Close Calls - A Forgotten Message

How easy we find it to push aside or to forget a close call incident. This is because of our ability to rationalize that nothing serious happened. But if we took the time and closely investigated each close call, we would find a message telling us there's much more to it.

For example, a young mother notices her toddler carrying a small object. When she stops the child to see what the object is, she finds it to be a bottle of prescription medicine. She quickly takes the bottle away and corrects the child on the potential dangers. She says to herself, "That sure was a close one," and then goes on with her day.

The mother failed to see the message. The problem wasn't only the wrong-doing by the child and the potential harm that could have occurred. The fact that the child was able to obtain the bottle in the first place which means the storage area may be in a location easily reached by the child must be considered.

Here's another example: An employee is working on a piece of moving equipment when he spots a flying object coming his way. He quickly moves out of its path. When the object comes to rest on the floor nearby, he notices it to be a piece of a drive belt from the main drive motor.

He checks the drive area and sees that one of the belts has become damaged and calls maintenance to replace it. They quickly do so and once again things are running.

The incident is quickly forgotten and, again, the message not received. If the employee took the time to investigate further, he would have questioned why the belt became damaged and why the belt wasn't guarded to prevent such an occurrence. Because there was no injury, it was quickly forgotten.

The point here is that all close calls are sending messages of potential danger and injury. All close calls need to be thoroughly investigated to understand what happened, why it happened and what needs to be done to prevent reoccurrence.

We should never just push aside a close call, no matter how minor. We should never just say, "Wow, that was close", and then quickly forget it. We're too valuable and too important to take things so lightly when it comes to our health and well-being.

Close calls serve as warnings that something is wrong. They should always be reported and taken seriously.

Good Housekeeping Keeps U Safe

What does good housekeeping have to do with safety? it wouldn't be a stretch to say everything! From cuts and scrapes to slips, trips, and falls, poor housekeeping is one of the major causes of people injuries. When good housekeeping practices are in place, workplace (also home) hazards can be reduced. Good housekeeping can also do more than just reduce hazards, it can save time and increase productivity.

Maintain your daily housekeeping tasks by following these tips:

-Wipe up spills immediately

-Stack materials neatly. Place heave or bulky items on the bottom

-Keep cabinet doors and drawers closed when not in use

-Return equipment and tools to their proper place after use

-Properly dispose of waste and scrap materials

-Keep floors free from clutter

-Keep stairs, aisles, and walkways clear

-Ensure that exits are clearly marked and free from obstructions

-Ensure that tools, especially those with sharp edges or pointed tips, are stored properly when not in use

-Keep sprinkler heads and fire extinguishers free of obstruction

-Place warning signs, such as Caution--Wet Floor, whenever necessary.

-Make sure that power cords and cables are not scattered across the floor where they can become tripping hazards.

-Store flammable materials in their proper containers

Now stop and take a look around you; does your area meet the standards above..?

Keep smiling.........

Tire Safety

Studies of tire safety show that maintaining proper tire pressure, observing tire and vehicle load limits,and inspecting tires for cuts, slashes, and other irregularities are the most important things you can do to avoid tire failure, such as tread separation or blowout and flat tires.

These actions, along with other care and maintenance activities, can also:

- Improve vehicle handling

- Help protect you and others from avoidable breakdowns and accidents

- Improve fuel economy - Increase the life of your tires.

What Information’s you mustknow about your Car Tires

Temperature Resistance

These letters indicates a tire's resistance to heat.
From highest to lowest, a tire's resistance to heat is graded as "A", "B", or "C".

Symbol Area
A Hot Area
B Normal Weather Area
C Cold Area

Treadwear Number

This number indicates the tire's wear rate. The higher the treadwear number is, the longer it should take for the tread to wear down. For example, a tire graded 400 should last twice as long as a tire graded 200.

Traction

This letter indicates a tire's ability to stop on wet pavement. A higher graded tire should allow you to stop your car on wet roads in a shorter distance than a tire with a lower grade. Traction is graded from highest to lowest as "AA","A", "B", and "C".

The chemical components of cigarette smoke

Nicotine:

Nicotine is a powerful insecticide and poisonous for the nervous systems. Furthermore, there is enough (50 mg) in four cigarettes to kill a man in just a few minutes if it were injected directly into the bloodstream. Indeed, fatalities have occurred with children after they had swallowed cigarettes or cigarette butts. When diluted in smoke, nicotine reaches the brain in just seven seconds, it stimulates the brain cells and then blocks the nervous impulse. This is where addiction to tobacco arises. Nicotine also causes accelerated heart rate, but at the same time it leads to contracting and hardening of the arteries: the heart pumps more but receives less blood. The result is twice as many coronary attacks. Nicotine thus also increases the consumption of lipids (which is why it has a weight-loss effect) and induces temporary hyperglycaemia (hence the appetite suppressing effect).

Carbon monoxide (CO):

This is the asphyxiating gas produced by cars, which makes up 1.5% of exhaust fumes. But smokers inhaling cigarette smoke breathe in 3.2% carbon monoxide - and directly from the source.Oxygen is mostly transported in blood by haemoglobin. When we smoke, however, the carbon monoxide attaches itself to the haemoglobin 203 times more quickly than oxygen does, thereby displacing the oxygen; this in turn asphyxiates the organism. This causes the following cardiovascular complaints: narrowing of the arteries, blood clots, arteritis, gangrene, heart attack, etc. . . . but also a loss of reflexes and visual and mental problems. It takes between six and 24 hours for the carbon monoxide to leave the blood system.

Irritants :

These substances paralyse and then destroy the cilia of the bronchial tubes, responsible for filtering and cleaning the lungs. They slow down respiratory output and irritate the mucus membranes, causing coughs, infections and chronic bronchitis.

Tars:

As the cilia are blocked (see paragraph above), the tars in the cigarette smoke are deposited and collect on the walls of the respiratory tract and the lungs, and cause them to turn black. So, just because a smoker is not coughing, it doesn't mean that he or she is healthy! And this fact merely serves to pour water on one of the most common and poorest excuses given by smokers. The carcinogenic action of the tars is well known: they are responsible for 95% of lung cancers. It takes two days at least after cessation of smoking for the cilia to start functioning properly again, albeit only gradually. By smoking one packet of cigarettes every day, a smoker is pouring a cupful of these tars into his or her lungs every year (225 grams on average)!

Chemistry of Tobacco Smoke:

No less than 4000 irritating, suffocating, dissolving, inflammable, toxic, poisonous, carcinogenic gases and substances and even radioactive compounds (nickel, polonium, plutonium, etc.) have been identified in tobacco smoke. Some of these are listed hereafter: Benzopyrene, dibenzopyrene, benzene, isoprene, toluene (hydorcarbons); naphthylamines; nickel, polonium, plutonium, arsenic, cadmium (metallic constituents); carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen sulphide (gases); methyl alcohol, éthanol, glycerol or glycerine, glycol (alcohols and esters); acetaldehyde, acrolein, acetone (aldehydes and ketones); cyanhydric or prussic acid, carboxyl derivatives (acids); chrysene, pyrrolidine, nicoteine, nicotinine, nicoteline, nornicotine, nitrosamines (alkaloids or bases)cresol (phenols) etc.

Driving in Fog

Once more, the foggy weather is here. This information will help you avoid fog-related traffic accidents.

Fog produces a hazardous combination of wet, slippery pavement and reduced visibility. The following tips can help reduce the risk of an accident if you must drive in foggy conditions:

#-Reduce your driving speed, so that you can stop safely within the distance that you can see.

#-Use your vehicle’s low-beam lights —fog lights— to see and be seen.

#-Use the windshield wipers and defroster to keep the windshield clear.

#-Increase your following distance. Avoid passing other vehicles.

#-Don’t make unnecessary lane changes.

#-Avoid sudden stops and turns. Signal your intentions well in advance.

#-Turn off the radio and roll down your window—at least part way—so that you can hear the noise of traffic that you may not be able to see.

#-Pull off the road as far as possible and stop if visibility is too poor to continue safely. Turn on your flashing hazard lights to warn passing vehicles of your presence.

Heat Injuries are totally preventable

When a heat injury occurs, it is an indication of failure in one or more components of the prevention system. This makes prevention at management/supervisor level even more important.

A good understanding of how to prevent heat injuries will go a long way towards the reduction of the incidence of heat injuries.


The three types of heat injuries:

1-Heat cramps (Heat Syncope) - are the result of excessive salt and water losses due to profuse sweating in individuals whose bodies are attempting to rapidly lose heat. It presents as intermittent muscle cramps, which usually occur on the legs (calves and thighs).

2-Heat exhaustion (Heat Syncope) - is a more severe form of heat injury. It implies a significant loss of water from the body. The signs and symptoms are weakness, exhaustion, headaches, dizziness and profuse sweating with an elevated body temperature.

3-Heat stroke - is the most serious form of heat injuries. It manifests with a body core temperature of 105.8°F and above. Individuals may present with confusion, aggressive behavior and may progress into a comatosed state. It is a medical emergency!

HEAT GAIN AND HEAT LOSS

HEAT GAIN by the body is due to:

#-Heat generated within the body by muscle activity and other body functions
#-Direct radiation from the sun’s rays
#-Heat transfer from the air
#-High humidity which hinders the cooling of the body through the evaporation of sweat

HEAT LOSS is achieved by:

#-Evaporation of sweat
#-Radiation of heat outwards from the body surface
#-Transfer of heat from the skin to the surrounding air (convection)
#-Breathing
#-Urination

BODY HEAT REGULATION: "STAYING SAFE"

#-In order for the body to lose heat adequately, regular rest in a cool or shady environment is also required. This allows the heat loss process to keep up with and "overtake" the heat gain process. Concurrent hydration is critical.

#-High air temperature, high relative humidity and exposure to the sun make it difficult for individuals to regulate their body temperature.

#-Excessive clothing will prevent heat from being lost to the environment.
When the environmental conditions (direct sunlight or high humidity) and/ or clothing prevent the heat generated within the body from being dissipated, the body temperature will rise significantly. If this cycle is not stopped, heat injuries will occur

Safety glasses