unfamiliar to them. Plus, there will be additional demands on them that can contribute to a variety of distractions. For those reasons I encourage you to have a meeting where the following topics are covered.  As I hope you would agree, the safety of your employees on the job should be your top priority. That said, how about keeping them safe both on and off the job? The Holiday Season has been shown to be one of the most perilous times for safety, with so many carrying out an array of holiday-related jobs, from installation of lighted decorations to driving and operating equipment in busy environments under winter conditions. For a refresher on holiday workplace safety, here is a page on the OSHA website dedicated to that topic.  The perils of drowsy driving is covered in this article by the Automotive Fleet organization. Here is another brief overview by the same organization on the topic of distracted driving.  Through the years I’ve taken questions from a number of contractors about the pros and cons of using in-house mechanics vs. using mechanics in the local area, dealers, etc. For those of you with these sorts of questions at the moment, take a look at WorkTruck’s “Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Fleet Maintenance for Work Trucks.”  In case you missed it, the most recent WorldSweeper e-newsletter contained an article entitled “Minimizing Employee Stress and Defining Company Policy During the Holidays.” I recall when I first consulted with the Schwarze family’s company back in the late 1980s there would be a Christmas party with essentially an open bar. Since then, corporate liability has increased exponentially for events like that.  WorldSweeper’s November newsletter also had a reminder about the IRS’ Section 179 program, which provides an ongoing incentive to acquire and install capital equipment – from rolling stock to computers and more. Essentially, Section 179 of the IRS tax code allows you to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment and/or software purchased or financed from your 2023 gross income.  You can read the details on the 179 program here. You may also want to read about the deductions accounting experts say to be sure to use and/or to avoid.  If your company is involved with helping those less fortunate in your community during the Christmas Season, please let me know. about it. I’d like to compile any of those stories to inspire other sweeping-oriented businesses in celebrating their success by giving back.  As always, if you have questions or comments about this WSA Member Update, or anything else to do with the World Sweeping Association or power sweeping in general, please let me know.  Good Sweeping,  Ranger Kidwell-Ross, Executive Director World Sweeping Association