You only have until March 31, 2011 to submit all receipts for the 2010 Flexible Spending Account Plan year. All expenses must have been incurred during 2010. You can obtain a claim form from our website at www.rminc.com under the Employee Resource Center. Claim forms should be faxed, mailed or e-mailed directly to National Benefit Services (NBS). Their contact information is located at the bottom of the claim form.

As a reminder, employees can now log on to their 125(c) account on NBS' website www.nbsbenefits.com and submit their 2010 and 2011 claims electronically. Please be sure to have a PDF copy of your IRS–approved receipt that you can attach. There is no need to submit any paper copies to NBS, as everything can be done on-line.

If you need assistance in submitting your 2010 receipts, please contact RMI's Benefits Department at (888) 764-0200.

Did you make a New Year's resolution to start saving more money? If so, have you thought about your employer-sponsored 401(k) Plan as a way to help you save that money? Effective January 1, 2011, the Tax Relief Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 provided all employees with a 2% decrease in their Social Security withholding for 2011. The withholding percentage went from 6.2% down to 4.2%. Hopefully, you have noticed an increase in your take-home pay.

Now that you have an extra, and unexpected, 2% more in your pocket, why not put that additional money into your 401(k) Plan by increasing your 401(k) deferral contribution? If you elect to defer on a pre-tax basis, your take home pay will not be affected by the full amount of your increased contribution, as traditional 401(k) deductions are withheld prior to Federal and States taxes being withheld.

Many of RMI's employers make a 401(k) match for their employees and you may not be taking full advantage of that match. Contact RMI's Benefits Department at (888) 764-0200 to find out what your employer's match is and if you are deferring enough of your wages to receive the full benefit.

Most RMI-sponsored 401(k) Plans allow for participants to change their deferral amounts on a monthly basis by completing the Participant Data Change Form and returning the form to RMI's Benefits Department via mail, fax or e-mail. This form can be found on RMI's website at www.rminc.com under the Employee Resource Center. Changes will take effect on the first day of the month following RMI's receipt of your form. Discover401k.com has a 401(k) savings calculator, which can be found at http://www.rmi401k.com/calc/Retire401k.html, to help you determine if you are saving enough for your retirement. Jere El-Bakri and his team at Nations Financial Group would love to assist you in planning for your retirement and specifically, how increasing your deferral amount can help grow your retirement account. Please contact them at (800) 948-0330.

Form W-5, Earned Income Credit Advance Payment Certificate, is no longer in use. After 2010, employees can no longer get advance payments of the credit in their pay during the year as they could in 2010 and earlier years. However, all eligible employees will still be able to claim the credit on their 2011 return. If you expect to be eligible for the Earned Income Credit and will have income tax withheld from wages in 2011, you may reduce your Form W-4 withholding in order to receive the benefit of a portion of the credit throughout the year.

Starting 1/1/2011, the employee social security tax rate will be 4.2% instead of 6.2%.

Are you worried about owing taxes at the end of the year? The IRS Withholding Calculator can help you avoid having too much or too little Federal income tax withheld from your pay. To access the IRS Withholding Calculator, click here.

The 2011 Form W-4 can be found on RMI's website, www.rminc.com under the Employee Resource Center. Go to Forms/Individual Forms/W-4. You can fax your revised Form W-4 directly to RMI's Payroll Department at 801-924-1628 or scan and e-mail your form to payroll@rminc.com.

With all the media coverage tires have been getting lately, it's a safe bet more people are taking a good look at their vehicles' tires before hitting the highway. That's a good thing, because tires have traditionally received far too little attention. Some people don't give tires any thought until they're forced to deal with one that's gone flat.

One study showed 70% of tires on motor vehicles are underinflated. A tire is said to be dangerously underinflated with just four pounds per square inch less pressure than recommended. Too little air causes a tire's sidewalls to flex, which in turn causes heat to build up. When that happens, tires can blow out, sometimes with fatal results.

The moral of this story is that tire pressures on personal and work vehicles need to be checked at least monthly with a good tire pressure gauge available at any automotive parts outlet. Recommended tire pressures can be found in a vehicle's owners' manual, or inside the driver's side door or glove box. Remember that carrying more weight in a vehicle than it's designed to handle can also cause tire failure due to heat build-up. Driving on underinflated tires will cause a car or truck's engine to work harder and consume more fuel.

Tire pressures should be checked "cold" before the vehicle moves an inch. Tires should also be rotated every 6,000 - 8,000 miles to maximize their life span. For more information or training, please contact your RMI HR Representative.

It's easy to dismiss workplace housekeeping as "a job for janitors" after you've gone home. After all, you might think, "Productive people produce. It wastes time to be extra neat."

Or does it? Think of the time you waste looking for tools or materials when someone doesn't put something back where it belongs.

Good housekeeping is everyone's responsibility. It involves:

• Promptly wiping up spills.
• Picking up items that pose a tripping hazard.
• Clearing away waste before it gets out of control or fuels a fire.

Slips, trips, and falls are the leading causes of occupational injuries. The National Safety Council estimates 300,000 workers in the United States are injured and 1,400 die in that manner every year. Poor workplace housekeeping habits cause many of these incidents. Housekeeping must be an integrated part of the daily workplace routine. Aisles and stairways must be kept clear of clutter, so people won't stumble and fall. Likewise, spills must be attended to quickly. Before attempting any clean-up remember to find out what has been spilled and, if you are authorized, clean up the spill wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment. If you are not authorized to clean up such spills, tell someone who can clean it up immediately.

Here are some other things to keep in mind:

• Machinery should be regularly cleaned and maintained to prevent spills. Drip pans should be placed in appropriate areas to catch liquid that would otherwise end up on the floor.
• Don't leave oily or greasy rags hanging around. They pose a real fire hazard.
• Never leave drawers on filing cabinets, storage spaces or desks open. A co-worker's head or leg might discover them before his eyes do. Also, are power cords and cables strewn across the floor, over which an unsuspecting person might trip?
• Is there enough light? Light bulbs that get dirty or burn out and aren't replaced pose a serious hazard.
• Areas undergoing maintenance need to be roped off to keep workers from wandering into potential danger. If a floor is wet, a "caution, wet floor" sign should be posted.
• Are trash cans emptied regularly?
• Are materials stacked safety, or could they fall onto an unsuspecting employee?
• Fire exits, fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems should never be blocked by materials.

OSHA regulations state: "All places of employment, passageways, storerooms and service rooms should be kept clean and orderly and in a sanitary condition." That regulatory agency and others have issued citations to companies for ignoring housekeeping regulations. For more information or training, please contact your RMI HR Representative.