Texting and Driving Prevention.

textingFact # 1 – Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field.

Fact # 2 – Reaching for a phone, dialing, texting and other uses of portable devices increased the risk of getting into a crash by three times.

Fact # 3 – 11% of all drivers under 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted.

via Texting and Driving Prevention..

Get Moving to Manage Stress

555060_514110432007803_754294083_nYou know that exercise does your body good, but you’re too busy and stressed to fit it into your routine. Hold on a second — there’s good news when it comes to exercise and stress.

Virtually any form of exercise, from aerobics to yoga, can act as a stress reliever. If you’re not an athlete or even if you’re downright out of shape, you can still make a little exercise go a long way toward stress management.

via Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress – Mayo Clinic.

Health Care Workers

nurseeyes2Healthcare is the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. economy, employing over 18 million workers. Women represent nearly 80% of the healthcare work force. Health care workers face a wide range of hazards on the job, including needlestick injuries, back injuries, latex allergy, violence, and stress. Although it is possible to prevent or reduce healthcare worker exposure to these hazards, healthcare workers continue to experience injuries and illnesses in the workplace. Cases of nonfatal occupational injury and illness among to healthcare workers are among the highest of any industry sector.

via CDC – Health Care Workers – NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic.

Healthy Eating

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Healthy eating starts with learning new ways to eat, such as adding more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and cutting back on foods that have a lot of fat, salt, and sugar.

A change to healthier eating also includes learning about balance, variety, and moderation.

  • Aim for balance. Most days, eat from each food group—grains, protein foods, vegetables and fruits, and dairy. Listen to your body. Eat when you’re hungry. Stop when you feel satisfied.
  • Look for variety. Be adventurous. Choose different foods in each food group. For example, don’t reach for an apple every time you choose a fruit. Eating a variety of foods each day will help you get all the nutrients you need.
  • Practice moderation. Don’t have too much or too little of one thing. All foods, if eaten in moderation, can be part of healthy eating. Even sweets can be okay.

via Healthy Eating-Overview.

Shaping Behavior at Work.

thumbs upFor managers and supervisors shaping behavior can is a critical skill to get the most out of their workforce. Shaping is a simple concept but very difficult to master. You can’t get from step 1 to step 10 in one easy move. You sometimes have to write out steps 2 through 9 and then carry them out, one by one.

Employees today crave encouragement and positive feedback, but few feel they are receiving it. Research shows that half of all employees feel that their immediate supervisor does a poor job of providing them with recognition for their good work. For example, giving employees praise for doing a good job is a form of shaping behavior. Asking for feedback from employees and not taking the time to follow up on it will also shape behavior but in a negative way.

Shaping is not for the impatient, and a realization that patience is the key can take some people time. 

 

 

How Can I Be Sure Toys are Safe?

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  • Choose carefully when shopping for toys. Look for toys that are well made and appropriate for your child’s age.
  • Watch out for toys that have sharp edges, small parts or sharp points.
  • Young children pull, prod and twist toys. Look for toys with tightly secured parts.
  • Look for safety information on the toy or label such as “Not recommended for children under 3 years of age,” or “non-toxic” on toys likely to end up in little mouths. Look for “washable/hygienic materials” on stuffed toys and dolls.
  • Avoid marbles, balls, games with balls and other toys that have parts smaller than 1 3/4 inches in diameter or smaller than 2 inches long. These products can choke young children if swallowed.
  • Keep toys meant for older children away from babies and toddlers.

via Child Safety: Keeping Your Home Safe for Your Baby — FamilyDoctor.org.

Why HR Really Does Add Value

HR-ImageIn order to add significant value to a business, HR must be able to support and enable the execution of strategy through building organizational capability. This is a role that cannot be automated, shared as a service, offshored or outsourced. It comes from an intimate knowledge of a business’s strategy and the existing capabilities of the organization. The great advantage that HR has in this area is that, ultimately, all strategy is executed by people – people who need to be supported, trained and equipped to fulfill the strategic vision. This is the real role of HR, and even though some people remain skeptical of its bottom-line importance, in fact its relevance cannot be underestimated.

via Why HR Really Does Add Value.

Prevent Falls In and Outside of Your Home

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Falls are the second leading type of unintentional home-related injury deaths. Falls occur most commonly in:

  • Doorways
  • Ramps
  • Ladders
  • Stairs
  • Crowded areas
  • Areas with uneven surfaces

​Among older adults, falls can result in serious injury and an increased risk of fatality.

Fall Proofing Your Home  – You can prevent falls by “fall-proofing your home.” Take simple steps such as storing objects within easy reach and keeping electrical cords out of the way. If possible, add handrails to stairs to keep your family safe and use non-skid bath mats to prevent falls in the bathroom. Teach children to pick up their toys when done playing and keep your own home clean by wiping up spills immediately. These are just a few of the ways you can keep the ones you love from slipping and tripping.

Older Adult Falls – Adults 55 and older are more prone to becoming victims of falls. You can prevent older adult falls by improving balance through exercise and visiting the doctor annually. Other precautions include wearing fitted shoes, knowing the side effects of medications and storing those meds in a well-lit area.

via Safety at home: Falls.

The Human Cost of Motor Vehicle Accidents

gpsfs_driver-safety_wrecked-truckDrivers take a lot of risks on our roads today – with people speeding, driving impaired, massive traffic congestion and the prevalent use of mobile phones all has led to a high probability of accidents.

Employees injured in a motor vehicle accident can have a negative boomerang effect to a company by incurring costs such as lost production, workers compensation, replacement costs such as new staff and equipment, insurance premiums/increases and a potential burden of civil lawsuits. But the huge financial burden and human cost of road crashes goes far beyond your workplace. In 2013 the National Safety Council documented the estimated cost of motor vehicle deaths was $267.5 billion.

via Welcome to the Fleet Safety Institute.

Helpful Tips for Healthy Holiday Parties

d73a50e0cdf06e56ec3753cb1176f1d5If you are hosting a gathering this holiday season you can reduce fat and calories without sacrificing taste by swapping out a few ingredients in your favorite recipes.

  • Using two egg whites in place of one egg can reduce the cholesterol and produce the same tasty result.
  • Use low-sodium, fat-free chicken broth in your mashed potatoes to add flavor and cut back on added butter or margarine.
  • Substitute applesauce for oil, margarine or butter in muffins and quick breads like banana bread. Try substituting a small amount at first, as the more you substitute the more the texture of the finished product changes.
  • For dips, sauces and pie toppings, use fat-free yogurt, sour cream and whipped topping.
  • Sliced almonds make a delicious, crunchy topping in place of fried onion rings.
  • Choose reduced-fat or low-fat cheeses for salads and casseroles.

via Helpful Tips for Healthy Holiday Parties.