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  • Workplace safety and health hazards are serious concerns that can significantly impact employees and a company’s overall operations. Recently, Dana Container, a transportation company in New Jersey, has come under scrutiny for repeatedly failing to address safety hazards, resulting in hefty fines imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

    Background

    Dana Container, located in Paulsboro, New Jersey, has been facing a substantial fine of $437,860 from OSHA due to various workplace safety and health hazards involving chemicals. The investigation was initiated in July 2023 following an employee complaint highlighting significant safety and health deficiencies within the company.

    The OSHA investigation revealed several violations, including a willful violation for the improper maintenance of safety data sheets for chemicals, such as corrosives. In addition, the company was cited for three repeat violations, including failure to update container labels, inadequately maintained eyewash stations, and a lapse in conducting medical evaluations for workers before respirator use. Dana Container had also been cited for similar violations in 2019 and 2023, indicating a recurring pattern of non-compliance.

    Furthermore, the company received four serious citations for failure to inspect hoists, establish a written hazard communication program, and ensure the fulfillment of safety requirements while using a lifeline fall protection system.

    The company has been given 15 business days to either comply with or contest the findings. Dana Container must rectify the identified safety and health hazards and implement robust measures to prevent their recurrence in the future.

    Importance Of Compliance And Accountability

    The repeated nature of these violations raises serious concerns about Dana Container’s commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of its employees. Workplace safety is a legal obligation and is imperative for companies, especially those involved in transporting and handling hazardous materials.

    Ensuring a safe working environment is crucial for safeguarding the welfare of employees and preventing potential accidents or long-term health issues resulting from exposure to hazardous chemicals. In addition, non-compliance with safety regulations can tarnish the company’s reputation, leading to a loss of trust among employees, clients, and the public.

    Embracing A Culture Of Safety

    Dana Container should consider reevaluating its safety protocols, providing thorough training to employees on chemical handling and safety procedures, and implementing stringent measures to ensure compliance with OSHA regulations. This serves as a reminder of the importance of upholding workplace safety and health standards, particularly in industries dealing with hazardous materials.

    Consider partnering with a professional employer organization (PEO) like GMS to ensure the safety of your employees. GMS works with a wide variety of industries, including the transportation industry. As your transportation and logistics company grows, the administrative aspects of your business require more time and resources. Our safety experts help business owners take a proactive approach to workplace safety through various services. These strategies include:

    • Training
    • Job hazard analysis (JHA) and standard operating procedures (SOP)
    • Onsite consulting 
    • OSHA inspection and citation assistance
    • Jobsite inspections
    • Accident and injury investigations

    Contact us today to learn more!

  • The freight and transportation industry has undergone significant changes over the past years. Managing freight audit and payments (FAP) needs to be rethought in light of the rapid globalization of the world, which means being more efficient and data-driven than ever before. In spite of this, small business owners who manage fleets are provided with many resources that ultimately assist them in focusing on more important aspects of their business.

    Requirements Set By FedEx

    Should you choose to make your life easier and partner with a professional employer organization (PEO), you must partner with a certified professional employer organization (CPEO). A CPEO is a PEO that has met the requirements set by the IRS. Being certified as a CPEO means that we can offer our clients specific financial protections and tax benefits.

    A CPEO is solely liable for federal employment tax payments on wages that are paid to its worksite employees. Therefore, if the CPEO fails to pay payroll taxes, the IRS cannot go after the client to collect employment taxes. The liability falls entirely on the CPEO, not the client.

    Contractors of FedEx must comply with the following requirements: 

    • Use only CPEOs certified by the IRS
    • Ensure that any CPEO used by the service provider is registered and in good standing with the state(s) in which it operates
    • Upon request of FedEx Ground, you must provide proof of CPEO registration with additional related information which includes:
      • Proof of workers’ compensation coverage
      • Unemployment insurance
      • All federal and state payroll taxes were withheld

    As a contractor of FedEx, you take on all liability related to your business. However, FedEx wants to ensure its contractors are complying with all rules and regulations. That’s why when you choose to outsource your business functions including HR, benefits, payroll, and/or risk management, it must be with a CPEO.   

    Get Started Today!

    All small business owners in the transportation industry looking to partner with a CPEO to save them time and money have come to the right place. When you partner with GMS, you are guaranteed a partnership with a CPEO that will ensure you are compliant. Sales representative Danielle Kossman voiced, “Having partnered with many FedEx contractors, we’ve been able to provide a single-source solution for risk management, benefits administration, payroll, HR, and employment practices liability insurance (EPLI). You can rely on GMS to ensure you comply with the ever-changing rules and regulations.”

    We understand that choosing to partner with a PEO is a huge decision. However, it ultimately benefits your business in the short and long term of the partnership. Contact us today to get started.

  • Over the past few decades, the freight and transportation industry has undergone massive changes. The rapid globalization of the world requires rethinking freight operations, including how you manage freight audit and payment (FAP), meaning being more cost-efficient and data-driven than ever before. However, many resources are provided to small business owners who manage a fleet that ultimately helps them focus on more important aspects of their business.

    Partnering With A PEO

    When you partner with a professional employer organization (PEO), they take on the administrative burdens that companies don’t have the time or expertise to manage effectively, including:

    • Human resources
    • Benefits
    • Payroll and tax
    • Risk management

    This allows you to put your focus back on client relationships, building an effective team, and growing your profits. In addition, a PEO helps you reduce costs, limit your business risk, and save time and money. Continue reading to learn more about each product offering through a PEO.

    Human resources

    Human resources are one of the most time-consuming components for any transportation company to manage. From recruiting and retaining employees to training employees to tracking vacation time, there are many functions when it comes to human resources management. However, you didn’t start your business to become an HR expert. When you outsource your HR functions to a PEO, it allows you to spend more time growing your business and less time on human resource management.

    Managing a fleet is challenging enough in itself. On top of that, retaining and attracting quality drivers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic makes it even more complicated. A report by the American Trucking Association (ATA) stated that the truck driver shortage could reach 160,000 by 2030. When you outsource your HR functions to a PEO, they take on the burden of retaining and attracting top talent.

    How much time do you currently spend on writing a job ad or going through resumes? PEOs help you recruit faster and easier by doing all the legwork before an interview takes place, so you can focus on choosing from a pool of qualified candidates.

    Attracting quality employees to join your growing business is one challenge. Ensuring that you can retain your top talent is another. From improving skills to making employees feel valued, employee education and other measures are powerful retention tools. A PEO can help you retain employees and limit turnover costs by consulting with you on:

    • Team building activities 
    • Employee reward programs
    • Employee incentives
    • Survey tools
    • Suggestion systems

    Finally, a PEO can perform human resource audits to review your current HR policies, procedures, documentation, and systems. Conducting HR audits help your business reduce costs and improve its HR functions in a fraction of the time.

    Benefits

    As a business owner, it’s crucial to keep and attract quality employees to continue growing your business. One of the easiest ways to retain and attract top talent is by offering a quality benefits package. An employee benefits package includes all the non-wage ways a company compensates its employees. They’re the little perks and additives that employees receive as a standard part of the job offer. A basic employee benefits package includes:

    • Insurance
    • Retirement plans
    • Paid time off
    • Additional compensation

    With an extreme shortage of truck drivers, it’s crucial to provide your employees with a quality benefits package to stand out from the competition and retain and attract top talent. Organizations that aren’t leveraging a PEO or an online benefits platform are likely wasting valuable time and energy. A PEO works with employers to help them decide which benefits make the most sense for their business operations, employees, and bottom line.

    In addition, partnering with a PEO offers you more flexibility, control of premiums, access to data and networks, and options you can’t find elsewhere.

    Payroll

    Managing payroll and tax filings can be one of the most time-consuming and challenging tasks for small business owners. Between time tracking, tax calculations, payroll compliance, and every other payroll function, there’s too much to do and not enough time to manage properly.

    If you’re struggling in this area of your business, it might be time to consider outsourcing payroll administration to a PEO. Within this partnership, you gain access to proprietary technology, dedicated support, and operational efficiencies to enjoy the benefits of a large business without all the excess. Did you know that as many as 40% of small businesses incur an average of $845 in IRS penalties each year?

    Fear no more. A PEO keeps you up to date with the complex tax filing requirements as they inevitably change and complicate your payroll process. Additionally, you and your employees have access to payroll information and tax information anytime, anywhere. Let’s say your drivers are on the road and need to check their payroll information. They can access it right from their phone. Partnering with a PEO will save you time and give you peace of mind through expert payroll management services.

    Risk management

    As a small business owner in the freight industry, this is perhaps the most important and relevant service a PEO provides. Many small business owners struggle to avoid the risks associated with workers’ compensation and workplace hazards. The good news is that there are several ways to protect businesses against these dangers, but you didn’t start your business to become a risk analyst. That’s exactly why you should outsource your risk management functions to a PEO. A PEO provides you and your business with the following:

    • Workplace safety strategies
    • Workers’ compensation
    • Los prevention strategies
    • Workplace noise monitoring
    • Workplace injury reporting and nurse triage
    • Fleet management
    • Safety inspections 

    Whether in a monopolistic state where workers’ compensation is funded through the state or not, a PEO is here to provide you with the support you need. PEOs workers’ compensation management experts help employers control costs and avoid the notable impacts of work-related injuries. Should one of your employees get injured on the job, experts are there to help you throughout the entire process.

    Workers’ compensation insurance costs can range from less than $100 to thousands of dollars per employee per year. Fortunately, if you partner with a PEO, they help you save money and prevent your workers from being injured on the job by implementing cost containment and loss prevention strategies.

    Some PEOs have the capabilities to provide employers with fleet management. This product allows companies to organize and coordinate work vehicles to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and monitor unsafe driving habits. As a business owner who must manage a fleet of trucks, it’s vital that you have rules and policies in place to ensure all employees stay safe and compliant.

    GMS Is The Perfect Match For You

    If any of the pain points from above hit home with you, it’s time to outsource some or all of your HR functions to a PEO like GMS. At GMS, we have it all. It’s configurable to your business needs. If you need help with payroll, we’ve got you covered. If you only need help with benefits, we’ve got that covered as well. From handling the entire payroll process to providing you with top candidates to ensuring your fleet stays compliant, GMS does it all. Don’t let the shortage of drivers associated with the freight industry and HR functions keep you up at night. Contact us today to learn more.