Electrical Safety Month

May 15th, 2013

Did you know that May is National Electrical Safety Month? Every year, the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) “spearheads an annual campaign to educate key audiences about the steps that can be taken in order to reduce the number of electrically-related fires, fatalities, injuries, and property loss,” according to their website. We enjoy the work that they do, and want to share a little bit about electrical safety with you.

The 2013 theme of National Electrical Safety Month is “Safety for All Ages,” but we plan on focusing on electrical safety for the workplace.

ESFI notes that for every 13 electrical injuries in a workplace, one worker dies. The best way to prevent worker injuries and death is through education and assessment. ESFI offers three steps to be used as guidelines for electrical safety self-assessment, and we offer an Electrical Safety class for you to take:

  • Awareness. Is there anywhere at your workplace that is electrically unsafe? Are there any exposed wires, over-loaded sockets, or fire hazards? Being aware of electrical hazards is the first step toward improving safety.
  • Assessment. By taking a safety class (we offer an Electrical Safety–OSHA Compliance class on June 4th, and August 6th), you can learn how to keep your workplace safe from the dangers of electrical vulnerability. Taking one of our electrical safety classes will help you assess the electrical dangers within your workplace. You can register by clicking here.
  • Improvement. After taking one of our classes, you will be able to see what it means to have an electrically-safe work environment. Improvements in safety will take the top of your priority list. By choosing to take a class and improve your workplace electrical safety, your company can save time, lives and money.

We encourage your company to be proactive and to register for our Electrical Safety class sometime during the remainder of this year’s National Electrical Safety Month.

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Stay Safe in Public Pools

May 8th, 2013

I am currently out of the office for college finals, but here is an article from our Spring 2012 edition of Family Safety and Health, page 10.

During the spring and summer seasons, many families visit both indoor and outdoor pools. Although public pool and spa operators should follow local, state and federal regulations to ensure pools are safe and healthy, parents and guardians need to make sure safety practices are being followed. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends the following for families using public pools:

Equipment

  • Swim at a pool site bound by a fence to ensure the area is protected.
  • Pools must be inspected by professionals to ensure they are compliant with federal and local laws and regulations. Confirm that the pool is up to date on these and any other regulations.
  • Lifesaving equipment such as life rings and reaching poles should be available at the site.

Supervision

  • Registered lifeguards should be present, available and on duty.
  • Take the time to supervise children as they swim to prevent a life-threatening incident.
  • Look for signs posting water safety rules in a visible area for adults and children to view.
  • Keep a charged cell phone available t all times.

Safe pool and swimming habits

  • Encourage all family members, including children, to learn how to swim.
  • Confirm that lifeguards and staff are certified in first aid and emergency response techniques.
  • Learn how to perform CPR on both children and adults. Refresh and update those skills on a regular basis.
  • If in a group with other adults, confirm which parents or guardians can assist in a pool emergency.

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OSHA: Protecting Temporary Workers

May 1st, 2013

Sunday, April 28 was Workers’ Memorial Day. Celebrated annually, Workers’ Memorial Day is intended for celebrating the lives and mourning the deaths of workers who passed away due to work-related injures.

Workers’ Memorial Day is also a time for the Department of Labor to renew their commitment to keeping workers safe. This year, OSHA is starting a campaign to protect temporary workers, as stated in a news release published on Monday, the 29 of April.

Field inspectors are now being asked to assess whether employees who use temporary workers are complying with OSHA standards. Although they are only hired temporarily, these workers should be provided the same protection as workers who are hired for large lengths of time.

Dr. David Michaels, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health said it best, “Workers must be safe, whether they’ve been on the job for one day or for 25 years.”

Recently, OSHA has seen a spike in the number of temporary workers receiving fatal injuries, particularly during the first few days on a job site. Now that field inspectors are encouraged to report what they perceive to be unsafe situations for temporary workers, there is hope that the number of temporary workers injured during the first few days of employment will drop.

Companies who hire temporary workers may begin creating a safer work environment by actively training temporary employees as well as they do permanent employees. Sometimes this is as simple as introducing workers to how often they should be drinking water to prevent dehydration, other times it is as complicated as offering safety education courses in other languages.

In fact, field inspectors will now be able to determine if temporary workers were trained in “a language and vocabulary they could understand,” according to the press release. It is the duty of an employer to make sure workers are well trained in all things safety-related.

No matter what needs to be done to create a safer work environment for temporary workers, any measure that can be taken to promote safety among all workers is worth it.

If you are considering training someone within your company in the realm of safety, visit our course catalog page here.

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Drive it Home

April 24th, 2013

As we put the finishing touches on our May E-Newsletter (can you believe April is nearly over?), we would like to direct your attention to our Defensive Driving blog, and more specifically our recent post about the “Drive it Home” event.

Various skits and speakers tied together what it means to parent a safe teen driver.

Various skits and speakers tied together what it means to parent a safe teen driver.

The following is our Monday blog post from our DDC blog. We believe defensive driving is an important part of a safe life, and would like to share what we have learned with you.

On Tuesday the 18th of April, nearly 100 people gathered at the Herberger Theater Center to watch Drive it Home: a comedy show designed to assist parents (and teenagers) in communicating driving desires and boundaries correctly.

The comedians, a traveling troop from The Second City (a comedy club which has trained many famous comedians, from John Belushi to Tina Fey to Stephen Colbert) acted out what is an all-too-common situation: two parents largely out of touch with the life of their daughter, who has just reaching driving age.

Popular, upbeat music blasts from the speakers as a woman who fills the role of “game show hostess” appears on stage, and welcomes the audience to the new episode of “Gettin’ in Gear.”

Through tasteful humor, the game show hostess steers the Pendelton family (Shelia, mother; Bruce, father; Maggie, 16 year old) through the traumas and turns of teenage licensing. Important points are covered for Maggie (and teenage audience members) like staying focused with hands on the wheel and phones turned off.

Through comedy, parents are also taught the four types of parenting: uninvolved, permissive, authoritative and authoritarian, and how to avoid the negative traits of each. Parents are also introduced to common issues, such as setting poor examples for child drivers.

After the skits, which are most likely included to help parents see what they do wrong and to keep teenage attendees engaged, John Ulczycki, the Group Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for the National Safety Council spoke to parents candidly.

“Kids have been in Driver’s Ed since they were two, and you [parents] were the teachers,” said Ulczycki. He also stressed the importance of practice. Young drivers can never have too much practice, especially when it comes to night driving.

Ulczycki then introduced a mother who lost her son due to a preventable driving accident. This mother shared the importance of discussing decisions and their outcomes to children as young as twelve, thirteen and fourteen. Even if they are not of driving age, they have a say in who drives them and how.

“Every boy in that car, including [my son] had a part in his death that day, because nobody spoke up,” she recounted from the stage.

As the face of a brokenhearted mother continued to speak, audience members were reminded that it is ultimately up to them to train their children to be safe and legal drivers.

Phoenix was an early stop on the Drive it Home tour. If you would like to see if Drive it Home is coming to a city near you, please visit their site here.

If you wish to take one of our defensive driving classes, visit us here. If you need to get a ticket excused, visit us here.

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Youth Sports Safety Month

April 17th, 2013

Winter has left, and spring has arrived!

With this glorious season of sprinkles of rain, flowers, greenery and warm weather comes a plethora of fun outdoor activities. Outdoor sports leagues are developing for softball, volleyball, baseball, flag football, soccer and many other sports, and chances are your child is venturing into the realm of outdoor activities.

All parents want their child to have a great experience with youth sports, but sometimes those experiences turn negative when injuries are involved. Because April is Youth Sports Safety Month, we want to provide you with injury prevention tips for three major sports that kids are likely to participate in: baseball, soccer and volleyball. We have compiled some of what we believe are the most useful injury prevention tips from stopsportsinjuries.org here for you.

Baseball Injuries

  • Prevent overuse injuries by always warming up properly.
  • Do not participate if pain is obvious and persistent. If pain or discomfort persists, see a doctor.
  • Teach young players the safest techniques for pitching, batting and catching.
  • Adhere to little league pitch guidelines (the amount of pitches you can throw per game, by age), and follow the rest period guidelines. Many people do not know that Little League Baseball has guidelines for maximum pitch count per game by age and required rest periods per amount of time by age. These guidelines can be found here, along with more helpful information about preventing baseball related injuries.

Soccer Injuries

  • After a break between sports seasons, when your child may have grown out of shape, slowly coax them back into sports. Begin with a little cardio training, a little agility training, and a little strength training. Don’t dive straight into the tough work.
  • Drink water frequently. By the time someone is thirsty, chances are they are already slightly dehydrated. Sports that involve a lot of running cause a lot of sweat and a loss of liquid. Stay hydrated.
  • Make sure all equipment (cleats, shin guards) fits correctly. Secure shoes can prevent trips and twists, while sturdy shin guards can prevent painful bruises and shin injuries.
  • Stay fit. Many injuries occur because athletes are not ready to exert so much energy in competitive sports. Learn more about this, and how to prevent other soccer-related injuries here.

Volleyball Injuries

  • A lot of pain can be caused by improper stretching and strengthening. Make sure all volleyball players have adequately prepared their muscles by stretching before and after workouts.
  • Injuries akin to ankle sprains are common among volleyball players due to the amounts of jumping they do for plays such as blocking and spiking. If an injury occurs, it is important to give the injured area rest, and to see a doctor if pain persists. Only return to the court after a doctor has given a letter of approval to return to sports.
  • Finger injuries are common among volleyball players, as trips, falls and jams occur often. There is no easy way to prevent finger injuries, besides teaching proper bumping, setting and spiking form. Other useful injury prevention tips for volleyball players and coaches can be found here.

Duties of a Coach

Many injuries can be prevented by correct and competent coaching. Coaches should understand the age and physical limits of all team members. Sometimes it is simply impossible to expect a seven or nine year old team member to play perfectly, run quickly, or perform with expertise. Coaches are able to prevent injuries by training players to perform their duties correctly, be those duties pitching a baseball or softball, bumping a volleyball, or heading a soccer ball.

Coaches should also be well trained in spotting injuries. Coaches should take a basic first aid class to learn how to spot and handle injuries, clean wounds, treat illness and safely move injured players. Arizona Chapter National Safety Council offers a comprehensive first aid class, and a schedule of upcoming classes is available here. ACNSC also offers an extensive course covering first aid, CPR and AED for those who want to learn even more ways to keep team members safe. The schedule of upcoming classes for first aid, CPR and AED is available here.

Join us (@ACNSC)  and @SportsSafety for a #sportssafety chat Wednesday, April 24th, on Twitter. Voice your concern by tagging your tweets with #sportssafety and ask @SportsSafety about any youth sports safety concerns you may have!

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