Safety – Page 20 – Risk Management 365

5 Facts about CPR and AEDs

Here are five facts about AEDs and CPR :

1. CPR will not restart a heart. Instead, it manually pumps blood through the heart and enables oxygen to reach the brain. This is absolutely vital for someone experiencing cardiac arrest. According to the America Heart Association, if CPR is administered immediately, it doubles or even triples the victim’s rate of survival.

2. CPR is hard work. Pushing hard on the victim’s chest (at a depth of about 2 inches) at a rate of 100 compressions per minute can quickly become exhausting. If another person is available to help give CPR, you should switch out every 2 minutes.

3. Both CPR and AEDs are safe. It’s unlikely you’ll hurt someone by performing CPR. And because CPR is so critical in the first minutes someone experiences cardiac arrest, you should administer this life-saving action even if you’re not absolutely sure whether the victim is breathing or has a heartbeat. Good Samaritan laws also should protect you even if an unlikely injury does occur.

4.An AED will administer a shock for two types of abnormal heart rhythms: ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. These are fatal arrhythmias. While they have a high likelihood of being corrected by an AED, they also may recur, which is why it’s important to leave an AED on (while continuing to administer CPR) until emergencies services arrive.

5. AEDs are so easy a third-grader can use one – literally. According to an expert, when third graders were presented with AEDs and asked to use them, they were able to do so correctly. An AED will talk you through each step and determine whether or not a shock is needed. It’s that easy.

via Life Saver: 5 Facts about CPR and AEDs | EHS Today | Health content from EHS Today.

Lean Thinking for Employee Health & Safety

Most people associate the term Lean with the Toyota Production System. This combined management and production system helped a small company grow to world-class size and market share. As they did so, most of the auto manufacturers and other industries studied their methods and tools to learn how to improve their own organizations. What does this method of lean thinking have to do with employee health & safety? Here are a few examples:

Integrates employee safety health and well-being into the business
Marries waste elimination (injury and illness) to making $$ in non traditional way
Simple and easy for supervision and employees to think and apply lean tools –Hands on experiential learning
Builds culture of critical thinking – It’s not “what” you do but “how” and “why”

You can trace the roots of Lean back many years but there are still many companies that have not fully implemented it. They are missing a huge opportunity to improve their business and even their long term survival.

Protect Yourself From Violent Crime

A list of tips for adults on staying safe

Don’t walk or jog early in the morning or late at night when the streets are deserted.
When out at night, try to have a friend walk with you.
Carry only the money you’ll need on a particular day.
Don’t display your cash or any other inviting targets such as pagers, cell phones, hand-held electronic games, or expensive jewelry and clothing.
If you think someone is following you, switch directions or cross the street. If the person continues to follow you, move quickly toward an open store or restaurant or a lighted house. Don’t be afraid to yell for help.
Try to park in well-lighted areas with good visibility and close to walkways, stores, and people.
Make sure you have your key out as you approach your door.
Always lock your car, even if it’s in your own driveway; never leave your motor running.
Do everything you can to keep a stranger from getting into your car or to keep a stranger from forcing you into his or her car.
If a dating partner has abused you, do not meet him or her alone. Do not let him or her in your home or car when you are alone.
If you are a battered spouse, call the police or sheriff immediately. Assault is a crime, whether committed by a stranger or your spouse or any other family member. If you believe that you and your children are in danger, call a crisis hotline or a health center (the police can also make a referral) and leave immediately.
If someone tries to rob you, give up your property—don’t give up your life.
If you are robbed or assaulted, report the crime to the police. Try to describe the attacker accurately. Your actions can help prevent someone else from becoming a victim.

via Protect Yourself From Violent Crime — National Crime Prevention Council.

Be Prepared for Sudden Cardiac Arrest at Work

Reasons for AEDs in the workplace

Workers may suffer sudden cardiac arrest while on the job.
Onsite AEDs save precious treatment time, and can improve survival odds because they can be used before emergency medical service (EMS) personnel arrive.
A heart rhythm in ventricular fibrillation may only be restored to normal by an electric shock.
The AED is compact, lightweight, portable, battery operated, safe, and easy to use.

via Saving Sudden Cardiac Arrest Victims in the Workplace.

OSHA Employer Responsibilities to Protect Employees

Employers have the responsibility to provide a safe workplace. Employers MUST provide their employees with a workplace that does not have serious hazards and follow all relevant OSHA safety and health standards. Employers must find and correct safety and health problems. OSHA further requires employers to try to eliminate or reduce hazards first by making changes in working conditions rather than just relying on masks, gloves, ear plugs or other types of personal protective equipment (PPE). Switching to safer chemicals, enclosing processes to trap harmful fumes, or using ventilation systems to clean the air are examples of effective ways to get rid of or minimize risks.

Employers MUST also:

Inform employees about hazards through training, labels, alarms, color-coded systems, chemical information sheets and other methods.
Keep accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses.
Perform tests in the workplace, such as air sampling required by some OSHA standards.
Provide hearing exams or other medical tests required by OSHA standards.
Post OSHA citations, injury and illness data, and the OSHA poster in the workplace where workers will see them.
Notify OSHA within 8 hours of a workplace incident in which there is a death or when three or more workers go to a hospital.
Not discriminate or retaliate against a worker for using their rights under the law.

via Workers.

Avoid Slips, Trips, and Falls at Work

Slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. They cause 15% of all accidental deaths, and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities. The OSHA standards for walking/working surfaces apply to all permanent places of employment, except where only domestic, mining, or agricultural work is performed.

Walking/working surfaces are addressed in specific standards for the general industry, shipyard employment, marine terminals, longshoring, and the construction industry.

via Safety and Health Topics | Walking/Working Surfaces.

Safety Tips for Working in Cold Weather

What preventive measures should I take when working in cold weather?

Plan for work in cold weather. Wearing appropriate clothing and being aware of how your body is reacting to the cold are important to preventing cold stress. Avoiding alcohol, certain medications and smoking can also help to minimize the risk.

Protective Clothing is the most important way to avoid cold stress. The type of fabric also makes a difference. Cotton loses its insulation value when it becomes wet. Wool, silk and most synthetics, on the other hand, retain their insulation even when wet. The following are recommendations for working in cold environments:

Wear at least three layers of clothing. An inner layer of wool, silk or synthetic to wick moisture away from the body. A middle layer of wool or synthetic to provide insulation even when wet. An outer wind and rain protection layer that allows some ventilation to prevent overheating.
Wear a hat or hood. Up to 40% of body heat can be lost when the head is left exposed.
Wear insulated boots or other footwear.
Keep a change of dry clothing available in case work clothes become wet.
With the exception of the wicking layer do not wear tight clothing. Loose clothing allows better ventilation of heat away from the body.
Do not underestimate the wetting effects of perspiration. Oftentimes wicking and venting of the body’s sweat and heat are more important than protecting from rain or snow.

via Emergency Preparedness and Response: Safety and Health Guides – Cold Stress.

Benefits of Health & Safety Programs at Work

Here is an overview of potential benefits of workplace health programs for employers and employees.

For Employers:

Lower health care and disability costs
Enhanced employee productivity
Reduced employee absenteeism
Decreased rates of illness and injuries
Enhanced corporate image
Improved employee morale
Improved employee recruitment and retention
Increased organizational commitment and creation of a culture of health

For Employees:

Increased well-being, self-image, and self-esteem
Improved coping skills with stress or other factors affecting health
Improved health status
Lower costs for acute health issues
Lower out of pocket costs for health care services (e.g., reduced premiums; deductibles; co-payments)
Increased access to health promotion resources and social support
Improved job satisfaction
Safer and more supportive work environment

via CDC – Workplace Health – Business Case – Benefits of Health Program.

Safety Tips: New Year’s Eve

If you are hosting a New Year’s Eve party, following a few simple rules could prevent a tragedy:

Plan ahead by naming a “designated driver.” Make this your responsibility as the host.
Contact a local cab company to provide rides for your guests.
Serve non-alcoholic beverages as an option to your guests.
Stop serving alcohol to your guests several hours before the party ends.
Provide your guests with a place to stay overnight in your home.

If you are attending New Year’s Eve parties and celebrations:

If you drink, don’t drive.
Plan ahead and always designate a sober driver before the party or celebration begins.
If you are impaired, call a taxi, use mass transit, or get a sober friend or family member to come pick you up.
Or, stay where you are until you are sober.
Take the keys from someone if you think he/she is too impaired to drive.

via USA.gov:Safety Tips: New Year’s Eve.

Keeping Kids Safe Online

There’s a wide range of dangers that can affect kids online:

Contact with undesirable people, including:

Being approached by pedophiles – for example, in Internet chat rooms
Being targeted by online bullies
Being tricked into disclosing personal information – about your child or about you

Inappropriate content, such as:

Sexually explicit content
Downloads of pirated materials – including music or video files

Computer security issues:

Drive-by downloads – whereby simply visiting a website can result in malicious programs being automatically installed on your child’s computer
Malware infections from peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing programs – can give other people access to your child’s computer
Unwanted advertising, pop-ups, and adware programs – that are often automatically installed when freeware or shareware programs are downloaded

via Keeping Kids Safe Online | Internet Security Information | Kaspersky Lab US.