Garage and auto body shop owners: Are you aware of the compensation programs designed and available for your place of business? No matter what your answer may be, our experts are here to MAKE YOU AWARE! Providing an adequate amount of compensation will not only keep your best workers happy, but will attract a number of qualified candidates to your business—it’s a win/win!
When it comes to building a solid and unique compensation program for your business and its employees, you must first ask yourself three questions:

#1: Do you already offer competitive salaries and bonuses to your employees?

#2: Are you currently providing sufficient life insurance and disability benefits to your employees?

#3: Can your business afford to provide retiree benefits?

As you may have noticed, compensation is not always in the form of salary. Yes, a competitive salary is a great start but a compensation program will include so much more than that. Workers compensation, disability, health, and even life insurance will add up!

As a business owner, you may even want to look into specialized compensation programs, such as a deferred compensation plan. What is that?

According to the IRS, a deferred compensation plan is a plan under which employees are permitted to defer a portion of his or her gross income to a future retirement plan. This type of plan may be added when an employer who has a tax qualified 401k plan or another non-qualified deferred compensation plan wishes for more. An employer may fund this benefit only for his or herself, or even include other top partners/owners/managers. They are ultimately constructed to include owners, employees, and key employees.

If you are interested in learning more about deferred compensation programs, do not hesitate to give our agency a call. At Wolpert Insurance, we are committed to offering garage insurance solutions to owners across the state of Massachusetts—including important compensation plans.

Welcome back to our discussion of hazards in the garage workplace! Last week, we discussed how solvents and diesel exhaust fumes could negatively impact your employees’ health in the short-term AND long-term. This week, we are here to discuss the hazards of lead dust and fumes, and what it could mean for your employees’ health if they are exposed without the proper protection.

There are a few leading culprits when it comes to chronic and lead poisoning, including specific paints, lubricants, batteries and the likes. Lead dust and fumes can lead to:

•  Lead poisoning: This may hinder the body’s neurological development. Inhaled lead may end up staying in an individual’s lungs, resulting in negative long-term health effects. Symptoms for lead poisoning may include abdominal pain, muscle pain, appetite loss, constipation and even depression. If you notice that an employee is facing these symptoms, it is his or her cue to have a doctor assess the situation. If he or she is not diagnosed early on, it could be too late.
•  Chronic poisoning: This may affect areas such as neuromuscular, gastrointestinal and neurological. Symptoms and signs may include short-term memory loss, depress, numbness, and loss of coordination. If an employee noticed a blue line along his or her gums, this may be a visible long-term effect.

As you can see, these hazards in the workplace can pose a serious risk to employee health and safety.

At Wolpert Insurance, it is our goal to provide garage and auto shop owners with information, news, and safety advice—not to mention garage insurance! If you are interested in speaking with our experts on these matters or our insurance options, please feel free to call us at 800-299-6819.