National Safety Month Week 3 Emergency Preparedness
June 2013 National Safety Month Tips
Week 3 Jun 17-22
EMERGENCY PREPARDNESS
It is recommended that families have a plan in case of an emergency, and practice it at least twice a year. Plans should take the physical capabilities of family members in mind, including children and older adults. When planning for a potential emergency, the basics of survival are important.
The National Safety Council and Department of Homeland Security’s Ready campaign highlights preparedness steps, including having an emergency supply kit, making a family emergency plan, and becoming informed about different types of emergencies. After preparing themselves and their families, Americans can take the next step and get involved in helping to prepare their communities for all types of emergencies. Below are some simple tips to help you start building your own disaster kit.
PREPARING A DISASTER KIT
When preparing for a possible emergency situation, it’s best to think first about the basics of survival: fresh water, food, clean air and warmth.
Recommended Items to Include in a Basic Emergency Supply Kit: 
§ Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
§ Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
§ Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
§ Flashlight and extra batteries
§ Whistle to signal for help
§ Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
§ Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
§ Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
§ Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
§ Local maps
Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:
§ Prescription medications and glasses
§ Infant formula and diapers
§ Pet food and extra water for your pet
§ Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
§ Cash or traveler’s checks and change
§ Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov
§ Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
§ Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
§ Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
§ Fire Extinguisher
§ Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
§ Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
§ Paper and pencil
§ Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children
Click here for more information, including a printer-friendly list of supplies. In addition to getting a kit, be sure to Make a Plan, Be Informed and Get Involved!
Learn how to Shelter in Place
“Shelter-in-place” means to take immediate shelter where you are—at home, work, school, or in between. It may also mean “seal the room;” in other words, take steps to prevent outside air from coming in. This is because local authorities may instruct you to “shelter-in-place” if chemical or radiological contaminants are released into the environment. It is important to listen to TV or radio to understand whether the authorities wish you to merely remain indoors or to take additional steps to protect yourself and your family.
How do I prepare?
At home
· 
Choose a room in advance for your shelter. The best room is one with as few windows and doors as possible. A large room, preferably with a water supply, is desirable—something like a master bedroom that is connected to a bathroom.
· Contact your workplaces, your children’s schools, nursing homes where you may have family and your local town or city officials to find out what their plans are for “shelter-in-place.”
· Find out when warning systems will be tested. When tested in your area, determine whether you can hear or see sirens and/or warning lights from your home.
· Develop your own family emergency plan so that every family member knows what to do. Practice it regularly.
· Assemble a disaster supplies kit that includes emergency water and food supplies.
At work
· Help ensure that the emergency plan and checklist involves all employees. Volunteers or recruits should be assigned specific duties during an emergency. Alternates should be assigned to each duty.
· The shelter kit should be checked on a regular basis. Duct tape and first aid supplies can sometimes disappear when all employees know where the shelter kit is stored. Batteries for the radio and flashlight should be replaced regularly.
In general
· Learn CPR, first aid and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). (Contact Me for next class or for more information.)
How will I know when I need to “shelter-in-place”?
Fire or police department warning procedures could include:
· “All-Call” telephoning – an automated system for sending recorded messages, sometimes called “reverse 9-1-1″.
· Emergency Alert System (EAS) broadcasts on the radio or television.
· Outdoor warning sirens or horns.
· News media sources – radio, television and cable.
· NOAA Weather Radio alerts.
· Residential route alerting – messages announced to neighborhoods from vehicles equipped with public address systems.
Facilities that handle potentially dangerous materials, like nuclear power plants, are required to install sirens and other warning systems (flash warning lights) to cover a 10-mile area around the plant.
For more information, contact any of the following:
For checklists to help prepare to shelter-in-place in your home, at work, in your car, or at school or day-care, read How Do I Shelter-in-Place?
· Your local American Red Cross chapter
· Your state and local health departments
· Your local emergency management agency
· CDC Public Response Hotline
English 1-888-246-2675
Spanish 1-888-246-2857
TTY 1-866-874-2646)
Additional Considerations for Businesses
Encourage all of your employees to have a Portable Kit customized to meet personal needs, such as essential medications. In addition:
§ Keep copies of important records such as site maps, building plans, insurance policies, employee contact and identification information, bank account records, supplier and shipping contact lists, computer backup files, emergency or law enforcement contact information and other priority documents in a waterproof, fireproof portable container. Store a second set of records at an off-site location.
§ Talk to your co-workers about what emergency supplies the company can feasibly provide, if any, and which ones individuals should consider keeping on hand.
Information provided by Dept of Homeland Security, FEMA, CDC, ARC, Citizens Corp. Gov , National Safety Council and Curry County LEPC.
Safety First, Safety Always!
For more information, citizens may visit www.ready.gov and www.citizencorps.gov
Today’s post comes to us courtesy of Ken Oswald, Safety and Security Manager for Plateau
keno@plateautel.com
If your backup is your primary than you don’t have a backup
My wife and I had this discussion last night because she’s slowly gotten into the habit of leaving her curling iron on, trusting in the backup safety feature that turns it off after a certain amount of time, rather than unplugging it. I told her that she shouldn’t make the backup safety feature her primary way of making sure that the iron wasn’t left on all day. If the backup safety feature should fail the iron would end up on all day and might potentially start a fire.
I did get her permission to talk about this from her and, to her credit, she agreed and said she’d try to make sure she unplugged the iron from now on (time will tell if she actually does because habits are really hard to break).
It did get me thinking about this truth however, especially as it applies to safety in the workplace. If you make you backup your primary you don’t have a backup and you defeat the purpose of the backup, putting yourself at risk.
This can apply to almost any area of safety. Let’s take the example of confined space. Confined Space entry requires that anyone going into the confined space have a primary and a secondary means of entry. In most instances, the ladder that is mounted on the inside of the well is the primary and the line that is attached to the D-ring on your body harness is the secondary. If something happens and you slip off the ladder or aren’t able to physically climb the ladder, someone else outside the well can hoist you out. If, however, you use the hoist that is intended as your backup as you primary means of entry and/or egress, you’ve now made your backup your primary and you have no backup. if something goes wrong (say the line breaks or fails somehow) the worker plummets to the ground; trust me, he isn’t going to be able to suddenly grab onto the ladder.
Another example, in everyday life, is the seat belt and the airbag. You don’t ignore the seat belt just because your car is equipped with airbags, nor to you deactivate the airbags because you’ve got seat belts. Both are necessary.
There are many more examples of safety areas that have redundancy built into them in order to make sure that a worker isn’t just protected, but protected even if something goes wrong. Redundancy is important, especially in areas where lives are at risk. They might be inconvenient at times but they are designed the way they are for maximum protection. Don’t eliminate your primary in favor of the backup or you no longer have a backup.
Powerpoints for Safety Training
Slideshare.net is a file sharing website for powerpoint presentations. I have, over the years, uploaded several powerpoints to this website and they are available to you free of charge.
Simply download them and use them as you need.
After seeing a report that almost 100,000 people had viewed these presentations and over 1,000 had downloaded them, I realized that I had probably never mentioned them here on this blog so, to make up for that, here the links for you to have a look and download if you feel that they might be of use to you.
Understanding the dangers of “Dry” and “Delayed” Drowning
Most of us understand the dangers of drowning. We make sure that our children are watched when they are swimming, make sure they learn to swim, protect infants from accidentally falling into pools and buckets of water, etc… What many of us don’t know is that there are two other forms of drowning that you need to protect against, namely “Delayed drowning” and “Dry drowning”.
The tragic death of a 10-year old boy in Goose Creek, South Carolina brought this into focus back in 2008. Unfortunately, the boys’ death was mistakenly called “dry drowning” instead of what it actually was, “delayed drowning”.
What is “delayed drowning”?
Delayed drowning occurs when water gets into the lungs. Even though the victim may appear fine for a while, the water in the lungs impedes lung function and essentially “drowns” the victim, usually within a couple of hours.
What is “dry drowning”?
Dry drowning, in contrast, occurs without the presence of water in the lungs. It is somewhat unclear how dry drowning occurs but it occurs in water, not hours later, as in the case of “delayed drowning”. It is believed that dry drowning can occur in one of two ways:
1. The shock of the cold water may cause the heart to stop. In this instance, the victim never inhales water into the lungs; he or she stops breathing because death has occurred so no water enters the lungs.
2. A sudden rush of water into the throat causes the air ways to shut to keep the water out of the lungs. Because the air way is shut, however, air can’t get in either and the victim asphyxiates.
However dry drowning occurs, it occurs in much the same situation as regular drowning so that many cases of dry drowning look like regular drowning.
Delayed drowning, however, is very different and not nearly as common. Another instance of delayed drowning in 2012 has media calling it “extremely rare”. Death, in these cases can happen anytime after inhaling the water for up to 48 hours. It is therefore extremely important to know what to look for and pay close attention to signs that may point to a problem.
Symptoms of potential delayed drowning:
1. Sudden weariness or tiredness.
2. disorientation or confusion
3. Unusual behavior
4. Coughing and/or difficulty breathing
5. Heaviness in the chest
The first 3 of these symptoms come from oxygen deprivation. Because the brain isn’t being supplied with the necessary oxygen, it gets tired, drowsy, confused, erratic or disorientated. The fourth and fifth symptoms are just a physical reaction to having water in the lungs.
The purpose of this post isn’t to have parents panic every time that a child coughs when he or she is in the pool. It’s pretty hard to spend a day at the beach or the pool without at least one episode of coughing. The important thing to remember is that the coughing is the child’s protective system doing what it is supposed to do; the lungs are expelling anything that isn’t supposed to be there and it works well.
If, however, the coughing is more severe and won’t stop or if there was a near drowning episode, it is advisable to take your child (or the adult) to the hospital to have him or her checked out properly. Make sure the attending physician understands the concern you may have concerning delayed drowning and have the person in question properly checked out. If there is water in the lungs they will be able to take care of the problem.
Best Award
Over the years we’ve won various awards recognizing different achievements but there is no better award than the recognition that we receive from our customers. This was brought to us by one of our customers today. He told us that we were a pleasure to do business with and that we’ve always been there to help him out when he needed us. He handed us this:
Thanks Mr. Lewis, it’s customers like you who make it all worthwhile!
Photo of 1936 Supplied Air Respirator
Oct. 15, 1936. Washington, D.C. “Protection against that dreaded disease Silicosis is assured underground workers with this new sand-blasting helmet developed by William P. Biggs, Safety Engineer of the Navy Department. Weighing only 43 ounces, the helmet has been tested for nearly a year in various naval stations throughout the country.” Harris & Ewing glass negative.
(taken from http://www.shorpy.com/node/15321)
National Safety Week 2- Employee Wellness
June 2013 National Safety Month Tips
Week 2: June 9-15
Employee Wellness: Tips for Healthy Living
With busy schedules and lifestyles, keeping the mind, body and soul healthy can be a major challenge. Moen, which manufactures kitchen faucets, bathroom faucets, showerheads and stainless steel sinks for residential and commercial applications and offers employees a comprehensive health and wellness program, offers these tips to help you and your employees live a happy, healthy, safe and balanced life:
1. Get Physical – Exercise not only helps you build muscle, lose weight and gain self-confidence, but it’s vital in maintaining a healthy heart. And, don’t think you need to spend hours at the gym to achieve a new physical you. From strength training and cardio workouts, to walking the dog or taking the stairs – anything that gets your heart pumping will benefit your health.
2. Stress is a Mess – Over time, stress can lead to serious health issues such as obesity, depression and even death. Wellness experts at Moen suggest that when you start seeing red, instead think blue – as in blueberries. Antioxidants found in the tasty fruit fight stress hormones. Also, don’t forget to breathe. Inhaling a deep breath for 5 seconds then exhaling for another 5 seconds can help clear your mind and enhance blood circulation.
3. LOL, Laugh Out Loud – Build your immune system through laughter! Health-increasing hormones like endorphins are released into your body when you laugh. Additionally, laughter works your abdominal muscles.
4. Eat Healthy – We know we should eat healthy, and with new online tools it’s a no-brainer. The new MyPyramid program (http://www.MyPyramid.gov), developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, allows you to choose the ideal proportions or foods and food groups to eat according to your body size and structure
5. Get Plenty of Zzzzzz’s – Between work, family and extra activities, it’s sometimes difficult to get the necessary 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night. Be sure to avoid caffeine or exercise right before bed. Instead, try reading a book or mediating.
6. What’s Up, Doc? – Going to the doctor only when you’re sick isn’t going to cut it. For both your physical and mental well-being, it’s wise to have a routine annual physical examination. Especially if your family has a history of health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure, getting regular check-ups can help prevent or detect serious health issues.
7. Yoga-tta Do It – Yoga, an ancient practice of stretching and breathing techniques, has become a popular exercise for both men and women. In addition to releasing positive energy, yoga prevents injuries, promotes flexibility and can add relief to a stressful day. In fact, according to the book, Real Men Do Yoga, PGA golfer David Duval practices yoga every day. So, if it’s good enough for professionals, it may be an excellent addition to your weekly stress-relief routine.
8. The Right to Recreation – You schedule meetings and appointments each week, so why not schedule time for recreation? Be sure to set time each week for activities you enjoy. Whether it’s dinner with family and friends, or taking the phone off the hook and curling up with a good book, be sure to block out time on your calendar with activities that you enjoy and will rejuvenate you.
Safety First, Safety Always!
Information from National Safety Council, Environmental Health and Safety Today and ASSE
