September 6, 2013

Volume 7, Issue 9

Beyond the Mattress: Investing for Your Future

Last month, we had two meetings that introduced Modernicas 401k plan, one in English and one in Spanish. Whether it convinced you to sign up is less important than making you think about saving money for retirement. In the past, this was not a concern, as the prevailing model of retirement simply had the young take care of the elderly. Now, this happy, easy model has grown uncertain and relying on it could be a mistake. Letting money sit in a bank or under a mattress is also an option, but it wastes your moneys potential. much as it would be otherwise. How is this possible? 401k plans and IRAs generate money by buying stocks and other assets. If you were to buy stocks outside of a 401k or IRA, you would use post-tax dollars to pay for them and pay tax whenever you decide to sell. In contrast, both IRAs and 401k plans do not tax you for selling stocks. In addition, 401k plans and IRAs each provide a specific tax benefit. If you follow the rules correctly, one type of IRA (called the Roth IRA) lets you withdraw money without paying tax. 401k plans, on the other hand, lower the amount of tax you have to pay for the current year.

M odern T imes M onthly

It is worth your time to consider using a 401k or other type of retirement account (IRA) for two reasons. First, they There are many more details to conswill earn you money, and second, that dier, but this are a good starting point money they earn you is not taxed as for further research.

Editor: Tony Tran Contributor: Nohemi Castro Advisor: Richard Tuttelmondo

anniversaries
Wilfredo Rojas Lakeith Wilson Idivar Melgar Pedro Reyes Alvarez Rolando Diaz 1 year 2 years 4 years 8 years 16 years

Safety on Facebook
This months participants each won $25 cash. Go on the Modern Times Facebook for a chance to win.

birthdays
Ignacio Mondragon Milton R Rojas Cruz Julia Brown Luis Gomez Wilfredo Rojas Andres Villareal Salvador Manrique Antonia Eguizabal Sep 08 Sep 16 Sep 18 Sep 19 Sep 19 Sep 20 Sep 21 Sep 24

Safety Review: Pallet Jacks

A pallet jack may not be the most hazardous piece of equipment in your workplace, but it can quickly cause an injury. Crushed toes, scraped knuckles and pulled backs are the most common injuries associated with manual pallet jacks. Tripping hazards are also a problem when these devices are improperly stored. Keep these tips in mind for preventing injuries when using pallet jacks: Never place your feet under the device. Have someone guide the load if your view is obstructed. Never exceed a pallet jacks load capacity. Watch for water, oil, or other liquids on the floor. Be aware of other people and forklifts in or near your work area. Dont use a pallet jack for human transportation. Pull, dont pull, the device when going down an incline. Be alert to avoid collisions around corners. Be aware of pinch-point hazards involving your hands. Store pallet jacks where they will not create tripping hazards. Do not block exits or emergency equipment, such as fire extinguishers. Employees who work with pallet jacks need to wear appropriate personal protective equipment. For example, safety-toed footwear can prevent foot injuries caused by being run over by the wheels, being hit by materials falling from the jack or stubbing a toe on the jack. Gloves can reduce cuts, bruises and blisters. Over long periods of time, the solid rubber wheels of pallet jacks can develop wear, resulting in unstable loads and poor handling. In turn, workers can experience stress to the hands and arms because of difficulty steering and stopping the device. Provide periodic maintenance of pallet jacks so they can operate with the minimum amount of hand, arm and finger force. Also check for ruts, bumps and other imperfections that could result in increased body vibration when handling materials.

In 2010, Walmart had to pay $996,225.72 in a case involving an injury caused by a pallet jack.

A customer had been browsing the beverage aisle when an employee rounded the corner and hit him with a loaded pallet jack. He suffered back pain afterwards and filed suit with Walmart.

Operators of pallet jacks have suffered injuries as well, the most common being crushed ankles.

Catching Up on Lost Sleep

There is a common belief among people who suffer from sleep deprivation: hours of missed sleep can be compensated for by sleeping a little more the next day. It is an easy conclusion to make, but it turns out that things are more complicated. To understand it better, we need to refine our definition of sleep deprivation into two categories: acute and chronic. In science, these terms are usually used to describe the duration and intensity of negative conditions. If we use back pain as an example, acute back pain would be sharp and infrequent. It would last no more than six months, whereas chronic pain is dull and persistent, lasting years or indefinitely.

There are also two things that control how sleepy we are: a circadian process and a homeostatic process

The circadian process is the bodys natural 24 hour rhythm of sleepiness and alertness
Returning to our topic, acute sleep deprivation would be going without sleep for 24 to 48 or more hours. Chronic sleep deprivation, on the other hand, is consistently getting less than 7 hours of sleep every night. Which seems more damaging--missing an entire night of sleep or missing a few hours every night? If you chose the first option, you would be surprised to learn that it is less of a concern than the second. The adverse effects of acute sleep deprivation can be reversed by as little as ten hours of sleep. So, not sleeping at all on a Friday is remedied by sleeping until Saturday afternoon. Chronic sleep deprivation, however, cannot be undone so easily. The negative effects of working late Monday through Friday still linger even if you get extra sleep the weekend. There is no answer as to why this is, as scientists are still searching for an explanation. At the very least, it provides good reason to monitor how much sleep you are missing.

The homeostatic process causes you to sleep more in proportion to how long you have been awake