Yet for most of America we take the complacent approach and don’t do very much to improve the safety of our most valued
environment. This failure in knowledge and will has and will continue to expose to many individuals to safety issues. The good news is that most home injuries are avoidable with a few simple modifications, ranging in price from free to $40. So why not take the time to invest in not becoming another statistic?

Falls

Each year 5.1 million Americans are injured by falls that occur in and around the home. Falls are the leading cause of home injuries and account for one-third of unintentional home injury deaths.

Recommended actions:

• Put a nonslip mat or safety treads on the tub floor and use grab bars when you get out of the shower: $4-$10.
• Turn on area lights when using stairs, steps, and landings: $0.  If you have a set of poorly lit stair many stores sell LED light rope very cheaply and this can be enough to illuminate your path. $9 -$15.
• Keep a hand on the handrails (both sides are best) of stairs and steps, and shoo pets away from your path (I know, easier said than done): $0.
• Use a proper ladder for climbing instead of a stool or furniture: $0-$30. (Remember don’t use metal or other conductive materials if your going to be touching electrical elements. )

Poisonings

The second leading cause of home injuries, more than 2 million poisonings are reported to the Poison Control Center each year, yet only 1% of respondents in the HSC survey considered it a top concern.

Recommended actions:

• Lock poisons, cleaners, medications, and other dangerous substances away from a child’s reach: $0.
• Keep all cleaners in their original containers, and do not mix them. Even better? Buy non-toxic all-purpose cleaners from brands like Method or Seventh Generation, or make your own: $2-$6 for 32 ounces of self-made or purchased cleaner solution.
• Use medications carefully, following the directions. Use child-resistant bottles, but don’t rely on them: $0.
• Install carbon monoxide detectors in bedrooms: $20-$30 per detector.*
• If someone is unconscious, is having trouble breathing, or is having seizures, call 911, but if someone seems okay and you think they may have ingested poison or you have a question, call the National Poison Control Hotline. Put the number in your phone’s address book or near the home phone (only one-fifth of polled Americans reported doing so) — it’s 1-800-222-1222: $0.
• Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell, or taste. The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second only to smoking as the leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. Test your home at least every two years or when living patterns change: $15 (or free — some state programs offer low-cost or free kits, contact your state radon contact for more information).

Fires and Burns

Of all fire- and burn-related injuries, 90% occur in the home. We know we should have a fire extinguisher and smoke detectors in the home (93% of the people polled did have smoke detectors installed), but most of us slack off on other precautions such as fire escape ladders (only 6% reported having one) and a family escape plan (just 26% had one).

Recommended actions:

• Have working smoke alarms: about $3 to replace batteries, $20 per smoke detector.*
• Create a family fire escape plan: $0.
• Two story home? Keep a fire escape ladder near each upstairs bedroom window: $35+ per ladder.
• Don’t leave the stove when cooking, especially when frying food, and consider keeping an easy-to-use fire extinguisher near the range: $0-$12.
• Space heaters should be three or more feet away from anything flammable and turned off when you leave the room or go to sleep: $0.
• If you smoke, smoke outside and put water in ashtrays before emptying. Lock matches and lighters away from a child’s reach: $0.
• Blow out candles before leaving the room or going to sleep, or replace real candles with flameless ones — new battery-operated candles are made with scented wax and create a flickering glow: $0, or $10 for a 6-inch flameless candle.
• Set the hot water heater at or below 120 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent burns, and test bathwater temperature before children climb in: $0.

Choking and suffocation
The easiest way to prevent most choking-related deaths? Sit, and require children to sit, while eating. Only 39% of adults require children to do so.

Recommended actions:

• If an item can fit through a toilet paper tube, it can cause a young child to choke. Keep small items out of children’s reach: $0.
• Don’t put pillows, comforters, or toys in a child’s crib: $0.
• Tie or clip the loops in window cords up high where children can’t reach them: $0.
• Read the labels on all toys, especially the recommended age: $0.
• Cut food into small bites for kids, and both kids and adults should sit down when they eat and chew slowly: $0.

Drowning

Most drowning deaths at home are related to swimming pools and spa tubs, but there are easy ways to keep everyone safe this summer.

Recommended actions:

• Sounds obvious, but stay within arm’s reach of children in and around water. This includes bathtubs, toilets, pools, and spas (more than half of the HSC survey respondents failed to do so): $0.
• Keep the gate around your pool closed and locked: $0.
• Empty large buckets and wading pools after use and store upside-down: $0.
• To avoid suction entrapment, don’t use a pool or spa if there are broken or missing drain covers: $0, or $15+ for a drain cover replacement.
• Research the safest pool cover for your type of pool: price varies.
• *Rather than buying separate carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms, install a single unit that does both: $40-$50.

Remember June is Home Safety Month, so it’s the perfect time to check risks off your list!

“Traditionally, footwear has been engineered to provide maximum support and comfort for the foot, with little attention paid to the biomechanical effects on the rest of the leg,” said Dr. Najia Shakoor, a rheumatologist at Rush and the primary author of the study. “But the shoes we wear have a substantial impact on the load on the knee joints, particularly when we walk.”

“Our study demonstrated that flat, flexible footwear significantly reduces the load on the knee joints compared with supportive, stable shoes with less flexible soles.”

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and a significant source of disability and impaired quality of life. A higher-than-normal load on the knees during walking is a hallmark of the disease, associated with both the severity of osteoarthritis and its progression.

In the UK the most common industrial illness is MSD. Affecting  more than 500,000 people every year and stemming from repetitive work tasks such as material packing or the regular use of hand tools.

Quoted from the HSE website:

For more information or to download this tool please go to the HSE’s website: http://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/

BP America Refinery Explosion

Workers should never have to die for a job.

• Flip-Flops vs. Gray Hair: Managing Generation Clashes in the Workplace

• 72% of Congressional offices violate OSHA regs

• Lawsuit filed to force state to enact and enforce new heat stress rules

• Understanding Influences on Risks: A Four-Part Model

• Chemical Emergencies: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

I am posting these awareness video to help “spark” some questions for you and hopefully set you off down the path of finding the answers to some life saving questions. After all if you have ever seen a raccoon after its found its way into a substation you know, really know, that you never want to see the same thing done to anyone else.

Back in the 1970′s when I was a child my family owned quite a few music records. Each one stamped into vinyl plastic and subject to damage from the very device that was used to play back our cherished music. Worse yet the records themselves where subject to heat, dust, and high humidity. All of these environmental conditions could and did result in warping of records resulting in more lost music. Because of these product problems and the quest for better sound, engineers worked to develop new and better ways to provide their audience with more reliable play back.

When we look at American industry we have to wonder why many of the clearly repetitive violations and injuries have not been addressed with the same enthusiasm as our quest for better music. After all not only are we saving peoples health but we are also saving lives in many cases when we do improve safety performance.  Also for those that are firmly on the side of the bottom line there is a lot of money to be recovered from the bottomless pit that is our list of most cited violations below.

Each of these categories above are ones that have been consistently in the top 10 for years. Yet when you look at them each one has well know and proven ways to minimize or or eliminate the associated hazards. If nothing else in most cases procedures just like the ones that we all use to produce quality products can be put in place and enforced consistently to manage a lot of employee exposure.  The next time you are out where your work is conducted look for problems with any of the above categories and resolve to fix what you find then tell all the employees in the area what you have done and why. If it involves behavior from employees educate them, follow up on both the good and the bad, it all starts with one act at a time.

Below are some basic inspections that you can use to get started with reviewing the topics above. They are not comprehensive and are not meant to be, however, they can help open your eyes to whats required and why.

• Electrical General Requirements
• General Work Environment Checklist
• Employee Safety Inspection Checklist

Machine Safeguarding

January 10-16 is National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW). NIVW was established to highlight the importance of continuing influenza vaccination, as well as fostering greater use of flu vaccine after the holiday season.

Since 2009 H1N1 disease is likely to continue, NIVW is an important opportunity to maintain or increase the number of people who get the 2009 H1N1 vaccine at a time when demand for vaccine usually drops significantly. Though this has been an unprecedented year in terms of the number of people who have received flu vaccinations, most people still have not gotten the 2009 H1N1 vaccine – there is still room for improvement among every age and risk group. Influenza is unpredictable and we do not know the likelihood of a future wave of 2009 H1N1 influenza, but we do know that vaccination is the single best way to reduce the health impact of influenza.
To learn more about NIVW, visit the NIVW website.