June
is National Safety Month! This year is the 100th Anniversary of the
National Safety Council. NSM is an annual
observance to educate and influence behaviors around leading causes of
preventable injuries and deaths. This year’s theme is “Safety Starts With Me.”
Each week carries a separate theme as well!
- Week 1: Preventing slips, trips and falls.
- Week 2: Employee wellness and ergonomics.
- Week 3: Emergency preparedness.
- Week 4: Driving safety.
Seeing as we’ve got a whole blog
post about emergency preparedness from last fall, you should check that out
immediately, since that’s next week’s theme! Read on for more tips on the other
three weeks’ themes!
First up, we’ll tackle
preventing slips, trips and falls. If you have an elderly person or a very
young child in your home, then you know how difficult it can be to totally
prevent these things. But there are a few things we can do to ease the
occurrence of the incidents. First, have hold bars installed in your shower
and/or tub. We’ve all, no matter how good our core balance is, slipped on some
left over conditioner or missed the towel on the floor and lost our footing.
Secondly, make sure the areas surrounding stairs and landings have bright
lights overhead. Also keep those areas clear of debris such as clothes or toys
that can become tripping hazards with a misplaced step. Have a handrail on both
sides of the stairs. Use baby gates at the top AND bottom of the stairs if you
have a young child living in or visiting your home. If you need to climb up to
get something out of reach, use a ladder rather than a stool or a piece of
furniture. I could have used that tip when I split my chin open at three years
old!
When you have children or even
Fluffy and Scruffy, you need to be very careful with chemicals in the home.
Lock poisons, cleaners, medications and any other chemicals up where kids can’t
reach them. Keep all cleaners in their original containers and NEVER mix them
together. Follow medication bottles’ directions and keep them in child
resistant containers. Make sure you have carbon monoxide and smoke detectors.
If you suspect someone has been poisoned, please call the Poison Control Center
at 1-800-222-1222.
Make sure this phone number is clearly posted with all other emergency contact
numbers.
With
regards to fire safety, you should make sure that your smoke alarms work. Check
every six months at least. Have a designated meeting spot with all the members
of your family. It sounds corny, but have fire drills. Make sure you have a
working fire extinguisher. If you are cooking, stay by the stove. If you have a
grease fire, DO NOT pour water on it. This will only make it worse. Pour baking
soda on the fire, turn the heat off and cover the pot with a metal lid. Do not
move the pot or carry it outside. Call 911 if the fire breaks out of control.
Make sure for safety reasons that your matches and lighters are in a place
inaccessible to children. If you light candles, blow them out before you go to
sleep or leave the room. If you smoke, make sure you do it outside or use an
ash tray. Make sure it is entirely extinguished, especially before emptying the
ash tray.
If you have questions about employee
and work safety and wellness, this is an excellent resource.
It is highly encouraged that you bring up issues of health and safety in the
workplace. We can all use a little extra time to be healthy and happy, so why
not have that include work time?
Driving safety isn’t really in
our wheelhouse either, but there are excellent tips here as well. Remember to never drive if you are under the
influence of anything or if you are extremely drowsy. Take a ride offered by
someone else or if you are tired, pull off the road somewhere safe and take a
20 minute nap. You’d be surprised how much that can really make a difference.
Always wear a seatbelt and make sure those in your car are also wearing their
seatbelt. Make sure you are following laws regarding child safety seating
according to weight and age. Take advantage of safety demonstrations by local fire
departments that check if your car seats are properly installed. Do not use
your cell phone or any other electronic device. No text is worth losing your
life or someone else’s life for. Always be on the lookout for other drivers
around you, especially motorcyclists. With the nice weather, they are out more.
Finally, please be on the lookout for children, pedestrians, bicyclists,
skateboarders, etc. We have unfortunately experienced too much tragedy in
Western New York with these types of accidents. When you are driving, that
should be your primary concern.
Don’t forget to check out our website, Facebook, and Twitter for all the latest in news and events for NHS!
