Month: July 2012

Hidden Danger: Furniture Tip-Overs

Top safety tips to help prevent tip-over hazards

  • If a piece of furniture is unstable or top-heavy, secure it to a stud in the wall using brackets, braces, anchors or wall straps. Large items such as TVs, microwaves, fish tanks, bookcases, heavy furniture and appliances can topple off stands and fall on children.
  • If you have a newer, flat screen TV, make sure it’s properly anchored to the wall.
  • Read the manufacturer’s instructions for tips or warnings regarding placement of your TV or furniture.
  • Keep heavier items on lower shelves or in lower drawers.
  • Don’t keep remote controls, candy, toys or other items that attract children on top of furniture, as your child might be enticed to reach for these items.
  • Supervise young children at all times.

via Hidden Danger: Furniture Tip-Overs.

Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction

A national campaign to prevent construction-worker falls was launched recently. The campaign encourages everyone in the construction industry to work safely and use the right equipment to reduce falls.  Special emphasis and activity will focus on residential construction contractors and workers.

FACT – FALLS KILL!

Falls are the number one cause of construction-worker fatalities, accounting for one-third of on-the-job injury deaths in the industry.

To turn this problem around, we need to promote the use of fall prevention practices by contractors and construction workers.

via CDC – Directory of NIOSH Construction Resources – Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction.

Plan for Natural Disasters

Your home or work routines can be disrupted with little or no warning by natural disasters, fires or other catastrophic events. Its important that you and your family are prepared as help may not always be available. During large community wide emergencies, first responders – police, fire and emergency medical services may be overwhelmed with numerous calls for help or even physically unable to reach your location due to blocked roads.  Make a plan and share this information with your loved ones to prevent needless confusion and worry.

  • Determine the safest course of action for you and your family for each hazard. In some situations, it may be better to stay where you are, also called sheltering in place. This would be necessary during a tornado or hazardous chemical release, for example. Sometimes, leaving an area to escape danger or evacuation is the safer course of action in situations such as a fire or hurricane.
  • Stay informed. Know how your community alerts citizens in an emergency. It may be an emergency broadcast on the radio or TV. You might hear a special siren, or get a telephone call, or emergency workers may go door-to-door. If available, sign up for your communitys emergency text or email alert system.
  • Plan for your family’s comfort during disasters. Severe weather, earthquakes, flooding and other emergencies may cause utility outages.
  • Prepare a kit that can meet your household’s basic needs food, water, etc. for 72 hours. Dont forget a kit for your car.
  • Practice with your family what to do in an emergency. Conduct regular drills for the most common hazards such as a fire, tornado or earthquake.
  • Know how to keep in touch. Local telephone service may be interrupted. Sometimes, it is easier to send a text message or contact a family member in another state. Each family member should know how to make contact to advise that they are safe.

via Plan for natural disasters.

Heat Stress – What Employers Can Do

Employers should take the following steps to protect workers from heat stress:

  • Schedule maintenance and repair jobs in hot areas for cooler months.Schedule hot jobs for the cooler part of the day.
  • Acclimatize workers by exposing them for progressively longer periods to hot work environments.
  • Reduce the physical demands of workers.
  • Use relief workers or assign extra workers for physically demanding jobs.
  • Provide cool water or liquids to workers.
  • Avoid alcohol, and drinks with large amounts of caffeine or sugar.
  • Provide rest periods with water breaks.
  • Provide cool areas for use during break periods.Monitor workers who are at risk of heat stress.
  • Provide heat stress training that includes information about: Worker Risk Prevention Symptoms, the importance of monitoring yourself and coworkers for symptoms, treatment and personal protective equipment.

via CDC – Heat Stress – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic.

Too Much Sodium Is Bad For Your Health

Most Americans Should Consume Less Sodium (1,500 mg/day or less). Most of the sodium we consume is in the form of salt, and the vast majority of sodium we consume is in processed and restaurant foods. Too much sodium is bad for your health. It can increase your blood pressure and your risk for a heart attack and stroke. Heart disease and stroke are the first and third killers of men and women in the United States each year.

via CDC – DHDSP – High Blood Pressure and Sodium.

Machine Safety is Critical

Machine safety is critical for worker safety, because machines have many ways to injure workers: Many machines have moving parts, sharp edges, and hot surfaces with the potential to cause severe workplace injuries such as crushed fingers or hands, amputations, burns, or blindness. Safeguards are essential for protecting workers from these preventable injuries. Any machine part, function, or process that might cause injury must be safeguarded. When the operation of a machine may result in a contact injury to the operator or others in the vicinity, the hazards must be eliminated or controlled

via CDC – Machine Safety – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic.