Just wanted to give a quick update on the implementation of AB 1788 since our last PCOC Alert.  After talking with DPR leadership, it appears that there will be no transition time after January 1st 2021.  That means that Ag Commissioners can begin writing violations if they find second generation material in traps after January 1st.  We also anticipate both a DPR enforcement letter and FAQ’s at the beginning of December on this issue and we are planning to do a public forum/town hall meeting for your questions and or concerns.  I know this isn’t the best news but hopefully we can all be on the same page moving into the new year so stay tuned.  In other news, we have a lot going on early next year related to PCOC events from the kickoff of our first PCOC Leadership class, Pest Ed and Termite Academy. We normally would see each other in Palm Springs this time of year but because of the ongoing challenges with COVID-19, I will see all of you at our next virtual Board of Directors meeting on December 10th.  Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!!

Chris Reardon
PCOC Executive Vice President
chris@pcoc.org
(916) 372-4363

PCOC Virtual Golf Tournament

There is still time to participate in our Virtual Golf Tournament!

Rules: 4-player teams & best ball on a 72-point course

Entry Fee: $50/Golfer ($200/team)

Date: Anytime October 1st – November 30th
(Players can re-enter with additional fees to play again)

Sponsorship Opportunities: Virtual Hole Sponsor $75

To register: Fill out the registration form and email to SARAH@PCOC.ORG

To  pay: (Please click the link below)

https://www.pcoconline.com/ pcoc-virtual-golf-tournament

Please remember to send all scores no later than Nov 30th!!

Or for questions please contact Sarah Conrad. Email: Sarah@pcoc.org or Call: (916) 572-0427

For sponsorship information please contact Adam Holt at (916) 472-1440

Well, here we all are, caught up in the wreckage of 2020. While national and global events will play out as they will, one thing never changes…the threat of back injuries. At least it is something we have more control over. Read on.

In 2019, sprains, strains, tears and soreness of the back accounted for approximately 16% of all lost-time illnesses and injuries.

Types of Back Injuries

Muscle strains are the least serious but most common source of back pain, resulting from stretched or torn muscles. When a person does a sudden or unfamiliar movement, the muscles are more likely to suffer damage than ligaments or tendons. Straining becomes even more likely if the muscle:

• lacks strength
• is tight and tense
• is fatigued from repetitive motion or from holding a position too long, such as sitting all day.

Tendons are tissues that connect muscle to bone. Twisting or pulling these tissues can also cause a strain. Strains can happen suddenly or develop over time.

Sprains are typically more serious than strains. They occur when ligaments, the tissues that connect bones at a joint, become stretched or torn. Falling, twisting or getting hit can all cause a sprain. Symptoms include pain, swelling, bruising, and being unable to move the joint. Sprains typically happen suddenly; the injured person might feel a pop or tear when the strain occurs.

At first, treatment of both sprains and strains usually involves resting the injured area, icing it, wearing a bandage or device that compresses the area, and medicines. Later treatment might include exercise and physical therapy.

Disk injuries are among the most serious and painful of back injuries. The disks that serve as cushions between the vertebrae can slip or even rupture, irritating nearby nerves. Treatments include rest, pain and anti-inflammatory medicines, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery.

Preventing Back Injuries

Back injuries are painful, disruptive to work and life and can lead to costly surgery.  Employers should try to avoid back injuries whenever possible. Strategies include:

1. Examine ergonomic factors. If back injuries occur frequently at your workplace, maybe it’s time to look at ergonomics, or the science of fitting a job to a person, rather than the other way around. Ergonomics helps lessen muscle fatigue, increases productivity and reduces the number and severity of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. It involves looking at the entire job environment, particularly the interaction of human body and equipment used to perform a job’s essential tasks. Sometimes simple ergonomic improvements, such as adjusting a workstation’s height, can yield dramatic results. At other times, avoiding injuries will require a dramatic redesign of a workspace, equipment or task. An ergonomist or industrial hygienist can help you look at problem areas in your workplace.
2. Reconsider back braces. If your workers rely on back braces when lifting, you might want to consult with a physician who specializes in occupational injuries, or a physical therapist. Some studies have found that back braces do not prevent injury and may in fact contribute to injuries, by giving workers wearing them a false sense of security.
3. Conduct training. You’ve no doubt heard it before, but there are proper and improper ways to lift. Monitor your employees whose jobs require lifting and provide regular refresher trainings.
4. Promote fitness. Strengthening the muscles of the abdomen, back and thighs can help prevent back injuries by providing better support to the spine. Overweight and sedentary people have a higher risk of back injury than their fitter counterparts. Fitter employees will not only cost you less in group medical expenses, they could also cost you less in workers’ compensation payments.

We can help you evaluate your injury claims and suggest ways to minimize future claims. For more information or help, contact the Insurance professionals of the PCOC Insurance Program. Call us at: 877.860.7378.

Paul Lindsay
Senior Vice President, Principal, Programs
EPIC Program Solutions
10877 White Rock Rd. Suite 300 Rancho Cordova, Ca 95670
paul.lindsay@epicbrokers.com
916.576.1545 direct  |  877.222.0000 |  916.952.1609 cell
epicbrokers.com  | ca license 0B29370

Well, the end of the year is here and there is still a lot to prepare for the upcoming year.  The first of those is the implementation of AB-1788.  This will be enforceable on 1-1-2021 meaning that county ag inspectors have the ability to write citations and fines for the application of Second Generation Anti-coagulant Rodenticides (i.e. First Strike, Contrac) in places where the law will not allow their placement.  PCOC would recommend that, if you use these products, you work to remove them from the accounts where they are not allowed to be used.  While the law has some specifics laid out as to where we can use them and where not to, there are some points of the bill that need to be clarified and DPR is working on those (hopefully to be distributed in the next few weeks). 

Another topic that we are working to prepare for in 2021 are the rules of engagement on how we interact with other people professionally.  This will include with team members, customers, vendors, our regulators, etc.  Many of us thought that this fall we would be interacting in the way we always have but apparently, we were wrong.  Really wrong.  Moving into the new year, we know that interacting with other people will look very different than in 2019 and even in 2020.  This will  include how we reach out to our local and state elected officials.  We will be sending out more info on that in the next few months.

Regardless of what the topic, we will need to come together as an association and tackle whatever obstacle is before us.  It has been difficult for us this year not being able to meet in person.  We know that many of the bonds that hold our association together are built on our personal and professional relationships and the time that goes into building those.  We cannot allow these changes in the way our association is holding our functions to impact these bonds.  We must all band together to stay strong as our industry will continue to face many issues in the near future challenging the way to service our customers.  Please continue to show up and participate.  Please encourage your colleagues to show up and participate.  This is the only way that we will ensure the future of our businesses and industry. 

Darren Van Steenwyk, M.S., BCE
Director of Learning and Technical Services
Clark Pest Control
PCOC Legislative Committee Chair
Mobile: (209) 224-4629
darrenv@clarkpest.com

(un)Leashed Leaderhsip
Those that signed up for our leadership program, classes will be starting soon. Dr. Garland Vance will email you with the schedule and information.

Board of Directors Meeting - Virtual
Virtual Board Meeting will take place on December 10, 2020 @ 10:00 am. PCOC will post our Committee Schedule as we get closer to our meeting. Most meetings will take place the week of BOD.

Pest Ed Series - Virtual

This year our Pest Ed Series will be a virtual event that will take place from January 12-14, 2021. There will be 9 classes to choose from. Each class will be about 1 hour 20 minutes long and will cost $25. There will be a CEU available for all classes. The schedule and registration will be released next week.

Termite Academy - Virtual

Our Termite Academy will be a virtual event that will take place Februay 10-11, 2021. The schedule and registration will be released at our December BOD Meeting.

 PCOC has a Store

Check out the items that we have for sale! www.pcoconline.com

PCOC is selling our new bumper stickers!

They are $10 (plus postage) each!! They measure 9.25" x 2.5"

Please fill out THIS FORM and email to SARAH@PCOC.ORG

  Donated by: Hernandez Sewing, Inc. and Mary Hernandez

Frequently Asked For Websites

Department of Fish & Game
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/

Department of Food & Agriculture
www.cdfa.ca.gov

California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)
www.cdpr.ca.gov

DPR on Facebook
www.facebook.com/capesticideregulation

DPR on YouTube (see "playlists" for videos pertaining to new surface water regulations)
www.youtube.com/user/californiapesticides

DPR on Twitter
twitter.com/ca_pesticides

DPR LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com/company/california-department-of-pesticide-regulation

Healthy Schools Act
http://apps.cdpr.ca.gov/schoolipm/

Structural Pest Control Board
www.pestboard.ca.gov

Find Your Legislator
www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

NPMA's QualityPro Accrediation Application
www.npmaqualitypro.org/apply

2020 certainly has been the year of curveballs, especially for smaller pest management businesses. And when you pair all of this uncertainty with businesses that primarily work face-to-face with customers, Plan B turns to C turns to… you get the picture! In today’s world, where in-person interactions are becoming less common, there’s a newer and smarter way to get your pest control company’s information in front of the folks that should see it.

GeoFencing is one of the most powerful ways to drive up leads and referrals in an efficient and cost-effective way. In short, GeoFencing is the best way for you to hand over your business card – but digitally, on smartphones, tablets and computers!

We know that digital marketing tactics are always changing, and it can be hard to keep up. That’s why we’re going to break GeoFencing down step-by-step!

Display Ads

Even if you don’t think you are familiar with Display Ads (also known as online banner ads), you likely interact with them on a daily basis. Display ads are digital banners that are aimed at qualified prospects as they navigate the internet. A classic example is when you look up a favorite tool on Google, and you suddenly see ads on different Websites (Facebook, ESPN, your preferred news provider) all about that tool and where you can buy it.

Retailers are able to track people that are looking for their products online. By Googling “hammer,” you are highlighted as a possible sales opportunity. Thus, hammer-related ads make their way onto your screen throughout different sites.

Advanced Targeting

What sets GeoFencing apart from simple Display Ad marketing is the more targeted approach to who views your ads. To execute a GeoFencing campaign, a marketer sets specific location areas – which we call “geo-fences.” While these areas can certainly be broad, you can set your geo-fence to target a super specific location. You can target a neighborhood, a block, and even a specific home or address!

GeoFencing is great because it allows pest management companies to target the areas that mean the most to them. While you may technically offer service to a city, GeoFencing allows you to focus on the residential areas, or the commercial ones (or both!). Pest experts can point to the exact neighborhoods that they want to serve the most. The geo-fence “activates” whenever someone’s wifi-enabled device falls into your target area - prospects don't receive any notice about this automated process.

In a world where everyone carries their smart phones along with them, this is how smart business operators grow their operation! Sound creepy yet? Well, it may feel that way. But these days, smart pest control companies are using every tool they can to leverage more relationships and more referrals – you should be doing the same.

Logistics

Another highlight of GeoFencing is its relatively low cost to implement. Unlike other marketing models, you do not pay for clicks on your ads. You simply pay for impressions, another word for having your ad appear on someone’s screen. And what is the cost of these impressions? Around $0.01 a pop! That’s right, just one penny. You can keep your costs down even further by targeting specific areas and not casting too wide of a net. This way, there will be minimal wasted impressions!

If you aren’t already keeping a list of important addresses, now is the time to start. Think about the locations that you would want to leave your business card at, and jot down those addresses, zip codes, etc. With any style of marketing, you get the most out of it when you narrow down your audience and build data on your prospects.

While strategies are always changing, the goal of marketing remains the same: get your pest control company’s information in front of the people that need your services. To drive more referrals and business, GeoFencing is the way to go for the modern small business. Give Market Hardware a call to learn more about how we can help you! Contact us today if you’re interested and want more information! You can email PCOC@markethardware.com or call (888) 381-6925.