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Winter is just days away and we've already seen deaths and injuries from serious storms as well as power outages caused by ice in the northeast. It's definitely time to think about some of the potential problems that winter weather can cause - and what we can do about them. This week's articles provide helpful information for organizations and individuals on how to prevent and/or deal with some winter-weather related situations.

This complete winter storm guide has plenty of good information to get you started. (Item #1) Carbon monoxide is a killer you need to protect against. (Item #2) Extreme cold can cause serious problems; these tips can help you get through it. (Item #3)

The impact of winter weather on the workplace can be a real problem; this article contains some tips for employers. (Item #4) Yes, employees are less productive and more moody on snowy days. (Item #5) Are you doing all you can to conserve energy and save money this winter? (Item #6)

As always, we look forward to hearing about your concerns with regards to business continuity. If you have a topic you'd like to see covered, please email me at [email protected]

Best Regards,

Bob Mellinger
President
Attainium Corp

Quote of the Week

"Three feet of ice does not result from one day of cold weather."
-- Chinese Proverb --

Articles

1. Winter Storms: The Deceptive Killers
This preparedness guide from the National Weather Service explains the dangers of winter weather and suggests life-saving action you can take. With this information, you can recognize winter weather threats, develop an action plan and be ready when severe winter weather threatens. Remember... your safety is up to you.
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/winterstorm/winterstorms.pdf

2. Protect Your Family and Yourself from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
You can't see or smell carbon monoxide, but at high levels it can kill a person in minutes. Hundreds of people die accidentally every year from CO poisoning caused by malfunctioning or improperly used fuel-burning appliances. Even more die from CO produced by idling cars. Fetuses, infants, elderly people, and people with anemia or with a history of heart or respiratory disease can be especially susceptible. Be safe. Practice the DO's and DON'Ts of carbon monoxide.
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/coftsht.html

3. Extreme Cold: A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Personal Health and Safety
When winter temperatures drop significantly below normal, staying warm and safe can become a challenge. Exposure to cold temperatures, whether indoors or outside, can cause other serious or life-threatening health problems. This article from the CDC has good advice on what to do in situations of extreme cold.
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/guide.asp

4. Dealing with Extreme Weather: An Inconvenient Truce
"A winter storm warning is in effect." Those are words that strike dread in the hearts of employers and employees alike, and for good reason-severe weather affects commutes, distracts workers and impacts employers' daily operations. The article includes tips for employers.
http://www.workforceinstitute.org/extreme-weather-commute.htm

5. Don't Let Winter Affect Your Work Climate!
Research has shown that the weather conditions do in fact impact on energy levels and moods of employees. According to a CareerBuilder.com survey of more than 6,000 workers, 10 percent say they tend to be less productive on gloomy and rainy days, with 21 percent stating that weather negatively impacts their demeanor. In addition to productivity, weather can impact employee moods and how they interact with their co-workers. But hold on, all is not gloom and doom.
http://www.sowilo.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=80:dont-let-winter-affect-your-work-climate&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=61

6. Save money this winter: Five tips for low-energy business computingConcerned about soaring energy costs, IT organizations have begun to make significant changes to the way their data centers are powered and cooled. But many IT departments haven't yet looked at saving energy by targeting the rest of the company's IT equipment.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9047760