Message from the Claims Desk 6.28.16

Good Morning Stewart Family,

I hope that everyone is afforded the opportunity to take a break from the craziness that is summer in the moving business, and is able to enjoy this holiday weekend. That’s right; the 4th of July is upon us already. This holiday is the day that is widely recognized as the official day that our founding fathers declared our independence from England. On July 4th, 1776 in a Pennsylvania state hall, later known as Independence hall, the Declaration of Independence was signed by John Hancock who was the president of the second Continental Congress. The next year, 1777, fireworks were first used to commemorate the national holiday and have been used ever since. So as your being careful with the fireworks this weekend, ensure that you are paying attention to a customer’s potentially dangerous items.

This week I would like to talk about hazardous items. Did you know that last year, oily rags that spontaneously combusted were the direct cause of 22% of storage property fires, and of the total amount of these fires that occurred in vehicles, 36% occurred in the cargo area? This type of combustion is a byproduct of spontaneous heating, which occurs when a material increased in temperature without drawing heat from its surroundings. Examples of materials that are prone to spontaneous combustion include: oily rags, hay, and other agricultural products.

Now, it is our job to avoid putting ourselves in these extremely dangerous and costly situations. This is the reason why we must refuse to take combustible chemicals that can cause this. Be especially mindful of fertilizers and rags that contained turpentine, since these items are notorious for spontaneous combustion.

So enjoy the holiday, refuse to take the obvious hazardous items, as well as refusing any rags that contain an oily substance.

Cheers,

Robert Wright – Claims Manager

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