As a driver, you have been given a huge responsibility. Everyone is counting on you to get the goods to the proper destination quickly and safely. You take safety seriously, but even the most experienced drivers can sometimes get distracted. The number one distraction for drivers today? Our cell phones. Even in hand-free mode, multiple studies have shown that drivers could be missing up to half of the visual stimuli around them.

Here’s a disturbing statistic for you. According to the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA), taking your eyes off the road for a single text while traveling 55 MPH is equal to driving with your eyes closed for the length of an entire football field. Imagine your family members and loved ones surrounded by people driving with their eyes closed at high speeds, perhaps even in a large commercial vehicle. Talk about a sobering reminder of the importance of staying focused while driving!

The NHTSA reported that 3,142 people were killed in distracted driving accidents in 2019, accounting for 8.7% of all crash fatalities that year. Because of the high risk involved, handheld devices have been banned for drivers of commercial vehicles since 2011.

To put it simply, multitasking, especially while driving, is a myth. The human mind simply cannot devote equal attention to multiple tasks at the same time. Any task that takes your mind off the road should be avoided if possible. Not only is distracted driving a major safety concern, it also carries hefty penalties, which include the following:

· Up to $2,750 in fines per offense for drivers

· Up to $11,000 in fines for employers who allow or require drivers to use handheld devices

· Possible driver disqualification for repeat offenders

· Negative impact on Safety Measurement System (SMS) results

What actions count as using devices illegally?

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), you may be fined for the following actions:

· Using at least one hand to hold a mobile phone to make a call

· Dialing a mobile phone by pressing more than a single button

· Reaching for a mobile phone in a manner that requires a driver to maneuver so that he or she is no longer in a seated driving position, restrained by a seat belt

Staying in touch while avoiding distracted driving

Now you understand why distracted driving is a problem. But how can you stay in touch for important messages or calls while still maintaining a safe focus on the road? Luckily, your mobile phone can actually help with some special setting features.

For Apple Users:

Set up the Driving Focus to silence or limit messages and other notifications. Just go to Settings, then Focus. Tap the + sign in the upper right-hand corner and select “Driving.” You can customize the Driving Focus feature to allow specific contacts or allow emergency notifications. Through Driving Focus, you can also automatically share with others that your notifications are silenced so your contacts know you are waiting to respond until you safely reach your destination, or choose an auto-reply to let contacts know you are unavailable. Driving Focus can be set up to turn on automatically for a “set it and forget it” option that always keeps your driving free of mobile phone distractions.

For Android Users:

For every phone with Android 9 or newer, users can set up Focus Mode. Go to Settings, then Digital Wellbeing. You can also search “Focus Mode” under Settings. From there, you are presented with a list of distracting apps. You can choose which ones to silence in Focus Mode and which ones to leave active. Focus Mode can also be added to the Quick Settings menu to more easily turn it on and off.

With just a few taps, you can do your part to keep the roads a safer place for all drivers. You can also spread the word about the dangers of distracted driving to other drivers, your friends, and family. As awareness increases, it is our hope at Trillium Driver Solutions that safety increases as well.

When Branch Manager, Amanda Lewis was asked how she accomplished this terrific feat, she replied “The employee check-ins and reference checks work. We make sure that every employee that goes on a jobsite understands that their safety is our number one concern.” She added, “Our clients must be safety conscious too, or we can’t partner with them.”

With the number of jobsite injuries and incidents on construction sites on the rise, the safety of our employees remains Trillium Construction’s top priority. With all of the branches cohesively working together, Trillium can continue to eliminate the number of incidents on jobsites each year. Congratulations to the Trillium Jacksonville office and keep up the good work!

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com

• Failure to notify employee of FMLA rights. Have your supervisors or department leaders been trained on when an employee would qualify for FMLA? If not, you’re at risk of never being notified that an employee may qualify; preventing you from even beginning the process.
• Failure to notify employee that leave counted towards 12 week FMLA entitlement. Do your supervisors understand what time does and does not count towards the allotted leave for an employee on FMLA? Making sure they are aware and can provide documented reminders to employees can save a lot of confusion and potential violations down the road. This can be especially important when an intermittent or reduced schedule FMLA leave is taking place.
• Counting FMLA leave against the firm’s absentee policy for disciplinary purposes. Do supervisors in your facility address attendance concerns without discussing it with HR first? If so, providing them with clear guidelines and instructions can prevent violations of this rule.
• Taking disciplinary action against an employee for using FMLA. Whether being short staffed, working overtime, or other disruptions to the workplace have frustrated a supervisor, it is imperative that they do not take disciplinary action against an employee for using approved FMLA. Work with your supervisory team to provide solutions, options, and ideas to ease the frustration and additional work load on the rest of the team.
• Failure to grant leave to provide physical care or psychological comfort to a seriously ill parent. Be sure to remind your supervisory team that FMLA doesn’t just apply to the employee themselves, but may include parents and children. Understanding what circumstances that may warrant beginning the FMLA process can quickly avoid an FMLA violation.
• Failure to reinstate employee to same or equivalent position, including same shift. Understandably, supervisors may need to make changes to their team in order to adequately staff their department during an employee’s absence. Work with your supervisors ahead of time to make sure they are aware of the employee’s rights when returning to work. This may prevent undue issues when arranging and rearranging staff.

Understandably, departments may experience larger workloads, more overtime hours, productivity decreases, and other hardships when an employee is off of work for an extended period of time. Providing additional support and leadership to supervisors and managers who are experiencing a period where they have a staff member missing, can help prevent added frustrations, FMLA violations, and a negative impact of morale in the workplace. Here are a few quick ways to support supervisors and managers before, during, and after an FMLA leave:

• Provide ongoing education on FMLA regulations, processes, and procedures.
• Work with other supervisors to assist in cross training other employees to assist in covering duties while one area is short staffed.
• Consider hiring a temporary employee to ease the burden of the increased workload.
• Keep the lines of communication open between HR and the supervisor. Often times an employee will communicate updates to a supervisor who may not realize the information needs to be reported, certified, or requires further action.
• Remind supervisors not to disclose confidential information with anyone other than necessary privacy officials. In addition, frustrations regarding any additional hardships should not be communicated to other employees.

Eligible employees are entitled to FMLA leave and should not experience undue negativity from supervisors, co-workers, or others in the workplace. Providing clear and concise procedures with all members of your management team can greatly reduce the risk of FMLA violations, HIPPA violations, and other issues in the workplace.

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of top level talent? Contact us today! If you are a stand out in your profession and seeking contingent or long term career opportunities, visit our job seekers section for more information!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

“There really are no accidents, awareness is the key! You don’t get injured because you are aware of the hazard,” commented Jamie Ellis, Safety Manager for Trillium.

Federal OSHA reports that eliminating the “Fatal Four” would have saved 468 lives in America in 2013 alone. Coincidentally enough, included in the top 3 most frequented cited violations for fiscal year 2014 for Federal OSHA included was Fall Protection and General Requirements for Scaffolding.

Several ways to reduce risk of injury and death in the work place due to the “Fatal Four” includes:

• Employing a Risk Management team.
• Having a structured safety program that includes training, refreshers, enforcement, and incentives.
• Safety committees dedicated to identifying hazards and ensuring jobsite safety.
• Screening potential hires for knowledge and commitment to safety protocol.
• Hiring only those who are qualified to perform the work safely.

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of top level talent? Contact us today! If you are a stand out in your profession and seeking contingent or long term career opportunities, visit our job seekers section for more information!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

This revision includes two major changes; being the required use of new labeling elements and a standardized format for Safety Data Sheets replacing Material Safety Data Sheets. These changes were set forth to improve worker understanding of the hazards associated with the chemicals present in their workplace. OSHA has phased the new requirements in from December 2013 through June 2016.

The minimum required training topics to be completed by December 1, 2013 according to OSHA’s website include:

Training on label elements including information on:

• Type of information the employee would expect to see on the new labels, including the

1. Product identifier: how the hazardous chemical is identified. This can be (but is not limited to) the chemical name, code number or batch number. The manufacturer, importer or distributor can decide the appropriate product identifier. The same product identifier must be both on the label and in Section 1 of the SDS (Identification).
2. Signal word: used to indicate the relative level of severity of hazard and alert the
   reader to a potential hazard on the label. There are only two signal words, “Danger” and “Warning.” Within a specific hazard class, “Danger” is used for the more severe
   hazards and “Warning” is used for the less severe hazards. There will only be one
   signal word on the label no matter how many hazards a chemical may have. If one
   of the hazards warrants a “Danger” signal word and another warrants the signal word
   “Warning,” then only “Danger” should appear on the label.
3. Pictogram: OSHA’s required pictograms must be in the shape of a square set at a
   point and include a black hazard symbol on a white background with a red frame
   sufficiently wide enough to be clearly visible. A square red frame set at a point
   without a hazard symbol is not a pictogram and is not permitted on the label. OSHA
   has designated eight pictograms under this standard for application to a hazard
   category.  OSHA3491QuickCardPictogram
4. Hazard statement(s): describe the nature of the hazard(s) of a chemical, including,
   where appropriate, the degree of hazard. For example: “Causes damage to kidneys
   through prolonged or repeated exposure when absorbed through the skin.” All of the applicable hazard statements must appear on the label. Hazard statements may
   be combined where appropriate to reduce redundancies and improve readability. The
   hazard statements are specific to the hazard classification categories, and chemical users should always see the same statement for the same hazards, no matter what the chemical is or who produces it.
5. Precautionary statement(s): means a phrase that describes recommended measures that should be taken to minimize or prevent adverse effects resulting from exposure to a hazardous chemical or improper storage or handling.
6. Name, address and phone number of the chemical manufacturer, distributor, or importer.

• How an employee might use the labels in the workplace. For example:

1. Explain how information on the label can be used to ensure proper storage of hazardous chemicals.
2. Explain how the information on the label might be used to quickly locate information
   on first aid when needed by employees or emergency personnel.

• General understanding of how the elements work together on a label. For example:

1. Explain that where a chemical has multiple hazards, different pictograms are used to
   identify the various hazards. The employee should expect to see the appropriate
   pictogram for the corresponding hazard class.
2. Explain that when there are similar precautionary statements, the one providing
   the most protective information will be included on the label.

Training on the format of the SDS must include information on:

•  Standardized 16-section format, including the type of information found in the various sections.

1. For example, the employee should be instructed that with the new format, Section 8 (Exposure Controls/Personal Protection) will always contain information about
   exposure limits, engineering controls and ways to protect yourself, including personal protective equipment.

• How the information on the label is related to the SDS.

1. For example, explain that the precautionary statements would be the same on the label and on the SDS.

For more information on the revisions visit OSHA’s website here.

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of top level talent? Contact us today!  If you are a stand out in your profession and seeking contingent or long term career opportunities, visit our job seekers section for more information!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

The FMCSA has posted warnings on their site and continues to bring awareness to the dangers that come from using improper equipment. A 2009 study found that about 80% of bridge strikes in New York were a result of large vehicles using the wrong navigation devices. With simple prevention, drivers can avoid these life threatening accidents that often result in serious injuries, heavy equipment damage, costly road repairs, and long delays for other motorists. Click here for a copy of the FMCSA’s GPS Selection Guide for CMV’s.

Are you a stand out professional, technical professional, driver, or skilled worker seeking contingent, temporary, or long term career opportunities?  Visit our job board  for more information!  Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of professionals and skilled workers? Contact us today!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

What does this risk factor amount to? Here are a few statistics from the CDC:

  In 2011, more than 3,300 people were killed in distracted driving related crashes

With professional drivers facing fines of almost $3,000 per offense and even loss of their license for repeat offenses for the use of handheld phones while driving, the FMCSA is working hard to combat the deadly issue. Unfortunately these consequences are not significant enough for some drivers. Companies who employ drivers must take additional steps and efforts to help enforce the safety of their staff and others. So what can you do?

• Create and enforce policies in your employee handbook to prohibit distracted driving

• ·         Place phone numbers on your vehicles allowing other drivers to report distracted or poor driving behaviors

• ·         Regularly communicate the dangers of distracted driving to your staff and provide safety tips to prevent it

• Make safety a main priority for your organization

• Recognize and reward drivers for safe behaviors and compliance with your safety rules, state, and federal regulations

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of professional drivers? Contact us today! Learn more about our Dedicated Driver Services here! Are you a safe and professional driver who is seeking a rewarding career? Visit us here to locate a driving career in your area!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

• Human Resources
• Payroll
• Legal Professionals
• Nurses
• Occupational Therapists
• Personal Trainers
• Customer Service Professionals
• Insurance Consultants
• Medical Billers
• Medical Coders
• Computer Programmers

Are you a stand out professional, technical professional, driver, or skilled worker seeking contingent, temporary, or long term career opportunities?  Visit our job board  for more information!  Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of professionals and skilled workers? Contact us today!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

While the application and screening process can be laborious for any position, the steps involved to remain in compliance while hiring CDL drivers can be overwhelming. Did you know that in order to fulfill legal obligations you may have to:

• Obtain employment verification and drug/alcohol test results
• Obtain certificate of compliance with driver’s license requirements
• Obtain applicant’s description of previous vehicle accidents
• Obtain applicant’s statement of On Duty hours
• Obtain a copy of applicant’s DOT physical card and physical
• Obtain a copy of the applicant’s driver’s license
• Obtain a copy of the applicant’s MVR
• Obtain a negative drug screen result

While employing a driver you must also ensure that your equipment, insurance coverage, and policies remain in compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations. Simply staying informed on the latest regulation and compliance changes can be a full time job.

So what should an employer who doesn’t specialize in hiring drivers do? First and foremost, an employer should determine whether or not investing in compliance, training, and insurance premiums outweighs the benefits of them outsourcing their driving staff. Second, you should determine whether a third party logistics firm or a driver staffing agency would better service your needs. A driver staffing agency can provide you with screened and qualified drivers for long and short term needs, while maintaining control and responsibility of properly screening and employing the driving staff.

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of professional drivers? Contact us today! Learn more about our Dedicated Driver Services here! Are you a safe and professional driver who is seeking a rewarding career? Visit us here to locate a driving career in your area!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

While creating and maintaining a marine workforce is no easy feat, those who excel in the industry can assure you it can be done and be done well. So what makes someone a leader in marine staffing? Here’s a few tips:

• You must be an industry expert. While experience in hiring skilled trades people for general construction and industrial work may give you some level of experience, it cannot compare to those who work solely in the shipyards. In order to staff a marine workforce, you must be knowledgeable in the skills and experience required for each position, the industry regulations, and be able to evaluate a candidate’s skill set quickly.
• You must be a marine talent expert. Understanding what it takes to complete a project and being able to identify the talent needed to excel at a project can be two different things. Hiring marine craftsmen successfully takes a strong knowledge base of the skills, aptitude, and knowledge needed for each role you staff in the project. Mediocre talent makes for mediocre project results.
• You must be able to locate and mobilize a marine workforce quickly. Marine contractors don’t have time to wait for you to build a pool of marine construction staff. Providing marine contractors with experienced skilled trades people quickly and efficiently is the key to maintaining a strong relationship.
• Be a maritime safety expert. Providing safe maritime construction workers is the key to keeping a job site moving. OSHA Maritime Safety Training should be a critical part of your on boarding process as well as pre-employment and random drug screenings. Making sure your maritime construction staff is equipped with the proper PPE can be a small step in saving costly injuries and down times.

Maritime construction requires extraordinary marine engineering and project management. Providing top talent marine craftsmen is not an easy task. In an industry where experienced talent and good wages are hard to find, more often than not maritime construction workers are not located near the job site. In order to excel at staffing maritime construction, you must excel at locating, qualifying, and dispatching local and non-local marine craftsmen.

Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of experienced marine construction workers? Contact us today!  If you are a stand out skilled trades worker seeking short or long term career opportunities, visit our job seekers section for more information!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.