Red and navy hats were strategically placed as Trump’s cabinet gushed over 100 presidential days like no other There were navy blue and red baseball caps up and down the table strategically placed in front of every cabinet member and each bearing the message “Gulf of America” embroidered with Donald Trump’s forced new name for the centuries-old Gulf of Mexico was far from the most bizarre aspect of an extraordinary White House gathering hosted by the president on Wednesday The cabinet meeting to commemorate the first 100 days of Trump’s second term was, in the view of some social media commentators something more akin to a gathering of Kim Jong-un loyalists in North Korea each successive speaker trying to outshine the other in heaping lavish praise on their dear leader There was the sight of Elon Musk, the outgoing head of the unofficial “department of government efficiency” placing one of the red Gulf of America hats on top of the Doge one he was already wearing There was also an outing for a favorite Maga – Make America Great Again – conspiracy theory, with the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, repeating the debunked claim that 300,000 unaccompanied migrant children were somehow “lost” by the Biden administration causing the president to nod his head as she commended him your first 100 days has far exceeded that of any other presidency in this country ever Recalling her Tuesday visit to the Drug Enforcement Administration she added: “They said to me you have taken the handcuffs off of DEA agents.” some peculiar allegations made by Kennedy concerning the Biden-era health and human services (HHS) department that really raised eyebrows coming soon after “loud quacks” from the health secretary’s duck-themed cellphone ringtone interrupted Trump He went on: “During the Biden administration HHS became a collaborator in child trafficking for sex and for slavery And we have ended that and we are very aggressively going out and trying to find these children 300,000 children that were lost by the Biden administration.” During his campaign for the 2024 election, Trump repeatedly misrepresented government data to falsely claim that 300,000 migrant children who crossed the border unaccompanied had gone missing and said many of them were trafficked or likely to be dead The children were not in fact lost or missing HHS data recorded only the numbers crossing the border and tracking ceased when they were placed in homes and communities with relatives already in the US Kennedy did not expand on the “aggressive” efforts his department was making to try to find children who were actually never missing Much of the rest of the two-hour meeting, and a question-and-answer session with the media, was consumed by Trump talking up the perceived accomplishments of his first 100 days. He attempted to distance himself from Tuesday’s bleak economic data that suggests the US could be heading for a recession on the back of his tariff policies: “I’m not taking a credit or discredit for the stock market,” he said Yet when the stock market was soaring during the final year of Biden’s presidency, Trump frequently insisted it was because investors were buoyant at the prospect of him returning to the White House The president was asked by a reporter on Wednesday if he had spoken with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, about the tariffs that have sparked a potentially costly trade war between the countries, and have led to predictions of empty shelves before the end of the year as imports dry up and offered his own prediction as to how Christmas might look for American families maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,” he said “So maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally.” The Associated Press contributed to this report Money market accounts are similar to savings accounts Unlock financial rewards by signing up for a savings or checking account with a bonus offer Compare trusted real estate agents all in one place Answer a few quick questions and we’ll show you your top credit card options Read in-depth credit card reviews to find out which cards have the best perks and more A HELOC is a variable-rate line of credit that lets you borrow funds for a set period and repay them later Home equity loans let you borrow a lump sum at a fixed rate based on how much of the home you own outright Matthew Doffing is a consumer banking columnist at Bankrate He focuses on helping depositors determine how best to grow their savings amidst the everchanging landscape of interest rates and financial institution strategies after obtaining his Bachelor of Arts in history and philosophy from the University of Minnesota where he learned firsthand how debt obligations helped or hindered commercial customers in navigating the aftermath of the financial crisis Resolved not to carry his $35,000 in student debt until near retirement Matt decided to pay it off within five years But the obvious questions were: How can someone on an entry-level salary find extra money after all their expenses How could they come up with enough to significantly reduce their student debt When the approaches offered by budgeting gurus just didn’t work he created his own approach and automation process within his online bank accounts which controlled expenses and invested savings in CDs and savings accounts The process worked so well that he made his final student debt payment in 2014 and now lives debt-free (aside from his mortgage) even though he has to pay for surprise expenses often Matt helps others understand how to get their budgets and savings working for them Matt is also the founder and CEO of FinProse a content-as-a-product firm providing banks and credit unions with educational content for small businesses He also is senior editor at The Financial Brand where his articles cover the most pressing challenges changes and opportunities for financial institutions Get access to 100's of HR resources in HRM INSIDER HRMorning Carol Warner has been writing about the latest trends in human resources, employment law, education law, safety and security, employee training, and emergency response plans for more than 15 years. She attended East Carolina University and earned a Bachelor's degree from New York Institute of Technology. Outside of work, she spends free time listening to audiobooks and solving crossword puzzles. Connect with her on LinkedIn The Third Circuit recently affirmed a jury verdict awarding more than $22 million in back wages to 11,780 employees at a Pennsylvania battery manufacturer In a nutshell, here’s the lesson from this FLSA dispute: Employers must pay workers for actual time spent completing activities – not a “reasonable time” to get tasks done that might sound like a given — but a small detail veered things way off course East Penn Manufacturing Company manufactures lead acid batteries and a variety of related components Lead exposure is a known hazard associated with battery manufacturing East Penn required most nonexempt employees to follow workplace safety measures workers had to wear uniforms and other personal protective equipment (PPE) during shifts and shower at the end of shifts so they spent time donning and doffing the PPE In 2016, a Department of Labor (DOL) investigation revealed that East Penn wasn’t paying nonexempt employees for all the time spent changing into uniforms at the start of their shifts or for changing and showering at the end. The DOL also claimed this unpaid time led to overtime violations In the DOL’s view, this alleged pay shortage amounted to violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) The agency filed a lawsuit against East Penn A federal court in Pennsylvania granted summary judgment to the DOL finding that changing and showering were “integral and indispensable” to the employees’ principal activities Then in 2023, a jury awarded $22.25 million in back wages to the affected workers. The verdict was the largest jury trial award for FLSA violations ever obtained by the DOL the district court declined to award liquidated damages and the DOL cross-appealed the denial of liquidated damages East Penn argued that the lower court and the jury made the wrong call The company said there was no FLSA violation because it had been paying workers to shower and change since 2003 it started giving workers a five-minute “grace period” at the start of each shift to dress and get to their workstations plus five minutes at the end to undress and shower it doubled the post-shift “grace period” to 10 minutes But the company didn’t record how much time workers actually spent changing and showering focusing on actual time spent showering and changing “would reward employees for dragging their feet or tending to personal matters.” But the court was not swayed, explaining that actual time was what mattered for FLSA compliance. For example, in Smiley v. E.I. Dupont De Nemours and Co. the Third Circuit pointed out that the FLSA requires employers “to pay employees for all hours worked.” (Emphasis added.) As to the concern about rewarding employees for “dragging their feet,” the appeals court said that East Penn could discipline or terminate employees who lollygag on the job The Third Circuit also held that employers bear the burden of proving that any unpaid time is de minimis – and noted that the “jury found East Penn liable for $22.5 million of unpaid wages the Third Circuit turned to the DOL’s request for damages The appeals court affirmed the decision to deny liquidated damages concluding that East Penn had acted in good faith based on legal advice from an experienced labor and employment attorney even though that advice was ultimately incorrect This case shows that small mistakes can snowball into massive liabilities but proactive strategies can help employers stay on the right side of the law Here are three key takeaways from the Third Circuit’s ruling: you will never miss critical stories on labor laws provides the latest HR and employment law news for HR professionals in the trenches of small-to-medium-sized businesses Rather than simply regurgitating the day's headlines helping HR execs understand what HR trends mean to their business Enter your username and password below to log in Please enter your username or email address You will receive a link to create a new password via email We ask for your credit card to allow your subscription to continue should you decide to keep your membership beyond the free trial period This prevents any interruption of content access Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application passed peacefully into eternity on December 21 fulfilling his heartfelt wish to be with his Lord and Savior he entered into eternal rest to be with his Savior.  Doff was the son of the late Roy and Myrtle Claypool Patton He graduated from Trap Hill High School in 1945 and worked at several local businesses including as a clerk at Metalton and Eccles company stores He later worked as an operator of the electric hoist at the Eccles mine Doff transitioned to a career with C & P Telephone Company as a cable splicer He remained with telephone company until his retirement and is a life member of the Telephone Pioneers of America.  and together they became active members of Mount Tabor Baptist Church and Doff was a deacon and Sunday School Superintendent.  Doff was preceded in death by his beloved wife Betty Reid and was the last living member of his immediate family He was also preceded in death by his siblings: Walter Roy (Thelma) and his passing marks the end of a remarkable journey on earth where he has been reunited with loved ones who went before him and strength will live on in the hearts of those who knew him.  Doff leaves behind a legacy of love and devotion to his family Those left to cherish his memory are his three sons WV; Douglas and wife Rebecca of Harper Heights He is also survived by his grandchildren: Kristie Warden and husband Benny of Beckley WV; Mike Patton and wife Alicia of South Point OH; Mark Patton and wife Tricia of Gallipolis OH; Melissa Holt and husband Brian of Leesburg Ga; Stephanie Todd and husband Shad of Madison Melody Spencer and husband Steven of Huntington WV; Courtney Skelton and husband Chris of Marion and Juliana Huff and husband Rusty of Prosperity WV.  He is further blessed by his great grandchildren: Dr Alexandria Arthur and husband Jesse of Beckley MT; Alexis Click and husband Caleb of Lynchburg Ga; and great-great granddaughter Evelyn Elizabeth-Rae Arthur of Beckley The family expresses their heartfelt thanks to PCH Home Health of Beckley and Bower’s Hospice House in Cranberry Family and friends are invited to a visitation from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm A graveside service and burial will take place at Mount Tabor Baptist Church Cemetery Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors An official website of the United States government The Emergency Management and Preparedness team with Hanford Site contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) gave a presentation at the 2024 Emergency Management Symposium Office of Environmental Management The Hanford Site has implemented a new training video detailing best practices for safely doffing potentially contaminated firefighter gear and it is now part of the site’s biennial training for radiological control technicians RICHLAND, Wash. — The Emergency Management and Preparedness team with Hanford Site contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) gave a presentation at the 2024 Emergency Management Symposium The annual event provides an opportunity for emergency management personnel to engage with their peers throughout the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex, sharing ideas and information related to training, exercises and planning. During the presentation, HMIS highlighted firefighter safety at the Hanford Site and emphasized the importance of safely removing firefighting gear after entering potentially contaminated areas Members of the Emergency Management and Preparedness team with Hanford Mission Integration Solutions attended the 2024 Emergency Management Symposium giving a presentation highlighting the Hanford Site’s new doffing training and procedures an emergency preparedness specialist with HMIS spoke about the challenges of training for radiological firefighter gear removal in a multi-contractor environment like the Hanford Site He explained that Hanford’s contractors each had their own doffing procedures but the procedures had to be standardized so that any of the radiological control technicians available to respond to a drill or emergency event followed the same doffing process Representatives from the One Hanford team collaborated to develop a new emergency procedure establishing sitewide training requirements for the contractor doffing teams These requirements include standardized biennial classroom training and a new training video detailing a firefighter doffing scenario Garcia presented the video to the first responders subcommittee at the symposium, which includes firefighters and trainers from across the complex. "Our contractor teams recognizing that an improvement opportunity existed in our emergency preparedness procedures was excellent,” shared Briana Lindberg, DOE’s Emergency Preparedness Program manager at Hanford. “This type of collaboration and continuous improvement ensures the continued safety of our people and the progress of our mission." To receive the latest news and updates about the Office of Environmental Management, submit your e-mail address.  Soccer squad looks to playoffs, track hosts third meet of season Bothell woman wins 10K overall; youth served in 5K Here’s a recap of Sequim’s prep sports from last week with more scores and pictures at sequimgazette.com. Northern Transmissions is a music website started for music lovers, by music lovers. We feature interviews, album and live reviews from today’s most influential independent bands and artists. Northern Transmissions also features music news from around the world everyday. Park has shared lead single and title track After scoring various independent films and shorts Doff’s sound world intersects at the late 90s electronica’s flirtation with drum & bass aural hypnotics of experimentalists like Laurel Halo Will explains: “‘Doff’ is about trying to find a through line in your sense of self over different periods of life Parsing through what you can change about your psyche and what will never change How you see yourself and how the world sees you For me the video is asking if we can really change who we are.” Park insists this is not sad boy ambient music Doff’s confident stillness and austere attention to detail call on classic Eastern-inspired sounds of his favorites Ravel and Debussy their reflexive impact on synth pioneers like Sakamoto & Toshifumi Hinata who Park namechecks in his experimental productions Following in the wake of UNO NYC iconoclasts like Venezuelan songstress Arca Park finds a synthesis that holds up to the wide spectrum of the roster walking the line between Kuwaiti composer Fatima Al Qadiri and ambient queen Malibu Pre-order Doff by Will August Park HERE      Dolores "Doff" Maxine Rimmel surrounded by her family at Arbor Grove Assisted Living MI.     Funeral Services will be held at Smith Family Funeral Homes Ithaca with Pastor Robbie Lewis and John Christiansen officiating until the time of the service at the funeral home.     Dolores was born in Detroit the daughter of Edwin Gutscher and Mildred (Rathbun) Gulledge She graduated from Battle Creek Central High School with the class of 1945 MI.     Doff was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca for more than 60 years where she was also a Sunday school teacher She was active in her church circle along with being a volunteer at the Gratiot County Food Pantry Doff was a member of the Ithaca Child Study Club and Bridge Club for many years She enjoyed golfing at Gratiot Country Club Doff and Rex had many golf trips with their Goofin’ Golf Gang They also enjoyed traveling together and spending some winters in Florida known for her delicious pies and homemade cookies that she always had on hand for her grandkids She was a very supportive grandma who was always there to support her grandchildren in their sporting events and activities and playing marbles where she was the Queen of Bopping!     She is survived by her husband Rex Rimmel of Ithaca MI; her daughters: Sally (Larry) Bond of Elwell; MI MI; and Shelley (Larry) Faucette of Chapel Hill NC; and her grandchildren: Jayms (Carrie) Bond She is also survived by 12 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren She was preceded in death by her parents and her son Rick Mary Rimmel.     Memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church of Ithaca Online condolences can be sent to www.smithfamilyfuneralhomes.com The family is being served by Smith Family Funeral Homes The court held the compensability of time spent changing into clothes depends on a multifactor test and rejected a standard (adopted by the district court from the Second Circuit and Vermont) that pegs compensability on whether the clothing guards against dangers that “transcend ordinary risks.” Under the Third Circuit test changing into some clothing that is generic and guards against ordinary risks might be compensatory broadening the scope of compensable activity than permitted by the Second Circuit The Third Circuit has jurisdiction over federal courts in Delaware Employers must sometimes pay workers for time spent changing into and out of protective gear Even though changing into gear might be considered “work,” the Portal-to-Portal Act provides that certain activities “which are preliminary to or postliminary to” an employee’s “principal activity” are nonetheless non-compensable under the FLSA activities that are “integral and indispensable” to an employee’s principal activity are compensable The question: What is “integral” and what is “indispensable” At issue in this case was whether time spent by oil rig workers donning and doffing flame-retardant coveralls and other required safety gear was integral and indispensable to their principal activity of drilling for oil and gas The Third Circuit had not previously adopted a standard for defining whether an activity is integral to productive work District for the Middle District of Pennsylvania borrowed the Second Circuit’s test which asks whether the protective gear is meant to protect against dangers that “transcend ordinary risks.” Under this test the district court found the risks in this case were “ordinary held changing into protective gear was not integral or indispensable to oil drilling It rejected the Second Circuit’s narrow approach used by the district court in favor of a multifactor test — one that “mirrors those of most of our sister circuits” — for the district court to apply on remand Turning to the first requirement — that the activity is “integral” to the principal activity — the Third Circuit described the “integral” element as requiring that the work be “intrinsic” to the productive work (citing Supreme Court precedent) but it conceded those terms are “abstract.” Therefore the Third Circuit provided three key factors for courts to consider when deciding whether changing gear is intrinsic or “integral,” to workers’ principal activity: As for the second element — whether changing gear is “indispensable” — the appeals court explained an activity is “indispensable” if the employee cannot safely and effectively perform the work without changing into the gear While the activity may not be technically necessary to do the job if it is “reasonably” necessary to perform the job safely and effectively Responding to concerns that the test adopted is too broad and might result in payment for time spent changing into any safety gear the court explained the de minimis doctrine “stems the tide” to such concerns workers do not need to be paid when the donning and doffing activity takes mere minutes With these newly articulated factors in mind the appeals court found genuine issues of fact remained It laid out the pertinent questions to be resolved on remand below (including whether the time the oil rig workers spent changing was de minimis) Department of Labor (DOL) rule persuasive as to the relevance of location as a factor in determining whether changing gear is integral to workers’ principal activity that it did not grant deference to the agency’s rule (The DOL had submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in this appeal.) The appeals court placed the Third Circuit in the majority on the applicable test to apply when determining which gear counts as “integral and indispensable” to workers’ principal activity If you have any questions about the Tyger decision the compensability of donning and doffing work gear This material is provided for informational purposes only It is not intended to constitute legal advice nor does it create a client-lawyer relationship between Jackson Lewis and any recipient Recipients should consult with counsel before taking any actions based on the information contained within this material This material may be considered attorney advertising in some jurisdictions Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome Footer Contact Us Disclaimer, Privacy and Copyright Accessibility Statement Jackson Lewis P.C The G 38 features new technical solutions and minimal energy consumption There is more to maximizing production speeds in ring and com-pact spinning than just offering the highest spindle speeds Noticeable production benefits also can be achieved by significantly reducing machine downtimes Switzerland-based Rieter has introduced a new version of its ring spinning machine G 38 that focuses on reducing downtime for maximum production efficiency The market for ring-spun yarns is large and highly competitive To succeed in this fiercely competitive market Rieter’s latest ring spinning machine G 38 offers maximum production based on new technical solutions and upholds its reputation for efficiency by minimizing its energy consumption Highlights of the latest generation ring spinning machine G 38 include: Combined with the highest spindle speed of 28,000 revolutions per minute the G 38 ensures maximum competitiveness in the production of ring and compact yarns in all yarn count ranges The latest automatic doffing system of the G 38 is equipped with a perfect alignment of grippers which enable a fast sequence of all doffing process steps (See Figure 1) The redesigned doffing system completes its cycle in just 90 seconds which means 25 percent less time compared to the prior version of the G 38 and all known competitors (See Figure 2) the advantage is particularly evident with coarse yarn counts With a yarn count of Ne 10 the annual production gain is 7 tons and for a yarn count of Ne 20 the pro-duction gain is 3.1 tons for a machine with 1,824 spindles The new cop transport system SERVOdisc for the link system with the winding machine Autoconer X6 is 12-percent faster than the previous solution It forwards up to 45 cops per minute directly to the winding machine This open rail system is fast enough to remove all cops on time before the next doffing cycle is due This is important for long machines with short spinning cycles because of very coarse yarn counts The SERVOdisc has been optimized to be even more reliable and require less maintenance with an integrated RFID chip are available with the link system to the Rieter winding machine Autoconer X6 The limiting factors in ring yarn production are yarn tension peaks and the interaction with the ring and traveler One of the most important tasks to maximize production is to therefore balance the tension peaks during cop build-up A short-balloon setting optimizes these ratios and brings clear advantages in terms of less ends down and longer traveler lifetime the short-balloon set-ting allows an increase in spindle speed of up to 2 percent while keeping the ends down rate constant The new G 38 is available either as a machine with a fully electronic system or with a semi-electronic system and yarn twisting direction —Z or S — can be changed electronically and without additional mechanical adjustment The yarn count also can be changed electronically using the panel on the fully electronic machine The Individual Spindle Monitoring (ISM) system is now standard on all of Rieter’s ring spinning machine and for all applications This offers a great advantage for efficient operator guidance and easy detection of spindles that are not running correctly ISM premium is the precondition for the fully automated piecing robot ROBOspin to produce high-quality yarn while mitigating labor related challenges customers clearly also recognize the benefits of the add-on compacting devices COMPACTdrum and COMPACTapron in terms of yarn quality and performance is another advantage of the ring spinning machine G 38 from Rieter highly relevant issue briefs and reports that break new ground with a focus on advancing debates by integrating foundational research and analysis with concrete policy solutions the Atlantic Council’s experts have you covered—delivering their sharpest rapid insight and forward-looking analysis direct to your inbox New Atlanticist is where top experts and policymakers at the Atlantic Council and beyond offer exclusive insight on the most pressing global challenges—and the United States’ role in addressing them alongside its allies and partners A weekly column by Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe Inflection Points focuses on the global challenges facing the United States and how to best address them UkraineAlert is a comprehensive online publication that provides regular news and analysis on developments in Ukraine’s politics UkraineAlert sources analysis and commentary from a wide-array of thought-leaders and activists from Ukraine and the global community MENASource offers the latest news from across the Middle East and independent analysis from fellows and staff Econographics provides an in-depth look at trends in the global economy utilizing state-of-the-art data visualization tools Global Energy Center Kevin Doffing is a nonresident fellow and director of the Veterans Advanced Energy Project at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center an initiative focused on the intersection of national security and energy security Doffing is also the president of Energy Underground a sales consulting firm providing go-to-market advisory and fractional business development services focused on the energy transition sector Doffing was recently an executive in residence for Rice University’s Clean Energy Accelerator and cofounder of Houston’s first renewable trade association Doffing was commissioned in the US Army through the Officer Candidate School following his graduation from Texas A&M University He served in fifteen months of combat in Ramadi He later conducted the acquisition of an oilfield distribution business in Houston that he operated for a decade before a successful exit during which time he received Texas A&M’s Aggie 100 Award and the Texas Governor’s Veteran Small Business of the Year Award he has led numerous veteran service organizations in Houston He received Combined Arms’ Atlas Award and the US Small Business Administration’s Veteran Business Advocate of the Year Award He currently volunteers on the board of Impact HUB Houston and CleanTX He previously served on the board of the Spring Branch Education Foundation the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program and Rice University’s executive MBA program Sign up to receive expert analysis from our community on the most important global issues © 2025 Atlantic CouncilAll rights reserved If refreshing the page doesn't resolve the issue you could try clearing the sites browser cache The ceremony was lead at 3:50 PM Melbourne time, commemorating Warne, whose cap number was 350. Warne also has a stand at the MCG named after him, as well as a statue on the grounds, marking his long and fabled career as an international cricketer in which he took 708 Test wickets and 1001 scalps internationally overall. Warne has enjoyed many fine moments at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a stadium at which he took 56 Test wickets including three five-fers and a memorable hat-trick in the Ashes in 1994. It is also the venue where he took his 700th Test wicket, bowling Andrew Strauss through the gate to make the MCG erupt. In the ongoing Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia look to be in a very strong position as all of the top four registered half-centuries vs India, including teenaged debutant Sam Konstas. However, a few quick wickets for India, including Jasprit Bumrah dismissing Travis Head for a duck, has left the match closer in the balance as stumps approaches on day one. All are from the Corbynite wing of the party which Starmer’s advisers have made it their abiding mission to marginalise over recent years Their rebellion over the two child benefit cap was in the end quite small, following the threats to potential Labour rebels made in advance of the vote. Folded with Adam Bienkov is an entirely reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support fearless independent journalism, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. However, even if it had been larger, the scale of Keir Starmer’s majority is so vast that it would take something truly seismic for his Government to ever suffer a real parliamentary defeat. For all these reasons, Starmer’s allies are feeling unrepentant today. Yet while the first rebellion of this Parliament may do little to dent his political honeymoon, there are good reasons to believe that his heavy-handed response could come at a far bigger long-term political cost. Here’s why the child benefit row is a sign of far bigger troubles ahead for the Prime Minister. Subscribe to Folded with Adam Bienkov to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. Keir Starmer\u2019s team is unlikely to lose much sleep over their decision to suspend seven left-wing Labour MPs last night which Starmer\u2019s advisers have made it their abiding mission to marginalise over recent years Their rebellion over the two child benefit cap was in the end quite small, following the threats to potential Labour rebels made in advance of the vote Folded with Adam Bienkov is an entirely reader-supported publication To receive new posts and support fearless independent journalism consider becoming a free or paid subscriber the scale of Keir Starmer\u2019s majority is so vast that it would take something truly seismic for his Government to ever suffer a real parliamentary defeat Starmer\u2019s allies are feeling unrepentant today Yet while the first rebellion of this Parliament may do little to dent his political honeymoon there are good reasons to believe that his heavy-handed response could come at a far bigger long-term political cost Here\u2019s why the child benefit row is a sign of far bigger troubles ahead for the Prime Minister Metrics details Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)—the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)—has caused a global public health emergency Personal protective equipment (PPE) is the primary defence against viral exposure in healthcare and community settings the surfaces of PPE materials may trap virus for contact transmission or through laden aerosols generated during removal of PPE the relative efficacy of current PPE materials in terms of virion adsorption to materials and their antiviral potency has been evaluated on a wide range of PPE for the first time visor and a selection of other commercial polymers and products Although differences in virion adsorption to the test materials were observed none of the existing polymer-based PPE resulted in more than tenfold reduction in the SARS-CoV-2 titre within either 10 min or 30 min contact period The wettability and surface chemistry of the test materials were analysed to investigate any correlations with their surface physicochemical properties While no correlation was found between wettability and viral retention under air flow challenge one secondary ion of m/z 101.03 (+) and three secondary ions of m/z 31.98 (−) 196.93 (−) and 394.33 (+) in ToF–SIMS data of the test materials showed positive and negative correlations with the viral retention which was identified by PLS regression model suggesting that the surface chemistry plays a role in determining the extent of virion adsorption Our findings outline the material aspects that influence the efficacy of current PPE against SARS-CoV-2 transmission and give suggestions on the development of novel simple polymer-based PPE for better infection protection relatively high inoculation doses (> 5 log units of TCID50 on material piece) were used in these studies to achieve extended detectable values over the long test period different research groups have used different starting points we aimed to evaluate the antiviral efficacy of a range of existing PPE (gloves visor and face masks) and common work surfaces via measuring live SARS-CoV-2 viral lifetimes for short surface residence timescales of relevance to viral contact with these surfaces and their resuspension by doffing in the clinic The possibility of spread of the viruses from PPE and surfaces using pseudo-virus particles was also assessed using a laminar air flow system to mimic the air flow generated by movement and doffing within the workplace We investigated the role of the products surface physicochemical properties on viral retention and therefore compared the viral binding with measured water contact angle and surface chemistry of the PPE to identify putative material surface chemistries correlating with increase viral binding across the clinical PPE sample set Our findings outline the material aspects that influence the efficacy of current PPE against SARS-CoV-2 transmission Suggestions have been made on the development of novel antiviral polymer-based PPE for better infection protection Department of Veterinary Medicine and Science University of Nottingham were maintained in minimal essential media supplemented with heat inactivated foetal calf serum 2 mM l-glutamine and 1% penicillin/streptomycin (all from Sigma) Cells were maintained at 37 °C in 5% CO2 in an incubator before and during experiments All work with live SARS-CoV-2 was performed under containment level 3 conditions at the University of Nottingham A small piece of each material (1 × 1 cm2) was excised from the products and placed in the well of a 96-well tissue culture treated polystyrene plate (Corning) 10 mL of virus stock containing 7.2 × 103 TCID50 of SARS-CoV-2 was added to each material piece and incubated for 10 or 30 min at room temperature and ambient humidity within a Class I/III microbiological safety cabinet with the normal airflow engaged in a containment level 3 laboratory under negative pressure These study conditions have been chosen to mimic as closely as possible the real-life time periods for exposure of PPE to viral particles suspended in liquid The lid of the 96-well plate was in place for the duration of the incubation the surface was washed with 200 mL fresh Vero E6 cell growth media and the levels of SARS-CoV-2 recovered were quantified using the TCID50 method SARS-CoV-2 RNA was assessed using the QuantiNova® SYBR ® Green RT-PCR kit (Qiagen) and a FAST 7500 Real-Time PCR System (Applied Biosystems) both according to the manufacturers’ instructions Relative expression was determined using the deltaCt method 20 mL of clarified cell supernatant was overlayed onto a 3 mL 20% sucrose cushion in a 26.3 mL polycarbonate ultracentrifuge tube (Beckman Coulter) Samples were placed in a fixed angle Type 70 Ti rotor (Beckman Coulter) and centrifuged at 110,000×g for 2.5 h Supernatant was removed and pelleted pseudo-virus particles were resuspended overnight at 4 °C in 200 µL sterile Dulbecco’s phosphate buffered saline (PBS) Purified particles were quantified by total protein concentration using the microBCA assay kit (Thermo-Scientific) Pseudo-virus particles were fluorescently tagged using the Alexa Flour 555 protein labelling kit (Thermo-Scientific) and stored at − 20 °C Each sample coupon (1 cm2) was fixed on one microslide 2 mL of 0.5 mg/mL Alexa Fluor 555 tagged pseudo-virus particles in PBS solution was deposited on the centre of each coupon and allowed to dry under ambient condition (20–22 °C UK) to generate laminar air flow (5.6 m/s) was used to blowing the pseudo-virus particles on the material surfaces oriented approximately parallel to the surface Fluorescence images of the area both before and after applying the air flow for 10 min 30 min and 1 h were acquired using an automated fluorescence microscope IMSTAR (PathFinder™ France) and processed using Fiji Image J software (version 2017 for macOS) A composite image (autofluorescence was subtracted from the material area without the pseudo-virus particles solution) was cropped using a circle to the border of the spots to determine the fluorescence intensity per pixel due to pseudo-virus binding Static contact angles using deionized water were measured on material samples (Table 1) using a CAM 200 Optical Contact Angle Meter (KSV Instruments Ltd At least three measurements were recorded for each sample and the mean and standard deviation were determined in each case Material samples were cut into 1 cm2 coupons and measured by ToF–SIMS as received from manufacturer without additional processing ToF–SIMS data were collected using a ToF–SIMS IV instrument (ION-TOF GmbH. Germany) equipped with a bismuth liquid metal ion gun and a single-stage reflectron analyser Bi3+ primary ion energy of 25 kV and a pulsed target current of approximately 1.3 pA were used in this measurement Low-energy electrons (20 eV) were used to compensate for surface charging due to the positively charged primary ion beam on the insulating surfaces Rastered areas of 3 × 3 mm2 were analysed at a resolution of 100 pixels per mm and 15 frames per patch The total primary ion beam dose for each analysed area was kept below 1 × 1012 ions per cm2 ensuring static SIMS acquisition conditions Data acquisition and analysis were performed using IONTOF SurfaceLab7 software (IONTOF Antiviral efficacy of material surfaces evaluated by experimental inoculation of SARS-CoV-2 for (a) 10 min and (b) 30 min incubation (n ≥ 3) The viral load recovered from the surfaces was quantified by TCID50 endpoint titration and viral plaque assay; one dot represents the result obtained from one experimental repeat Significant difference was found between PS and Virustatic shield (**P < 0.01) in 10 min incubation by one-way ANOVA Dunnett’s test between 10 and 30 min incubation of nitril gloves (*P < 0.05) and between 10 and 30 min incubation of neoprene gloves (*P < 0.05) by Student t test The relative amount of SARS-CoV-2 RNA recovered by elution from (c) the surfaces and (d) the supernatant was quantified by Real-Time PCR (n = 3); one dot represents the result obtained from one experimental repeat Significant difference was found between PS and the materials of scrub 1 (**P < 0.01) and Virustatic shield (*P < 0.05) on material surfaces by one-way ANOVA Dunnett’s test and between PS and the materials of latex gloves (*P < 0.05) PTFE (*P < 0.05) and scrub 2 (*P < 0.05) in supernatant by one-way ANOVA Dunnett’s test the proportions of viable SARS-CoV-2 recovered from all test materials were calculated and then analysed using one-way ANOVO Dunnett’s multiple comparisons test to compare with the PS control and to evaluate the statistical difference No significant loss of SARS-CoV-2 was observed following contact with any of these material surfaces except of “Virustatic shield” (a commercially available protein coated woven fabric) where recovered viable SARS-CoV-2 reduced to an average of 7.7% (*P < 0.01) within 10 min test period the levels of viable SARS-CoV-2 recovered from latex gloves and vinyl gloves after 30 min incubation period were not significantly different from those obtained after 10 min incubation a significant difference was observed for nitrile gloves and neoprene gloves where the number of infectious viruses recovered decreased from 122.5 to 33.3% for nitril gloves (*P < 0.05 by student t test) and from 103.0 to 39.0% for neoprene gloves (*P < 0.05 by student t-test) reduced levels of viral RNA were observed from the supernatants of Scrub 2 (*P < 0.05) this possibly indicated that the viral RNA was being degraded in the supernatant the high level of viral RNA in PTFE supernatant may indicate the presence of free viral RNA outside a virion no significant changes in either TCID50 assay or relative RNA levels of both surface and supernatant were shown in neoprene gloves which suggested that these materials possibly do not give any effect on SARS-CoV-2 in contact with them (a) The schematic description of the air flow detachment experimental setup (b) The average fluorescence intensity represents the number of pseudo-virus binding on the surfaces The numbers of pseudo-virus particle remaining on the surface after applying air flow for 10 min 30 min and 1 h were compared to that before applying the air flow at time zero (100%) (n = 5) (c) The comparison of the percentage of detached pseudo-virus particles represented by the average fluorescence intensity from the sample surfaces after applying air flow for 1 h P values from one-way ANOVA Tukey’s test are shown SARS-CoV-2 pseudo-virus particles exhibited strong binding to scrubs, medical face mask inner layer, PET visor (both sides), PS, PU and PTFE. The florescence from pseudo-virus particles retaining on the surface was above 95% of the initial value under laminar air flow for up to 1 h (Fig. 2b) the medical face mask outer and middle layers showed reduced binding affinity compared to the inner layer but the relative pseudo-virus particle amount were still above 85% and 91% after 1 h The four types of gloves exhibited different retention of SARS-CoV-2 pseudo-virus particles The relative pseudo-virus particle amount on latex gloves dropped to 84% within 10 min of air flow challenge and gradually reduced to 82% in 30 min and 76% in 1 h Similar retention was observed on nitrile gloves; from 87% in 10 min Neoprene and vinyl gloves both retained 90% pseudo-virus particles after 1 h which indicated strong viral retention under airflow challenge the relative amount of pseudo-virus particle dropped to 88% in 10 min PC showed the least binding to SARS-CoV-2 pseudo-virus particles among all the materials The relative amount of pseudo-virus particles retained dropped dramatically to 81% after 10 min followed by another significant drop to 51% after 30 min The antiviral Virustatic shield exhibited similar strength for pseudo-virus particles adhesion compared to neoprene gloves and medical face mask middle layer which retained about 90% pseudo-virus particles through the 1 h test period we found significant difference between nitrile gloves and three other materials including PET visor inner side (*P < 0.05) These experimental results indicate the material aspects that influence the retention of SARS-CoV-2 particles on current PPE and other common material surfaces under air flow challenge Water contact Angles for material surfaces measured under ambient condition (20–22 °C To interpret the viral interactions with the products the surface chemistry was probed using ToF SIMS Corresponding ion images acquired using ToF–SIMS from surfaces of (a) latex gloves the profile of C5H10SN+ (m/z 116.09) intensity as a function of the distance and the histogram of the pixels for intensity indicate the non-uniform distribution of corresponding component on the surface the ToF–SIMS spectra of PET visor outer and inner sides indicate the ion peaks at m/z 362.3 and 363.3 only identified on the outermost surface of the inner side were putatively assigned to C22H43O2Na+ and C22H44O2Na+ and possibly from the component of the anti-fog agent Nitrile gloves are mainly made of a synthetic copolymer of acrylonitrile and butadiene monomers The secondary ions for the primary constituents were CH3+ The same caveat for the specificity of these ions applied as for the latex gloves although the nitrogen containing fragments do support the presence of acrylonitrile Sulfur containing additives were possibly involved in the manufacturing process of these gloves as evidenced by CH5S− and SO3H− ion signals in the negative spectrum Ca+ signal was observed to be intensive and the secondary ion at m/z 112.92 was putatively assigned to a calcium containing component Ca2O2H+ or Ca2HS+ The primary constituent of neoprene gloves is polychloroprene which was identified with the backbone ion signals of C2H3+ PDMS was found in these glove surface as evidenced by the ions of SiC3H9+ and Si2C5H15O+ The primary component of vinyl gloves is poly(vinyl chloride) and was identified with the ions of C2H3+ The ion signal found at m/z 149.02 was putatively assigned to C8H7NO2 + which may be from the carbamate (–CO2N) group of the rubber accelerator were identified in the negative spectrum attributed to the additives added the ions of SiC3H9+ and Si2C5H15O+ were found in the positive spectrum and possibly from PDMS introduced by the manufacturing process A K+ dust particle happened to be captured in the ToF–SIMS image indicating that unexpected contaminants may attach to the PPE surface during the entire manufacturing and distribution process before delivered to the end user PDMS (SiC3H9+ and Si2C5H15O+) and salt ions (Na+ and K+) were identified on these surfaces The three layers of the medical face mask are all made of polypropylene. The ToF–SIMS spectra of all the three layers have been measured and showed similar signals with the characteristic secondary ions of polypropylene C2H3+, C2H5+, C3H3+, C3H5+, C3H7+, C4H5+, C4H7+, C4H9+, C5H9+, C5H11+, C6H5+ identified in the positive spectra, CH− and C2H− in negative spectra (Fig. 4c) The ion signals from other components (e.g other contaminants) were not intensive for these PPE samples MgNH3− were only seen in scrub 2 and possibly introduced in the manufacturing process PDMS and salt ion signals were identified on all these three PPE samples The full ToF–SIMS spectra and the putative assignments for PPE and other surface samples covered in this study are detailed in Figure S2 in ESI an antiviral material was determined to be a material that resulted in more than a tenfold reduction in the SARS-CoV-2 titre the number of viruses recovered from PS is set to be 100% and the virus recovered from other material surface were compared to that The Virustatic shield was the only material sample that gave a higher than tenfold reduction and thus claimed as antiviral SARS-CoV-2 PPE under this experimental setting none of the existing simple polymer-based PPE can be claimed as antiviral against SARS-CoV-2 which if antiviral in nature would have advantages over the active-loaded and protein-coated products currently available as they deplete or degrade over time there is still limited information indicating the adsorption of SARS-CoV-2 particles on various PPE and material surfaces the antiviral efficacy of the current PPE and common work surfaces with live SARS-CoV-2 and the possibility of spread of SARS-CoV-2 pseudo-virus particles from the contaminated material surfaces have been evaluated under ambient condition which indicates the limitations of the current PPE in preventing SARS-CoV-2 fomite transmission our ToF–SIMS analysis highlights that the PPE surfaces are not exclusively the named material but rather a composite of that additives and surfactants left over from the items’ fabrication process Correlation of the surface chemistries represented in the ToF–SIMS PLS regression model used to predict the viral retention of materials by correlating pseudo-virus particle fluorescence intensity with the ToF–SIMS spectra (a) The predicted viral retention determined from regression model (R2 = 0.87) compared to the measured retention (R2 = 0.84) The y = x line is drawn as a guide (b) The key ions identified to be important by ToF–SIMS PLS regression analysis for viral retention (c) The intensity of the key ions of the test materials shaded according to the value (dark to white: high to low intensity; the ion that promotes viral retention is in green while the ions that resist to viral retention are in red) (d) Putative assignments of the key ions (e) S− peaks in ToF–SIMS negative spectra of the four types of gloves the methodology will be applied to the discovery and development of novel anti-SARS-CoV-2 to address the understanding of the interactions between the virions and polymer surfaces. The antiviral efficacy of current commercially available PPE and commonly used polymer surfaces have been evaluated with live SARS-CoV-2 at 10 min and 30 min contact time under ambient condition chosen to represent realistic residence times in general usage An antiviral material was defined as a material that resulted in at least a tenfold reduction in the SARS-CoV-2 titre in a cell based viability assay Other than an antiviral protein-coated shield fabric none of the existing simple polymer-based PPE materials exhibited significant antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 for these contact times The possibility of spread of the viruses from contaminated material surfaces was assessed using a pseudo-virus model of SARS-CoV-2 with a laminar air flow system used to mimic the scenario of air flow generated by movement and doffing in a real-world setting The results indicate that the pseudo-virus can be removed/resuspended more easily from polycarbonate latex gloves and nitrile gloves than from other test materials To better understand the difference of viral attachment and inactivation at material surfaces in terms of material physicochemical properties water contact angles of the test materials were measured and the surface chemistry of the test materials were examined using ToF–SIMS No direct correlation was found between the material surface wettability and viral retention under air flow challenge The surface chemistry of these commercial polymer surfaces was determined to have large contribution from additives and surfactants related to their fabrication and packaging processes PLS regression modelling successfully demonstrated a correlation between the surface chemistry and viral retention The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available in the Nottingham Research Data Management Repository at https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/dts/researcher/managing-data/research-data-repository.aspx (https://doi.org/10.17639/nott.7205) Rapid Expert Consultation on the Possibility of Bioaerosol Spread of SARS-CoV-2 for the COVID-19 Pandemic (April 1 Virus transfer from personal protective equipment to healthcare employees’ skin and clothing Aerodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in two Wuhan hospitals Healthcare worker perception of a global outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and personal protective equipment: Survey of a pediatric tertiary-care hospital Operative team checklist for aerosol generating procedures to minimise exposure of healthcare workers to SARS-CoV-2 van Doremalen, N. et al. Aerosol and surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 as compared with SARS-CoV-1. N. Engl. J. Med. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMc200497310.1056/NEJMc2004973 (2020) Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in different environmental conditions Stability of SARS-CoV-2 on critical personal protective equipment All surfaces are not equal in contact transmission of SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 pandemic—let’s not forget surfaces Polymeric coatings that inactivate both influenza virus and pathogenic bacteria Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2006 Hydrophobic polycationic coatings inactivate wild-type and zanamivir- and/or oseltamivir-resistant human and avian influenza viruses Virus-inhibiting surgical glove to reduce the risk of infection by enveloped viruses Virustatic shield. Virustatic Shield LTD. https://www.virustaticshield.com/ Growth and quantification of MERS-CoV infection Optimization of primer sets and detection protocols for SARS-CoV-2 of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using PCR and real-time PCR Two doses of the SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccine enhance antibody responses to variants in individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection Polymer microarrays rapidly identify competitive adsorbents of virus-like particles High sensitivity analysis of nanogram quantities of glycosaminoglycans using ToF-SIMS Cegelski, S. C. Patent: Propylene glycol based latex material (EP1836249A4). European Patent Office 2004. https://patents.google.com/patent/EP1836249A4/en Surfactants and their use in latex technology Fundamentals of the knowledge about chemical additives present in rubber gloves ISO 21702:2019(en) Measurement of antiviral activity on plastic and other non-porous surfaces (2019). https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:21702:ed-1:v1:en Application of European Standards for chemical disinfectants and antiseptics A Nanomechanical Study on Deciphering the Stickiness of SARS-CoV-2 on Inanimate Surfaces Surface engineering of personal protective equipments (PPEs) to prevent the contagious infections of SARS-CoV-2 Mechanism of inactivation of influenza viruses by immobilized hydrophobic polycations Assessing the optimal conditions for surface-mediated disinfection of Influenza A virus solutions Surface chemistry can unlock drivers of surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 in a variety of environmental conditions An overview of chemical additives present in plastics: Migration fate and environmental impact during their use Detection of Additive in Gloves Application Note (PerkinElmer Combinatorial discovery of polymers resistant to bacterial attachment Partial least squares regression as a powerful tool for investigating large combinatorial polymer libraries Materials for stem cell factories of the future A defined synthetic substrate for serum-free culture of human stem cell derived cardiomyocytes with improved functional maturity identified using combinatorial materials microarrays Discovery of (meth)acrylate polymers that resist colonization by fungi associated with pathogenesis and biodeterioration Download references would like to thank the UK Research and Innovation (UK-RI) (Reference no We thank the Royal Society for a Wolfson Research Merit Award (WM150086) to C.A University of Nottingham for the kind gift of Vero E6 cells Division of Advanced Materials and Healthcare Technologies Wolfson Centre for Research on Global Virus Infections Division of Molecular Therapeutics and Formulation conducted the live virus experiments and commented on the paper prepared and characterised the fluorescence tagged pseudo virus particles and commented on the paper performed the PLS regression analysis and commented on the paper The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20952-8 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Microbiology newsletter — what matters in microbiology research Poetry Thursdays is an initiative that highlights poems by medical students. If you are interested in contributing or would like to learn more, please contact our editors in-Training is run entirely by volunteer medical students, and we need your donations to keep this website online All donations are used only for website hosting fees Donations are tax-exempt and are collected by Pager Publications, Inc. in-Training is the agora of the medical student community and the free expression of the medical student voice We publish articles about humanism in medicine in-Training is the online peer-reviewed publication for medical students and is the premier publication dedicated to the medical student community and run entirely by volunteer medical students We identify ourselves as a peer-reviewed publication combining the strengths of a scientific research journal and a podcast website into a medical student-run publisher of the best articles written by medical students from around the world the online peer-reviewed publication for medical students This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page State and federal guidelines mandate the use of additional personal protective equipment (PPE) to guard against the spread of the Coronavirus in places of employment as they reopen in stages across the country This raises the question: Will employers need to pay employees for the time it takes to don their protective gear before a shift The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state wage and hour laws require employers to record and pay their nonexempt employees for all “compensable time” regarding certain activities that occur before an employee begins his or her principal activities during the work day It is figuring out how compensable time is defined where things get sticky Donning and doffing protective clothing and gear are not the only activities covered by the laws these “off-the-clock” tasks have included security checks upon entering or leaving the workplace and checking documents generated during the shift as well as inventory or business-related e-mails Barton of the law firm of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath • Walk from designated health and safety areas to work assignments Supreme Court found that warehouse employee security screenings (sometimes called “bag checks”) are not compensable because such screenings were not an “intrinsic element” of retrieving product from shelves and shipping that product pre- and post-shift activities must be paid if the activity is “integral” and “indispensable” to the employee’s principal activity is not “de minimis” (usually 10 minutes or less but can be aggregated with other pre-shift tasks); and does not fall within the FLSA exception for changing clothing washing or walking to and from a work station a federal appeals court distinguished between unique items that are compensable—protective gear such as Kevlar gloves—and generic or non-unique items that are not compensable—such as hardhats an employee’s use of rubber surgical gloves and an N95 face mask appear to fall into the generic category and may also be de minimis requiring less than a minute to put on or take off,” Barton observes if employees are mandated by law to wear masks and gloves or the argument can be made that the workplace health risk is so significant there may be a case that it is indispensable to performing the job.” Keep in mind that several states have their own wage and hour laws governing what is considered compensable time which don’t always follow the FLSA California wage and hour law does not follow the “intrinsic element” finding of the Supreme Court and instead considers any activity when the employee is under the employer’s control to be compensable time California law also does not recognize the de minimis doctrine Those employers who have experienced a putative class action lawsuit know how these few minutes can add up when aggregated over the course of a work year and across the entire workforce particularly when combined with attorneys’ fees He adds that once an activity is deemed compensable normally all activities that follow are compensable as well This includes an employee who changes clothes claiming compensation for all activities afterward like a temperature check undergoing an otherwise non-compensable security screening Review timekeeping and pay policies in light of any new pre-shift post-shift or meal/break period activities This may present an opportunity to consider and revise workplace policies to account for and align existing pre- and post-shift activities These policies should be communicated directly to the employees whether they are required and whether they are compensable Sequentially map the pre-shift and break activities to determine the order the time each should take and whether each is compensable the sequence may be that the employee has to wait for his or her temperature to be checked outside Consider when in the process an employee will clock in and clock out and the location of the time clock The physical layout of where these activities are performed in relation to the time entry system can reduce the amount of time spent on compensable pre-shift/post-shift/break activities gloves and sanitizer/disinfectant and whether those items are reimbursable business expenses if purchased by the employee Review your state’s wage and hour laws to determine whether new routines would be compensable time in that state When it comes to employees who continue to telecommute Barton says for those nonexempt employees who perform some work from home their employers should consider procedures for accurately capturing the employee’s time; and whether the requirement to check e-mails reports and updates at the beginning or end of the work day will extend the compensable work day David Sparkman is founding editor of ACWI Advance, the newsletter of the American Chain of Warehouses Inc. He also heads David Sparkman Consulting area public relations and communications firm Prior to these he was director of industry relations for the International Warehouse Logistics Association specializing in logistics and freight transportation He has served as vice president of communications for the American Moving and Storage Association director of communications for the National Private Truck Council and for two decades with American Trucking Associations on its weekly newspaper A searchable database of oil and gas debt and equity offerings Prices for top E&P stocks and commodities Rextag database of energy infrastructure assets what began as an option to pursue after graduating college turned into an opportunity for leadership and lifelong interest in helping fellow veterans Doffing served as a platoon leader before finishing out his military career as an executive officer where he was second-in-command of a 141-person infantry command Doffing attended Texas A&M University to receive his bachelor of science in psychology and then joined the military he returned to A&M to earn his certificate of advanced international affairs before moving into a long-term position as president of Sam’s Safety Equipment and president of Energy Capital of the Future Serving as president of Energy Capital of the Future “I wanted to serve my country during a time of war what else can you do with a psychology degree “One of my favorite things from my time in combat was when we had secured the area we were in and were able to begin reconstruction operations I loved to haggle with the Iraqi contractors and see how far I could get a dollar to go or how many projects I could get authorized in a week Unlike our earlier highly kinetic operations to secure the region I found that lifting up an economy was a more dependable form of security for us all but first required establishing military stability and security in the region It was a lot more fun leading reconstruction operations over dinner at a local’s house eating amazing lamb and rice rather than sleeping on the floor of an abandoned house we’d occupied for a mission.” I was very involved with the local Houston veteran community I led a few organizations locally [like] Lone Star Veterans Association Lone Star Veterans Association was a 10-year-old post-9/11 community building organization and Combined Arms later became the national leader in connecting veterans and their families to resources Bunker Labs is a national veteran entrepreneur group and I stood up the startup accelerator in town I was the veteran business advisor for the Small Business Development Center I also judge annually in the Veterans Business Battle at Rice University I’m involved with the Veterans in Business Association at Rice University’s Jones School of Business as well I’m currently a fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Veterans Advanced Energy Program as well working on a policy proposal to deregulate geothermal permitting I also lead the veteran affinity group at Greentown Labs.” servant leadership and the ability to remain calm under pressure [are unique traits veterans possess] “I learned the value of building a team of leaders There’s more to be accomplished with others than alone and the only way to trust your subordinates is to know that they can lead in your absence I’ve always benefited from having amazing leaders around me and I hope to give as much as I have received." in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited See exhibit panel for specific image credits Text continues: “The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) requires employers under certain circumstances to pay their employees for dressing (donning) and undressing (doffing) protective clothing donning and doffing procedures were developed to protect workers from radiation exposure “An employee’s job dictated the level of protective dress The typical radiological worker would wear ‘whites,’ which consisted of coveralls and a cap Anyone working with water was required to wear an apron and boots over his whites Work near the reactor face required gloves “The deaths and injuries caused by the use of radium containing compounds and overexposure to X-rays in medical practices were fresh in everyone’s minds along with evolving legal protections for workers provided a backdrop for the development of safety programs for Manhattan Project atomic energy workers.” Download the NPS app to navigate the parks on the go Former and current Hershey workers are looking to sweeten the deal Is suiting up for work a part of the workday An ex-Hershey factory worker and her co-plaintiffs think so Citing the necessity of conforming to the Food and Drug Administration’s hygiene demands, the plaintiff is asking for retroactive compensation for the time she needed to don and doff sanitary clothing and other protective equipment. The class-action lawsuit was filed in an Illinois district court on a big day for Hershey — Feb. 14 (Hollifield v. The Hershey Co. This suit suggests not compensating workers for such time is a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act Department of Labor has issued guidance surrounding the changing of clothes clothes-changing or washing time must be paid if it is indispensable to the performance of the employee's work or is required by law or by the rules of the employer — unless a collective bargaining agreement says otherwise At the time of the first opinion letter in 1997 DOL’s Wage and Hour administrator sought to parse out whether “clothes” includes protective equipment; they concluded that time spent donning doffing and cleaning protective equipment (in this case in the meat-packing industry) was compensable — because it’s not just “clothes.”  The “plain meaning” of that term refers to apparel whereas protective equipment such as rubber gloves and boots polar sleeves and mesh aprons are not simply “clothes” and are worn over said apparel WHD reaffirmed this opinion twice over the next four years courts have been split on whether “protective equipment” or in some cases “protective clothing” count as the “clothes” changed for which workers cannot be compensated that travel time from a locker room to a worksite was eligible for pay the time needed to put on and take off protective equipment was also eligible for pay However, SCOTUS later overturned both of these judgments in Sandifer v. United States Steel Corp. the high court opined that changing into required safety gear constitutes “changing clothes” under the FLSA The Hershey case and the controversial history of don-doff precedents bring with them a potential check-up for HR professionals: Are the principal activities of each job defined Is there a centralized place where each employee can find this information courts maintained in cases involving Sara Lee and Butterball that clothes-changing isn’t a principal activity the plaintiff’s lawyers argued that “the donning and doffing of sanitary clothing and other protective equipment is integral and indispensable to the work performed by Defendant’s employees who are involved in the manufacturing and handling of food.” It’s the Hershey factory workers’ first principal activity of the workday courts have debated whether post-changing transit is compensable Time will tell which set of opinion letters influence the Hershey decision, but HR can stay equipped by looking to the Labor Department’s fact sheet on the fair labor standards legislation. The DOL defines terms like “employ,” “workday” and “principal activities,” and offers best practices therein including waiting time training and working time and some sleeping times Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts some of the country’s largest companies announced changes to their human resources leadership slate Employers must choose the right avenue for claim investigations to achieve compliance while minimizing disruption Subscribe to the HR Dive free daily newsletter The free newsletter covering the top industry headlines especially those in the manufacturing industry The manufacturing industry tends to be more process- and systems-oriented and generally employ many hourly workers who are not exempt from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) It is imperative manufacturers ensure they are on the right side of legal compliance and litigation — all of which can be disruptive which is charged with investigating alleged violations under the FLSA assesses hundreds of millions of dollars each year in penalties to employers we offer this short (by no means exhaustive) checklist of common pay issues the manufacturing industry: The FLSA requires employers to compensate non-exempt employees for all time worked as well as pay the minimum wage and overtime compensation Whether pre-shift (donning) and post-shift (doffing) activities are included as compensable time is not always clear Activities including putting on or taking off protective gear or equipment could be compensable time under the FLSA depending on the unique facts of the situation such activities must be found to be integral and indispensable to the “principal activity” of the employer’s work under the FLSA and the Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947 Courts differ on whether time spent donning and doffing is compensable because these issues often implicate mixed questions of law and fact collective bargaining agreements can affect whether time spent changing clothes and washing is compensable for the purposes of determining hours worked for minimum wage and overtime calculations under the FLSA Employers should carefully review their policies to ensure the compensability of pre-shift or post-shift activities being performed by non-exempt employees Accurately keeping up with time worked by non-exempt employees is critical to compliance with the FLSA employees forgetting to clock-in and clock-out timely is a persistent issue While the FLSA allows employers to round employees’ clock-in and clock-out times rather than pay by the minute it is generally unnecessary (and not recommended) with today’s sophisticated time clocking systems they must ensure that any rounding policy is neutral on its face and neutral in practice — that is the policy rounds both in the favor of the employer and the employee at roughly an equal weight audits are crucial as even a facially neutral rounding policy that has disproportionately benefited the employer and cumulatively underpays the employees can be found to violate the FLSA employers must compensate for short rest breaks that last 20 minutes or less employers do not have to compensate employees for a bona fide meal break which ordinarily lasts at least 30 minutes an employee must be completely relieved from work duties during this uncompensated time and cannot be interrupted by work (even for a short time) where a meal break has been interrupted by work the entire meal break (not just the time when work was performed) becomes compensable employers should have policies and practices in place so that employees can take an uninterrupted meal break Employers should also have a well-communicated reporting system in place for employees to record any interrupted meal break to ensure the employee is compensated for the meal break or A common and incorrect assumption many employers make is that overtime pay under the FLSA is calculated at one-and-a-half times a non-exempt employee’s hourly rate when they work more than 40 hours in a workweek the FLSA states overtime is calculated based on the non-exempt employee’s “regular rate” of pay The FLSA requires that all payments to employees for hours worked or performance be included in the “regular rate” unless the payment is specifically excluded in the law and other incentive payments such as commissions should be included in the regular rate of pay calculation for purposes of calculating overtime under the FLSA.This is relatively easy when a bonus is paid during a week where the non-exempt employees work more than 40 hours but it can become complicated when the additional pay is paid on a monthly or quarterly basis the payment must be averaged out over that longer time period to determine the regular rate such that overtime can be properly calculated employers should review their payment processes on the front end to ensure compliance before any small errors or omissions (quite literally) multiply out of control state wage laws should always be top of mind as well Employers should work with their employment counsel to ensure compliance with all state wage requirements Jackson Lewis attorneys in the Manufacturing Industry Group and Wage and Hour Practice Group are available to assist with any questions about wage and hour-related issues or otherwise providing guidance and legal assistance with the DOL investigations or litigation Home/Technical Rescue In this Homegrown Training Minutes segment Jeff Chandler and company review doffing Level B hazmat gear and the appropriate cautions required These videos are for training demonstration purposes only When you perform these techniques at emergency scenes and evolutions be sure to wear full PPE and adhere to your agency’s procedures and policies Hazmat: Detection and Metering for Civilian Rescue While Wearing Turnout Gear Training Minutes: Flaring a 325-Gallon Propane Cylinder Training Minutes: Flaring a 20-lb. Propane Cylinder Metrics details Study selection Controlled studies (randomised or non-randomised) that evaluated the effect of full-body PPE on healthcare workers (HCW) exposed to highly infectious diseases assessed which method of donning and doffing PPE was associated with reduced risk of contamination or infection for HCW and which training methods increased compliance with PPE protocols Data extraction and synthesis Two reviewers independently screened the titles and abstracts for inclusion of studies Full text articles were subsequently assessed for eligibility and disagreements were resolved through consensus Using criteria outlined in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions pairs of review authors independently assessed risk of bias for each randomised study and rated each potential source of bias as high ROBINS-I tool was used for the assessment of risk of bias in non-randomised intervention studies random effects meta-analyses were conducted Results A total of 24 studies (randomised controlled trials [RCT] [n = 14]; Quasi-RCT [n = 1] and non-randomised design [n=9]) with 2278 participants were included Included studies compared types of PPE (n = 8) procedures for donning and doffing PPE (n = 8) Twenty-two studies were simulation studies of which 18 simulated exposure of HCW to contaminated body fluids using fluorescent markers or harmless microbes and measured contamination outcomes and four studies provided modified PPE or procedures and measured compliance with donning and doffing procedures air-purifying respirator with coverall may protect against the risk of contamination better than a N95 mask and gown (risk ratio [RR] 0.27 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.17 to 0.43) but was more difficult to don (non-compliance: RR 7.5 Gowns compared to aprons may protect better against contamination (MD) -10.28 Breathable types of PPE are more comfortable and may increase user satisfaction however with little impact on contamination Appropriate modifications to PPE design may lead to less contamination compared to standard PPE contamination can be reduced using a sealed gown and glove combination so that they can be removed together and cover the wrist area (RR 0.27 95% CI 0.01 to 0.55) and added tabs to facilitate doffing of masks (RR 0.33 Guidance on PPE use: following the guidance and recommendations from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention for doffing PPE compared to no guidance may reduce self-contamination (MD −5.44 One-step removal of gloves and gown compared to separate removal (RR 0.20 double gloving compared to single gloving (RR 0.34 95% CI 0.17 to 0.66) and sanitising gloves before doffing with quaternary ammonium or bleach (but not alcohol-based hand rub) may decrease contamination Additional verbal instructions may lead to fewer errors in doffing (MD −0.9 face-to-face training may reduce non-compliance with doffing guidance (odds ratio 0.45 95% CI 0.21 to 0.98) compared to solely providing folders or videos computer simulation may lead to fewer errors in doffing (MD −1.2 95% CI −1.6 to −0.7) and video lecture on donning PPE may lead to better skills scores (MD 30.70 95% CI 20.14 to 41.26) compared to traditional lectures Conclusions The more body parts are covered with PPE the better protection it offers this is also associated and increased difficulty in donning and doffing PPE Coveralls are the most difficult PPE to remove but may offer the best protection The included studies had a high or unclear risk of bias indirectness of evidence in simulation studies and small participant numbers This increases the uncertainty about the estimates of effects and it is likely that the true effects may be substantially different from the ones reported in this review Personal protective equipment for preventing highly infectious diseases due to exposure to contaminated body fluids in healthcare staff Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020; 4: CD011621 this review provides timely and critical evidence to healthcare professionals on reducing transmission of infection in healthcare settings © Morsa Images/DigitalVision/Getty Images Plus and which modifications provide most appropriate manageable protection for members of the dental team to deliver care safely • Dental settings have unique characteristics that warrant strict infection control considerations and transmission-based precautions to reduce the risk of infection for HCW • The risk of cross infection in dental settings can be high between patients and dental practitioners Compliance with guidance on correct PPE use including correct donning and doffing process to avoid the risk of self-contamination is mandated • PPE scarcity could be minimised by identifying effective re-processing and re-using techniques based on learnings from previous pandemics such as Ebola and SARS Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020: DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011621.pub4 Challenges and solutions for addressing critical shortage of supply chain for personal and protective equipment (PPE) arising from Coronavirus disease (COVID19) pandemic - Case study from the Republic of Ireland Aerosol-generating otolaryngology procedures and the need for enhanced PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic: a literature review J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2020; DOI: 10.1186/s40463-020-00424-7 Infection prevention and control of epidemic and pandemic-prone acute respiratory infections in health care; WHO guideline Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2014 Rational use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Interim guidance Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): emerging and future challenges for dental and oral medicine COVID-19 pandemic and personal protective equipment shortage: protective efficacy comparing masks and scientific methods for respirator reuse Gastrointest Endosc 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.gie.2020.04.048 Criteria for the collection of useful respirator performance data in the workplace Respirator tolerance in health care workers Evaluation of respiratory protection programmes and practices in California hospitals during the 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza pandemic Interactive telemedicine: effects on professional practice and health care outcomes Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015; DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002098.pub2 Supporting the health care workforce during the COVID-19 global epidemic Download references Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41432-020-0097-3 Employers should take steps to evaluate whether their workers’ pre- and post-shift activities require compensation under Tyger Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed a grant of summary judgment to an oil drilling company that dismissed workers’ claims for gear-changing compensation the court sought to clarify the differences between activities that are “integral and indispensable to productive work” and therefore compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and those that are “preliminary or postliminary” to productive work and therefore not compensable The decision provides a framework for future courts in—and potentially outside of—the Third Circuit for how to evaluate whether time spent in gear-changing activities requires compensation under the FLSA It also offers insights for how courts may evaluate other types of pre- and post-shift activities employers must carefully evaluate whether governing state law requires compensation for pre- and post-shift activities even where the FLSA does not Oil-and-gas drilling rig employees brought a collective action against their employer seeking compensation under the FLSA for time spent changing into and out of personal protective equipment at the beginning and end of their shifts and walking from the rig’s change house to safety meeting locations Precision Drilling required these employees to wear flame-retardant coveralls gloves and earplugs to shield them from various job risks The FLSA requires compensation for “the productive work that the employee is employed to perform” (i.e. principal activities) and all activities that are both “integral and indispensable” to those principal activities The FLSA does not require employers to pay workers for travel to and from the place where they perform their principal activities or for activities that are “preliminary to or postliminary to” those principal activities Precision Drilling argued that changing gear is a preliminary and postliminary activity that is not compensable under the FLSA The plaintiffs asserted the opposite: “changing gear is both integral and indispensable to what the parties agree is their principal activity: drilling for oil and gas.” Precision Drilling moved for summary judgment on the compensability of the gear-changing activity the district court borrowed a test the U.S Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit used to determine the compensability of gear-changing time: “whether the gear guards against workplace dangers that accompany the employee’s principal activities and transcend ordinary risks.” the district court concluded that the plaintiffs faced only “ordinary or isolated” risks and that the gear offered “incomplete” protection from those risks changing into and out of the gear at issue was neither integral nor indispensable to oil drilling so it granted summary judgment for Precision Drilling The Third Circuit acknowledged that it had not yet addressed when pre- or post-shift activities are “integral and indispensable” and therefore require compensation under the FLSA It therefore sought to provide a framework to analyze whether a given activity is “integral” and whether it is “indispensable.” The court rejected the Second Circuit’s “extraordinary risk” test as too narrow and instead identified three key factors: (1) location (2) regulations and (3) type of clothing or gear the court explained that “where workers change” matters because “whether the changing takes place before or after workers cross the workplace threshold is likely to be relevant.” Changing on the employer’s premises is “integral” and therefore compensable when it “is required by law or by the nature of the work.” Moreover according to the court,“ It is enough that the vast majority [of employees] do so regularly out of practical necessity or in line with industry custom,” and “[c]hanging can be intrinsic even if not every worker changes onsite.” The question “at bottom” is whether workers have a “meaningful option to change at home.” If they do not the changing time is more likely compensable state or federal rules requiring certain protective measures or gear or otherwise acknowledging the risks of particular work will more likely render pre- or post-shift changing activities related to those rules compensable “courts should consider what kind of gear is required—by regulation or the work’s nature.” Changing gear that is specialized or selected by the employer to address specific workplace hazards (such as pursuant to the employer’s obligations to provide safety gear under the Occupational Safety and Health Act) is more likely compensable The court rejected Precision Drilling’s argument that “intrinsic” or “integral” gear means “unique” or “unusual” gear holding that “even generic gear can be intrinsic.” The court explained that an activity is indispensable “only when an employee could not dispense with it without impairing his ability to perform the principal activity safely and effectively.” When that is true the activity is “reasonably” necessary and therefore “indispensable” (even if not “strictly” necessary) even though “butchers could cut meat with dull knives,” their “doing so would slow down production and make for accidents,” so cutting the meat with a sharp knife is “reasonably” necessary “security screenings for Amazon warehouse employees are not reasonably necessary for them to do their principal activities” of retrieving and packaging products for shipment and therefore are not compensable under the FLSA The Third Circuit rejected Precision Drilling’s concern that its newly articulated test creates a requirement to compensate employees for time spent changing into and out of any safety gear the FLSA’s de minimis doctrine “stems the tide” because “when an activity ‘concerns only a few seconds or minutes of work beyond the scheduled working hours such trifles may be disregarded.’” the Third Circuit remanded the case for trial due to remaining factual disputes Tyger provides a framework in the Third Circuit for analyzing whether certain pre- and post-shift changing activities are compensable under the FLSA but employers should not end their analysis there Applicable state law may render pre- and post-shift activities compensable even where the FLSA under Tyger would not For instance, in Tyger, the Third Circuit gave security-screening time as an example of a pre- or post-shift activity that does not qualify as “indispensable” under the FLSA. But New Jersey and Pennsylvania courts have previously held that security-screening time is compensable under the New Jersey Wage and Hour Law and the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act.[1] Tyger provides a framework for courts in the Third Circuit to evaluate whether certain pre- or post-shift activities require compensation under the FLSA The framework requires a case-by-case analysis of the applicable pre- and post-shift requirements and workers’ circumstances Employers should also keep in mind that state laws may contain broader or different definitions of “hours worked” and therefore require compensation for activities that are not compensable under the FLSA the analytical framework for evaluating the compensability of pre- and post-shift activities under the FLSA may vary outside the Third Circuit (or even within the Third Circuit for other types of pre- or post-shift activities) Employers should evaluate any pre- or post-shift activities of their nonexempt employees particularly gear- and clothes-changing activities and ensure that their compensation policies and practices comply with both the FLSA (as interpreted in the relevant jurisdiction) and any applicable state law [1] See 2020) (holding that time spent in mandatory post-shift security screenings was compensable under the New Jersey Wage and Hour Law because a regulation therein requires employers to pay for “[a]ll the time the employee is required to be at his or her place of work or on duty”); In re: Amazon.com 2021) (holding that time spent in mandatory post-shift security screenings was compensable because a Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act regulation defined “hours worked” as “time during which an employee is required by the employer to be on the premises of the employer”) Disclaimer: This Alert has been prepared and published for informational purposes only and is not offered, nor should be construed, as legal advice. For more information, please see the firm's full disclaimer Winter in Occidental means making sure lamps and candles are always on hand I don’t get to tell the story of walking to school whenever my children begin to complain about physical labor or when folks lament about the power being out for days on end my task as a kid would be to hunt for every candle candlestick and jar in the house so that we could read My parents would pull out the camping stove for cooking the hum of generators can be heard under the downpour of rain and the dance of the trees finding friends to sled down muddy hills on cardboard with and to rediscover the beauty and wonder of seasonal creeks and waterfalls we’d tire of camp stove staples and head down to the Union Hotel The restaurant would be packed with other locals Together we’d sit at the long tables swapping storm stories whilst eating minestrone soup and ravioli family style Mahoney would be playing with his band in the bar This meant the parents would stay later and the kids could enjoy the safe autonomy within the vast restaurant we’d all cheer and yet there was always a part of me that was a little sad I would miss that simpler time of speedy sponge baths and no television even if we only had three to five channels depending on the weather I met a woman the other day who’d just moved to Occidental She’s been a member of ClayFolk Studio for a while now and loves her community there she knew she wanted to live in the town that was home to this special artist community she was already a part of Located at 3703 Main Street Occidental, ClayFolk Studios February Sessions begin on Feb From Intro to Advanced Wheel and Mixed Level Handbuilding this studio offers something for everyone at all levels We will all miss Neon Raspberry Art House during its well deserved break during the month of February The January exhibit featured prints by the Pittsburgh based DJ The show included Mary's mini-prinstillation of risograph prints celebrating abortion access as well as two new textile banners created for the exhibit that explore queer ecology and biological exuberance we look forward to what the March exhibit has in store for both heart and mind The “Figure First'' Figure Drawing Exhibit will be showing at the Occidental Center for the Arts Gallery Feb The exhibitors are a group of artists who meet at the OCA once or twice a week for three hours each session The artists pool their resources to hire a different model for each session The model poses for twenty minutes before switching poses allowing the artists to create more than one drawing per session The artists work with several media types such as pencil “This exhibit will present a variety of media and the best of the poses done during the last year,” says Su McMurty The artists reception will be held on Saturday when the People’s Choice Award will be presented Of course checking out the exhibit during a show is a great way to enjoy an artistically packed evening. Check out www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org for details about upcoming shows during this exhibit such as the Stella Heath Band and the The Ray Charles Project passed away peacefully at home on Thursday James was a longtime resident of Splendora visits from his family and friends and pulling off a good practical joke James was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Marie Jones. He is survived by his wife of 50 years Judy Lynn Stovall; children James Troy Stovall Jason Stovall and wife Shelley; grandchildren Elizabeth Tanner and fiancé Spencer Taylor Tyler Stovall and Dylan Stovall; great grandchildren Eleanor Hill and Walker Almond; brother Joseph Stovall and wife Beverly sister Patsy Heileman and husband Bruce; numerous nieces The family will be celebrating his life on Thursday on James and Judy’s 50th wedding anniversary It was his wife’s desire to say goodbye to him on the same day they said “I do” The family will receive friends from 1:00 p.m Service will be held immediately following at 3:00 p.m Burial will follow at Morgan Cemetery in Cleveland Pallbearers for the service will be grandsons Joe Doffing (honorary) and Brian Tanner (honorary) Ritchie Valens at George Devine's Million Dollar Ballroom Jan a slight dusting of snow had already fallen A few miles from Iowa’s Mason City Airport a crumpled heap of metal that was once a Beechcraft Bonanza light plane was eventually discovered resting next to a fence in the Juhl family’s farm field The bodies of Buddy Holly and Ritchie (Valenzuela) Valens were found near the fuselage The four young men were headed to Moorhead MN for the next stop on the 24-date Winter Dance Party with some media outlets treating the report offhandedly The viewpoint of music being dangerous to social norms or mores was furthered by parents and government officials a potential death knell for rock and roll was present when you put it into context,” said Sevan Garabedian “Elvis Presley was already in the Armed Services Little Richard had turned his back on the music for the ministry Carl Perkins never fully recovered from a car accident and Jerry Lee Lewis was out of favor for marrying his 13-year old cousin but they weren’t dangerous to social norms … the Sinatras There is still a morbid fascination about the crash conjectures and stories of cruel financial necessities have circulated there were beautiful shining musical moments at Kenosha places in Iowa and Minnesota (including Duluth attended by a young Bob Dylan) … and the tour opener the magnificent ballroom had played host to the 1940s big bands illuminated by lights reflecting colors onto the dance floor Cupolas bowed out along the second level for viewing The Milwaukee Journal estimated 6,000 people attended the show that evening.” Attending the show was 16-year-old Donna Fischer Doffing and her memories still provide a fresh and unique window into that evening “Ritchie Valens had been singing the song ‘Donna,’ and it was playing on Milwaukee radio,” said Doffing “It was part of the Channel 6 (WITI) Dance Party and hearing he would be coming to town … I don’t remember if I asked my parents They took two buses to get to the Eagles Club my mother gave me a red and white valentine heart She was walking inside the Million Dollar Ballroom “and then it just so happened that Ritchie Valens walked past and said ‘Donna.’ We talked,” she recalled ‘Donna,’ was very popular in Milwaukee because I was calling the stations all the time Ritchie Valens with Donna Fischer Doffing backstage at at George Devine's Million Dollar Ballroom where musicians waited before coming on stage “I gave my camera to someone to take our picture,” she continued but it was only used for special occasions My Mom let me have the camera for the two photos ‘I want to take the roll to Walgreen’s to get it developed.’ That was the photo of both of us like the high-uppers thought rock and roll was music of the devil people didn’t want to promote the type of music People were pushing me into this fence barrier The audience was very receptive and singing the songs It was a real experience to be in a place where these songs on the radio were being played live “I was always going to the shows with group pairings It took five years for the musical landscape to change with the arrival of The Beatles and the rest of the 1964 British Invasion They played American music by the innovators with a healthy dose of blues LEARN MORE Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band played the infamous “Bomb Scare” show on October 2 announced there was a threat of a bomb and to evacuate the theater The band promptly went across the street to a bar was two hours of “well-oiled” versions of songs Reitman gave an interview about being backstage “I didn’t mean that he was going to be a great performer Garabedian is a Holly historian and researcher of the final tour “There is so much hard information out there indicated that they arrived about an hour late There were no heating problems on the bus yet “I would love to speak with anyone that attended the Milwaukee show “I am offering a reward for any photographs or autographs from that night.” He can be contacted at sevan1@sympatico.ca or cell: 1-514-970-1959 that ‘Rave On’ was one of Buddy Holly’s most popular songs,” he added “And what’s the name of the Million Dollar Ballroom now Get the latest news from Shepherd Express delivered directly to your inbox Doff Procter used to sing four-hour operas in Europe so his 26-year University of Alabama gig reading graduating students' names during commencement exercises offers a lesser challenge The Tuscaloosa native and his wife Laurel lived in Graz while singing in stage roles across Europe and assume leadership of the Alabama Choir School FROM MIAMI TO TUSCALOOSA: Jennifer Lauren returns as Sugar Plum Fairy in "The Nutcracker" Not only did Procter have the baritone vocal power performing operas generally written in Romance languages honed his facility with pronunciation and enunciation Ed Williams (former chair of the UA Theatre and Dance department) tag-teamed it it was kind of like a videogame or something: You've got three seconds to shoot the spaceship down Friday night's names are being handled by Alabama Public Radio host David Duff since  the Procters will be directing the Alabama Choir School concert that evening Procter got the list of names about a week ago making painstaking notes on those that might be unusual to pronounce "You have a plan going in: Even if you don't really understand that name And the only person who knows it's wrong is her mom," he said Procter typically doesn't drink from it onstage following another bit of guidance from opera-singing days to make sure I'm thoroughly hydrated," he said have to go to the restroom in the middle of it." The Procters used to live near and see a voice teacher in Graz who told them that drinking water during a performance actually flushes away natural saliva ironically making a person's throat actually drier than before Another singer trick: If you find yourself suffering dry mouth You'll feel your saliva glands respond "There might be a time when I look like I'm struggling for a name but I'm actually biting my tongue," he said chatting with the deans and working with the parade of graduates "You have three seconds to look at this guy and decide 'Is he Josef Schmidt or is it Joseph Smith?' Some are petrified And it's one of my outlets now that I'm not singing for a living," he said GIFT OF LIFE: Three University of Alabama law school students donate kidneys His last larger local public appearances were as Sweeney in "Sweeney Todd" for the Actor's Charitable Theatre, and Captain Von Trapp in "The Sound of Music" for Theatre Tuscaloosa though he and Laurel still sing for Christ Episcopal Church and I used to be a tenor in Europe," he said "I just don't have the breath and the control Thank you for completing the form, here is your download: "+jQuery("body").attr("docName")+" Thank you for completing the form, here is the link to your on-demand webinar: On-Demand Webinar Link Richardson police officer Austin Galloway is pictured at the start of his shift Mask and gloves are part of their daily routine amid concerns of the COVID-19 crisis While the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is not new in law enforcement the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic has placed a renewed focus on its importance Officers tasked with enforcing quarantine or isolation orders face an increased risk of exposure to the coronavirus making the use of PPE by law enforcement officers increasingly common While simply throwing on some gloves and a mask may seem better than going without officers and agencies should be aware that the improper use of PPE can offer a false sense of security and Agencies should follow fit testing requirements, and provide training on the donning and doffing of personnel protective equipment This can help provide officers with the confidence that the PPE provided to them will work in the given situation and that they have it on appropriately Agencies should educate officers regarding the risk of self-contamination which can be especially problematic when donning and doffing PPE Hand washing before donning PPE and before and after doffing PPE is an easy and effective preventative measure Depending on the level of protection required, it may be best to use the buddy method to help in the donning process to prevent rips from occurring in protective coveralls and to assist in taping zippers and cuffs individuals should use caution to prevent elastic straps from becoming entangled in hair so it will be easier to remove later and make sure that facial areas are properly covered and effectively sealed Facial hair may also prevent a proper seal on some types of respiratory protection Doffing can present additional risks in a situation where a person is “uncomfortable and tired” and hastily removes personal protective equipment [2] Improperly removing gloves can cause inadvertent self-contamination by grabbing the outside of the glove on one hand with the other unprotected bare hand to remove it Any used PPE should be disposed of safely and in a way that would prevent cross-contamination. If your community is facing shortages and you need to reuse PPE, consider laundering cloth masks or placing N95 or surgical masks in paper bags to dry out. Find more information about reusing PPE here Officers should be familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of different types of available PPE and have an understanding of agency policies and practices relating to what PPE should be used in different situations Equally important is for agencies to stay aware and properly informed of regulations related to the use of PPE Simply seeing something in the media or hearing something from a fellow first responder often does not provide sufficient information for an informed decision about disregarding regulatory requirements or protocols recently and in direct response to the COVID-19 crisis in the healthcare industry the Department of Labor loosened enforcement requirements relating to annual fit-testing for N95 masks These temporary changes currently only apply to healthcare providers who are providing direct care of patients with known or suspected COVID-19 and do not relate to the required initial fit-testing of N95 masks or training on donning and doffing the masks these changes are limited at this time to one industry and one aspect of the regulations Failure to fully comprehend changes like this could not only endanger the safety of an individual because a fit test might be overlooked but may place some agencies at risk of failing to comply with applicable regulations Current federal and state occupational health and safety protocols have been in place to protect the safety of first responders long before the current pandemic These protocols are designed not only to protect the individual from infection but also work to protect the individual’s family and the community from secondary exposure to an individual who became contaminated from their failure to properly use PPE agencies should be making reasonable efforts to confirm that available equipment meets the needs of the individual and is properly fitted Additional information can be found on the Federal Department of Labor website and/or state workplace safety websites For information on the proper donning and doffing of N95 masks this instructional video linked to on the federal OSHA website may be useful: Additional resources and sample policies regarding PPE for your agency are available at Lexipol’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Learning and Policy Center 1. MacIntyre CR, et al. Risk mitigation of inadvertent exposure to biothreats to front line law enforcement 2. Chughtai AA, Chen X, Macintyre CR. Risk of self-contamination during doffing of personal protective equipment Loeb M, et al. Surgical Mask vs N95 Respirator for preventing influenza among health care workers: A randomized trial Sandaradura I, et al. A close shave? Performance of P2/N95 respirators in healthcare workers with facial hair: results of the BEARDS (BEnchmarking Adequate Respiratory DefenceS) study Gregg Satula is a content developer for Lexipol where he helps review changes in federal and state law and current best practices to provide updated law enforcement policy content to customers Gregg spent 12 years with a suburban police department in Wisconsin where he served as the PPE coordinator among other duties Copyright © 2025 Lexipol. All rights reserved.Do Not Sell My Personal Information