May 27, 2016 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Roadwork for week of May 28

Smith-Bridge — Painting of Smith’s Bridge will require the closure of Smith’s Bridge Road between Creek Road and Route 100 from 7 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31, until 5 p.m. on Monday, June 27, according to DelDOT.

PennDOT has announced the following road projects, which are weather-dependent and could affect residents in the greater Chadds Ford area during the week of May 28 through June 3. Motorists are urged to allow extra time if they are traveling through one of the construction zones.

From Tuesday, May 31, through Thursday, June 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Route 52 will be closed between Pocopson Road and Creek Road in Pocopson Township to complete last week’s bridge repairs, necessitated by a truck accident in March. Drivers will be detoured over Pocopson Road, Route 926 and Creek Road.

Painting of Smith’s Bridge over the Brandywine Creek will require the closure of Smith’s Bridge Road between Creek Road and Route 100. The weather-dependent work is scheduled from 7 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31, until 5 p.m. on Monday, June 27, according to DelDOT. Detours will be posted.

Pothole patching will continue to necessitate lane restriction from Tuesday, May 31, through Thursday, June 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Route 202 between Route 926 and Route 30 in Westtown, West Goshen, East Goshen, West Whiteland and East Whiteland townships.

Green Valley Road in Newlin Township is closed and detoured between Powell and Brandywine Creek roads due to structural deficiencies at the Green Valley Road bridge. No repair date has been scheduled.

Work is continuing on the project to widen Route 202, which is scheduled for completion in August 2016. Motorists should expect delays for traffic pattern shifts in Tredyffrin and East Whiteland townships. Median paving will require lane restrictions between Routes 401 and 30 from Tuesday, May 21, through Thursday, June 2.

Route 3 in East Goshen Township will continue to be the site of road reconstruction weekdays through Friday, June 3. Crews will be working between Mary Fran and Rose Hill drives from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.

Westtown Road between Oak Lane and Westtown Way will be closed for a bridge replacement from Monday, June 13, through Friday, July 22. Detours will be posted.

Utility installation will require a lane closure on Price Street between East Everhart and Brandywine streets in West Chester Borough. Crews are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Wednesday, June 1, through Wednesday, June 8.

Route 1 in Concord Township will be the site of utility installation through Sept. 1. Lane shifts will be needed on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the Mainline Health Care project between Brinton Lake Road and Applied Card Way.

Work will also continue on the Speakman Covered Bridge in East Fallowfield and West Marlborough townships. Frog Hollow Road between Concord Bridge and Strasburg roads will be closed and detoured until the estimated completion date of Sept. 20.

Burnt Mill Road in Kennett Township remains closed and detoured between Norway and Spring Mill roads while advance work continues on repairs to the Burnt Mill Bridge, which was closed on April 24, 2014. PennDOT reported progress last month on scheduling the work.

Work is continuing on the Birmingham Road Bridge in Birmingham Township, which closed in September due to structural damage. Posted 24-hour detours will be in effect between Lambourne Road and Stoney Run Drive through Aug. 31.

Daylong lane closures will be in place on Route 100 in Uwchlan and West Whiteland townships from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the installation of aerial fiber optic lines from Tuesday, May 31, through Friday, June 3. The work covers an area between Swedesford Road and Sheree Boulevard.

Intermittent lane closures will be need on southbound I-95 between the Philadelphia County and Delaware state lines for patching. The work is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 2. Also, the southbound ramp to I-95 northbound from 1-476 will require lane restrictions from Tuesday, May 31, through Friday, June 3. Work is scheduled from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Lane restrictions are scheduled on the eastbound George C. Platt Memorial Bridge (Route 291) between Bartram Avenue and 26^th Street in Philadelphia on Tuesday, May 31, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for bridge inspections.

If you want to report potholes and other roadway maintenance concerns on state roads, call 610-566-0972 in Delaware County or 484-340-3200 in Chester County, or visit www.dot.state.pa.us and click on “submit feedback.”

About CFLive Staff

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Tips to keep Memorial Day weekend safe

Health

With Memorial Day weekend serving as the unofficial start of summer, area residents are likely to engage in activities from traveling to enjoying backyard barbecues.

With that in mind, the Chester County Department of Emergency Services is offering tips to keep families safe this weekend as well as the entire summer season, according to a county press release.

When you are traveling, it’s important to drive safely. Be well-rested and alert, and ensure that everyone uses seat belts. If your plans include drinking alcohol, have a designated driver. Use caution in work zones and remember to move over for emergency vehicles.

For those staying home who have barbecue treats on the menu, officials want to remind residents to place grills in a safe place and never use them indoors.

“Keep the grill out in the open, away from the house, deck, tree branches or anything that could catch fire,” Chief County Fire Marshal John Weer said in the release.

Other recommendations are to keep a fireproof pan under the grill to catch ashes or grease. Be ready to close the grill lid and turn off the grill to cut off the fuel if necessary. Always supervise a grill when in use and make sure everyone, including pets, stays away from the grill. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before and after handling raw poultry or meat. Cook food thoroughly; especially beef, pork and poultry, and refrigerate all perishable food within two hours.

If you plan to use a fire pit, be sure to put out the fire completely before leaving it unattended.

Another popular summer activity involves water, which also poses hazards. Officials urge parents to supervise children both in and near water. Never swim alone, and wear life vests while boating. The latter pastime should also include precautions such as reaching or throwing equipment, a cell phone, and first aid kit. For more online information about water and boating safety, visit www.redcross.org.

Anyone spending time outdoors should be mindful of sun and heat safety. Use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher and apply it generously throughout the day. Wear a hat and sunglasses and drink lots of water to stay well-hydrated. If you get overheated, get to a shaded area or go indoors with air-conditioning as soon as possible. Never leave pets or children in a vehicle, which can heat up very quickly, and keep strenuous activity to a minimum during the hottest part of the day.

“Remember, don’t forget about your pets; keep them well hydrated and if they are outdoors in the shade,” Robert Kagel, director of the Chester County Department of Emergency Services, said in the release.

For more information on summer safety tips, please visit www.ready.gov or www.redcross.org.

About CFLive Staff

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PECO warns: Wires, foil balloons a bad mix

Local News, Local News Birmingham, Local News Chadds Ford, Local News Concord, Local News Kennett, Local News Pennsbury

Warmer weather brings outdoor parties for graduations, birthdays and weddings, but it also can lead to injury and power outages if the foil or Mylar balloons decorating the festivities are not securely tied so that they don’t come into contact with overhead power lines.

Last year alone, foil balloons caused power outages for more than 5,750 PECO customers, according to a PECO press release

.When a foil balloon contacts a power line or a piece of electrical equipment, it can become energized. Its metallic material can also cause a surge of electricity that can lead to power outages and other potentially dangerous situations, the release said.

PECO suggests keeping the following safety tips in mind:

Always assume power lines are energized and keep yourself, your belongings and anything you are carrying at least 10 feet away from power lines.
Keep balloons and other decorations tethered and attached to weights at all times.
Always properly dispose of foil balloons, safely puncturing the balloon to release the helium.
Never touch a power line. Do not attempt to retrieve a balloon, toy or other type of debris that is entangled in an overhead power line. Call PECO immediately at 1-800-494-4000 to report the problem.

To learn more about power line safety, visit peco.com/safety.

About Press Release

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The Human Resource: FLSA’s Impact on You

Business

Are you aware that one of the most significant Department of Labor regulations for overtime compensation have just been released and will become effective on Dec. 1? The overtime regulations were developed to adjust salary requirements for white collar exemption. It is time to become educated about your rights as an employee, or obligations as an employer.

Employees: If you are currently in a job which compensates you for any time you work beyond 40 in a scheduled work week, you are most likely not going to be impacted by the regulatory changes. You have enjoyed the protection of the FLSA — theFair Labor Standards Act — and your employer has compensated you whenever your workweek exceeded 40 hours. The overtime compensation you received was at 1.5 times your normal hourly wage, and everything is compliant.

However, if you have historically been paid on a salary basis and you were not entitled to overtime compensation, the new regulatory changes are of critical importance to understand and determine if you will be directly impacted. The new salary threshold for an employer to designate a position “exempt” under the FLSA is $47,476 annually. While it is important to note that some additional criteria impact exemption status, for those of you currently making less than this amount, your employer may no longer be permitted to classify your position as exempt, thereby making you eligible for overtime compensation at the rate of 1.5 times your hourly rate of pay for all hours worked beyond 40 in a scheduled work week. This even includes those times when you work through your lunch break, if provided one.

What does this really mean for the employee? Be prepared for communications and changes from your employer on a variety of matters such as overtime policies, work schedules, use of email and computer networks when the office is closed, and potentially rate of pay changes. Understand that your employer may be scrambling to interpret and understand the financial and business operations impact due to the regulatory changes. So please be patient, ask questions, engage your employer, and offer your support during this transition so that your employer can continue to provide their products and services to their clients or customers. Speak with the human resource department staff or leadership about any impact on you, and be proactive in learning what changes are coming in your workplace.

Employers: This is going to be a challenging time for you as you either prepare to learn and understand the regulatory changes, or you initiate your communication strategies and plans to the employees. These regulatory changes are going to force businesses of all shapes and sizes to examine their current positions and conduct thorough job analyses to determine: (1) if they have currently classified their positions in compliance with the FLSA regulations including the payment method, salary test, and duties test; and (2) if any positions presently appropriately classified as exempt will now fail the salary test due to the new limits set by the regulatory changes.

Advice for employers is to immediately begin to develop your communication strategy to the workforce to engage and demonstrate transparency as you are working towards achieving compliance. Recognize that these changes are far more reaching than just having exposure to pay overtime to some of your employees who may now be classified as non-exempt. Your business model for delivering products or services may be impacted based on restrictive work schedules, limiting access to business email systems, or figuring out how to staff your operation when overtime funds are simply not available. Ultimately, resource planning and business strategy are going to need to be examined to determine how to maximize existing resources within the confines of both the regulations and your operating budget.

New practices for tracking time worked will be uncomfortable at first. Individuals who believe being paid salary means they are “higher” level employees will experience negative feelings when reclassified. Be mindful of these feelings. Engage your workforce so the focus can remain on delivering your products and services to your customers and achieving business success.

The DoL provides various resources for employee and employer alike. These resources are prepared for small businesses and non-profit organizations so all forms of employers are informed. To access these free resources, simply go to the DoL website on this topic found here. Here you can find resource guides, fact sheets, and other information to assist you navigating these regulatory changes.

* The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of Chadds Ford Live. We welcome opposing viewpoints. Readers may comment in the comments section or they may submit a Letter to the Editor to: editor@chaddsfordlive.com

About Warren Cook

Warren is the President and co-founder of SymbianceHR and provides strategic oversight for service delivery, business operations, and technical guidance on consulting engagements. He is a human resources subject matter expert with over 25 years of experience as a strategic human resources business partner, project manager, and people leader across private and public sectors organizations. Warren is responsible for the strategic planning of all client consulting engagements from initial needs assessment and compliance review through delivery of customized strategic solutions that meet the client’s business goals. He has a proven track record of providing executive coaching and guidance to business leaders and human resource professionals at all levels including the C-Suite of Fortune 100 companies. Warren is also the Chief Talent Officer and cofounder of SymbianceHiRe, a Symbiance company dedicated to providing direct placement talent acquisition services and temporary and contract staffing solutions to the business community. Warren holds a B.S. in Human Resource Management, an MBA in Project Management, and a M.S. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Warren is the author of “Applicant Interview Preparation – Practical Coaching for Today.”

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