With 2012 quickly approaching, it is important to be aware that several states are increasing their minimum wage on January 1, 2012. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, which may be higher or lower than some states' or local governments' minimum wage. Whichever wage is higher is the minimum wage that is required to be paid. The following table indicates the current state minimum wages and upcoming changes announced to date:

For more information on minimum wage, please contact your RMI HR Representative or Payroll Manager.

The 2012 limit for employee elective deferrals for 401(k)-type plans, Section 403(b) plans, and Section 457 plans will be increased to $17,000, up from the 2011 limit of $16,500. The "catch-up" provision will remain an additional $5,500. The "catch-up" provision applies to employees who have reached age 50, or who will turn age 50 any time during the calendar year. The "catch-up" provision allows those who qualify to defer up to $22,500 per calendar year.

Employees can make changes to their deferral amounts the first day of any month. Please contact RMI's Benefits Department at (888) 764-0200 if you would like to change your deferral amount for January 1st. If you participate in a non-safe-harbor 401(k) plan, and are considered a highly-compensated employee or are an owner, you will want to discuss any deferral changes with Jere El-Bakri from Retirement Plan Consultants at (800) 948-0330 before submitting your form.

If you have any questions concerning your current deferral amount, your employer's matching contributions, or any other 401(k) related questions, please contact either RMI's Benefits Department or Jere El-Bakri.

If you are planning on gifting employees with cash during the holiday season, don't forget to report these gifts as taxable income on your December payroll. Any cash gift, including a gift certificate that an employee could covert to cash, is subject to employment taxes and should be reported on the employee's 2011 Form W-2.

If you'd like to give cash bonuses but do not want your employees to suffer any tax implications, you can cover the cost of taxes for your employees by instructing your RMI payroll manager to "gross-up" the cash gift. The additional income that you pay in gross wages will be used to cover the employee's taxes so that the employee's net income is not affected by the taxable gift.

Gift certificates are only considered taxable income if they are redeemable for cash. Non-cash gifts of nominal value, such as a turkey or ham, are nontaxable.

If you have questions regarding how to report a taxable gift on payroll, please contact your RMI Payroll Manager at (888) 764-0200.

What's at Stake?
We've all seen one or been one. We're talking about that distracted driver, one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the phone, with the job of driving safely clearly far from his mind. Cell phone use has escalated considerably in the past decade and so have the number of phone-related traffic fatalities and the number of jurisdictions enacting laws that prohibit or restrict cell phone use. Many companies are following suit by introducing policies that prohibit or limit a worker's cell phone use while driving.

What's the Danger?
Studies suggest driving while on a cell phone can be as dangerous as driving drunk. Not convinced? Try following drivers who are talking on the phone. Are they driving inconsistently, speeding up one minute and then slowing down the next? Do they change lanes unexpectedly or have difficulty staying in their own lane? Those are all telltale signs that a driver is distracted by a cell phone.

A study conducted by the National Safety Council found cell phone users missed twice as many simulated traffic signals as drivers who weren't on the phone. This included drivers using a hands-free device, something researchers say is only slightly safer than using a hand-held phone.

Cell phones have not increased productivity to the extent that some might suggest. One company surveyed employees a year after introducing a cell phone ban and found 95 percent reported no lost productivity.

Example
In June 2007, five teens were killed when their car swerved into oncoming traffic and collided with a truck. The investigation revealed that the driver's cell phone was being used to make calls and send text messages at the time of the crash.

How to Protect Yourself

• Don't use a cell phone if you are a new driver or are getting accustomed to a new car. Master the most important skills first.
• Pull over to the side of the road to take or make calls, including calls to 9-1-1.
• Review your company's cell phone policy and abide by it when driving or operating machinery and equipment including forklifts and backhoes.
• Familiarize yourself with any motor vehicle laws pertaining to cell phones, especially when traveling out of state or province
• Limit phone use to when you are parked or ask a passenger to make calls for you.
• Use a hands-free headset and keep calls brief. Talking while driving is always a distraction that is best avoided.
• Don't take notes or look up phone numbers while driving. Ask the caller to leave details on your voicemail.
• Get to know your phone and its features so you know where the buttons are.
• Keep your phone within easy reach so you don't have to take your eyes off the road.
• Don't make or take calls during heavy traffic or severe weather.
• Never have stressful or emotional conversations while driving.
• Keep conversations brief. Let the person know you are driving and must hang up as soon as possible.

Final Word
Cell phones have made our roads and highways both safer and more dangerous than ever before. Make a conscious effort to restrict, or eliminate, cell phone use while driving. It could mean the difference between life and death.

To revise your company cell phone policy, please contact your RMI HR Representative.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is equipment that is designed to protect the wearer from injury. When engineering, work practice and administrative controls are not feasible or do not provide sufficient protection, employers must provide PPE to their employees and ensure its use. OSHA standards 29 CFR 1910.132 and 29 CFR 1926.28 cover the use and maintenance of PPE for the eyes, face, head and extremities when necessary because of process or environmental hazards. Effective February 13, 2008, OSHA requires employers to provide their employees with no-cost protective equipment (OSHA1910.132(h)(2)). The employer is not required to pay for non-specialty safety-toe protective footwear (including steel-toe shoes or steel-toe boots) and non-specialty prescription safety eyewear, provided that the employer permits such items to be worn off the jobsite.

PPE includes protective clothing, respiratory devices and protective shields/barriers. Some examples are:

• Safety glasses, goggles and face shields;
• Earplugs/earmuffs;
• Hard hats/bump caps;
• Leather/rubber gloves/insulated mesh gloves;
• Safety shoes/boots;
• Personal fall-arrest systems;
• Full body suits; and
• Respirators/self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

Proper PPE selection includes:

• Determining and identifying types and degrees of workplace hazards.
• Ensuring PPE meets or exceeds appropriate standards.
• Purchasing different sizes and styles to fit all users.
• Verifying user fit and leak testing.
• Explaining company PPE programs including the cost of purchasing, maintaining and replacing PPE.
• Providing training regarding PPE design and limitations.
• Explaining what to do in an emergency.
• Explaining when and how to wear, adjust, use, clean, sanitize, maintain, store and dispose of PPE.

Key elements of an effective PPE program include:

• Identify and evaluate workplace hazards using a written assessment.
• Use engineering controls when possible.
• Establish PPE policies and rules.
• Select the proper types of PPE, providing choices when possible.
• Set a positive example by wearing PPE.
• Discuss employee reluctance to wear PPE.
• Establish fair rules and enforce uniformly.
• Purchase and supply PPE to employees.
• Use medical evaluations and surveillance.
• Train PPE users.
• Inspect and maintain PPE.
• Clean and properly store PPE.

Typical OSHA PPE citations have included failure to:

• Assess the workplace to determine if hazards that necessitate the proper selection and use of PPE were present or were likely to be present.
• Verify through a written certification that that the required workplace hazard assessment for PPE has been performed.
• Provide training to each employee required to use PPE.

For more information about PPE, please contact your RMI HR Representative.