Companies that fail to respect their employees’ religious objections can be subject to hefty fines. That’s the lesson a coal mine in West Virginia learned last month after a federal jury ordered that they pay a former employee $150,000 after he refused to use a biometric scanner because he believed it would imprint him with … Read more
The God’s Pantry Food Bank, located in Lexington, Kentucky, received an unusual donation from a local industrial vehicles dealer last month: A forklift. The donation was the result of a recommendation from Pete Sackleh, a sales rep at ProLift Industrial Equipment who also is a volunteer at the food bank, Kentucky’s largest. The refurbished forklift … Read more
At the annual Consumer Electronics Show, held last month in Las Vegas, both Apple and Google demonstrated new systems that allow drivers to plug their smart phones into their car’s USB port and access the Internet via on-board infotainment touch screens. The systems are powered by Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems, respectively. That’s … Read more
The growing popularity of E-commerce is increasing competition for prime space for warehouses and distribution centers close to major urban markets. According to a report issued by JLL, a Chicago based commercial real estate brokerage, a growing number of retailers — both online and real world — currently are seeking to expand their ability to … Read more
A UK company has developed a new mobile welding fume extraction device that filters metal particulate fumes, dusts and some gases during welding and grinding applications. The company — Extractability, a division of Weldability-Sif — says that the ProtectoXtract Mobile Welding Fume Extractor has received approval from the Institute of Occupational Health Standards. Here’s a … Read more
Australian port officials temporarily took over a Hong Kong-based ship at the port in Newcastle after learning crew members had unlashed a cargo load of 300 rail cars prior to the ship’s arrival in port. The ship — the Orient Becrux, owned by Chinese operator Pacific Basin — was held by Australian authorities for several … Read more
During the past couple of years, management had to figure out how to address workers using their mobile devices during work hours. When was it appropriate and when should they be shut off? Now there’s a whole new problem: Workers wearing their access devices to work. Wearable Access Devices Wearables includes such things as watches, … Read more
Here is a special sneak peek at some of the stories you will find this week on the Bahrns blog: Smart phones are used all the time at work, but now there’s another high tech gadget that’s making its way into the workplace. We’ll tell you what it is … This holiday season was one … Read more
Despite dire predictions of long package delivery delays and commercial carrier distribution system breakdowns, it was a relatively happy and problem-free holiday season for most package delivery services. That comes in stark contrast to the previous holiday season, when missed deliveries and package delays caused many gifts to be delivered long after Christmas. Problems with … Read more
UPS announced earlier this month that it expanded four distribution centers by a total of 1.2 million square feet this year. The centers are located in Mira Loma, California; Hebron, Kentucky; Louisville, Kentucky; and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Alan Amling, the package carrier’s VP of global logistics, said the expansion projects are in anticipation of an … Read more
