"Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?" ~ unknown
Fairs Year-round Information	F.Y.I. Volume 8, Issue 24 December 4, 1998

IN FOCUS

Results from a survey conducted by The Gallup Organization of Princeton, New Jersey, reports employees are more likely to miss work and collect disability because of a sprain, strain, or sore back than from any other illness or injury.

Confirming the survey’s results within the fair industry, Cindy Martin, CFSA’s worker’s compensation claims administrator, notes that lower back injuries — mostly strains from heavy lifting — are leading in most frequent claims made and most dollars paid as of December 1, 1998. The average number of work days missed is 13.7, considerably less than the average of 144 days reported in the study.

The fairs’ timely return of employees to the workplace is attributed in part to the fairs’ willingness to assign workers to modified work assignments until the workers are fully recovered and can return to their previous responsibilities.

The survey was based on a randomly selected national sample of 7,565 adults who reported they work or had worked outside the home during the past three years. Of those, 10.3 percent had missed time from work due to work-related injury or illness, pregnancy, or non-work related injuries that caused them to miss more than five consecutive work days.

For more information on safe lifting and other back-related topics, please contact Tom Allen, CFSA’s safety administrator, at 916/263-6186.

Under the direction of the Sonoma-Marin Fair board, the CEO plans, organizes, implements and administers the development and utilization of the fairground facility. Candidates must have a working knowledge of state procedures, financial operations, facility maintenance, and be willing to work irregular hours and weekends.

For a complete job description and application package, contact:

Applications are due at the above address no later than 5 p.m., February 1, 1999.

Sue Leavitt, CFSA’s Computer Services administrator, warns computer users that when it comes to protecting your computer from electrical charges this winter, an ounce of prevention is worth the health of your computer. In PC Magazine, author Kirk Steers urges people to purchase adequate surge protection. He makes his point with a story about a reader whose $13 surge protector, recommended by a salesperson, didn’t protect his new computer when a nearby lightning strike took out the electricity in his house.

Unfortunately, inexpensive surge protectors tend to be little more than extension cords with extra outlets, the article reports. The best way to check the quality of a protector is to look for the Underwriters Laboratory UL 1449 rating. If the rating isn’t marked on the protector, don’t buy it. Even though these protectors can’t stand up to a direct lightning hit which can generate voltages way beyond the 6,000-volt limit of the UL 1449 tests, they will minimize your chances of a zapped computer.

In addition to the UL 1449 rating, look for a surge protector with a response time of less than one nanosecond, indicator lights that warn you of failed components in the unit and improper grounding in your building’s wiring, and ports for your modem and any other line connected to your PC. The article also advises buying a model that comes with insurance.

Some advice on static electricity: When working inside your PC, make sure you’re grounded by touching an unpainted spot of the case’s metal frame while the unit is plugged into a grounded outlet.

For more information, please contact Sue Leavitt, CFSA's Computer Services administrator, at 916/263-6188.

What is FlexNet? It’s a multi-option PC network of operational, financial and communicational computer services developed to meet the diverse needs of today’s (and tomorrow’s) fairs. One of the ways FlexNet accomplishes this is by giving fairs access to CFSA’s VAX and VAX-specific software via modem, eliminating the fairs’ need for costly on-site VAX systems.

FlexNet grew from research CFSA was conducting at the request of many fairs for a PC alternative to their current payroll system methods. This payroll alternative, called Fairs PayNet, is now part of FlexNet and currently being used by five fairs and Western Fairs Association. An additional five fairs, with two more waiting in the wings, subscribe to Fairs AccountNet, which provides fairs with access to Compu-Share’s popular accounting programs via CFSA’s VAX.

For more information about how FlexNet can simplify your fair’s business systems or if you’d like to set up a site survey, contact Sue Leavitt at 916/263-6188.

Here are the holiday hours for the California Construction Authority (CCA), California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF), California Fair Services Authority (CFSA), the Division of Fairs & Expositions (F&E), and Western Fairs Association (WFA):

CCA will close at 2 p.m. on December 24 and 31, and is closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

CARF is closed December 24 and 25 and is closed on New Year’s Day.

CFSA is closed December 24 and 25 and is closed on New Year’s Day.

F&E is closed on both Christmas and New Year’s Day.

WFA will close at noon on December 24, and is closed Christmas and New Year’s Day.

HAVE A CONTRIBUTION FOR

FAIR EXCHANGE?

F.Y.I. invites and encourages all fairs to contribute articles and article ideas for the Fair Exchange column. We’ll even write the article for you. For details, call Melissa Thurber at 916/263-6178.
To add F.Y.I. to your press release mailing list, send or fax releases to:

1776 Tribute Road, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95815
Attn: Melissa Thurber
Fax: 916/646-1238
e-mail: mthurber@msn.com