biz briefs 10-16

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Qualified buyers were selected through a lottery system, regulated under the guidelines of the Hawaii County Office of Housing and Community Development. Nearly 1,200 Big Island residents picked up applications for the units.

Workplace safety workshop is Oct. 19

The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division is sponsoring a safety and health training workshop targeted at Hawaii’s small businesses from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 19 at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa.

The workshop will feature private sector safety and health experts who will actively engage employers in answering their safety and health questions and providing advice that can be immediately implemented in their own business. The panel of experts will provide training workshops on the following topics:

c understanding workers compensation, drug-free workplace and HIOSH

c how to reduce injuries and illness with a safety program

c HIOSH’s most common violations and how to avoid them

c emergency preparedness for small businesses

The workshop is open to the public, free of charge.

It is designed for small business owners and managers who often do not have the resources to hire professional safety and health experts. The workshop will enable these employers and managers to understand and navigate through Hawaii’s complicated safety and health regulations and assist them in developing an effective safety and health plans to ensure the safety of their employees and control costs.

The workshops will offer employers advice on how to lower the high costs of workers compensation and reduce employee injuries and lost work days. Additionally, employers looking to combat substance abuse in the workplace will be able to get advice and guidance on how to establish drug-free work program. Further, employers will also be provided information and direction on how to establish an emergency preparedness plan for their business.

For program and registration information, visit the DLIR Web site at www.hawaii.gov/labor or by calling (866) 438-8831.


First unit arrives at Seascape Condos

A traditional Hawaiian blessing for Seascape Development and affiliate Westpro Holdings’ new 100 percent affordable project, Seascape Condominiums, was in perfect harmony as the first modular units arrived on-site.

Seascape, the first development of its kind in Hawaii, will give 108 Big Island families their chance to build family wealth through home ownership. The project is located adjacent to Lokahi Makai in Kona.

John Stevens, principal of Westpro Holdings, initially became involved in the housing solution when he added 19 affordable homes to his Lokahi Makai market-priced subdivision. These were the first on-site affordable homes built on the Big Island in over a decade.

Working with Hawaii County Council member Virginia Isbell and key county administrators, Stevens intends to build a affordable apartment complex from the Aloha Aina modular plant that not only will provide conventional one- and two- bedroom units but will also provide compact studio units for Big Island working commuters.

Seascape’s two-bedroom, two-bath condominium units feature an open kitchen, a great room and a large covered lanai. Seascape earned the coveted Energy Star rating set by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy, keeping home owner’s utility costs down.

Qualified buyers were selected through a lottery system, regulated under the guidelines of the Hawaii County Office of Housing and Community Development. Nearly 1,200 Big Island residents picked up applications for the units.