For more information:

Scott Murray

Reimer Heating & Air Conditioning Inc.

694-8524

scott@reimerhvac.com

Reimer Heating & Air Unveils Personal Safety Guidelines for Homeowners when Selecting a Home Services Contractor

“Technician Seal of Safety” symbolizes a contractor’s commitment to conducting background checks and drug testing of all technicians entering customers’ homes

(Western New York 01/01/08) – Reimer Heating & Air Conditioning, Western New York’s top heating and cooling company, recently introduced a program that is designed to assure homeowners of their safety and security when inviting a contractor into their homes. The “Technician Seal of Safety” is a symbol that conveys to a homeowner a contractor’s commitment to conducting criminal background checks and regular drug testing on technicians who enter private homes.

It has long been the policy of Reimer Heating & Air Conditioning to conduct background checks and perform regular drug testing as allowed by law. “We know how important it is to make a homeowner feel safe when a technician enters their home,” said Scott, General Manager of Reimer. Hundreds of incidents are reported each year involving homeowners being victimized by home service technicians. “It’s scary to learn that only a handful of all contractors actually practice this policy of conducting background checks and drug testing … that’s why we feel it’s so important to give homeowners a visual symbol that tells them their personal safety is not at risk when they hire a contractor who displays the ‘Technician Seal of Safety’,” he added.

The “Technician Seal of Safety” was adopted by Widget to display its commitment to conducting background checks and performing drug testing on personnel. Like many industries facing a shortage of qualified personnel, the home services industry tends to fill vacancies quickly and with little scrutiny of candidates during the hiring process. That is not the case at Widget. “We follow the most stringent hiring policies allowed by law,” said Murray. “We know our customers deserve the peace of mind in knowing that our employees are safe and the best in the business,” he added.

According to IMI Data Search, a company that conducts background checks on potential hires, some industries experience a ratio as high as one out of four when it comes to applicants who turn out to have a criminal record. That statistic, combined with numerous incidents of violence against homeowners by contract workers, indicates the growing importance of hiring contractors who embrace policies of background checks and drug testing.

In response to a recent incident in Florida where a woman was killed by a convicted sex offender who had performed duct cleaning in her home, the Georgia General Assembly drew up House Bill 620 (2005). This bill proposed requiring an employer to run a background check on an employee before the worker could enter someone’s home.

“When hiring a contractor to come into your home, most people don’t consider their personal safety or the safety of their family,” mentioned (last name of owner or spokesperson). “But we want to make sure that homeowners, including women who may feel uncomfortable at home alone with a technician, the elderly, or disabled, realize the importance of calling a contractor who displays the ‘Technician Seal of Safety’. At Widget, we stand behind the Seal to demonstrate how strongly we stand behind our customers and our community,” he added.

For more information about the Technician Seal of Safety, visit www.mysafetyseal.com.