Monthly Archives: October 2012

General Safety Issues

Avoid the Risk – Wear Your Seatbelt! (Guest Post)

Don Elfrink is the owner and operator of AutoMatStore, an auto flooring company based out Columbia, Missouri. Before AutoMatStore, Elfrink was the operator of an automotive production site. AutoMatStore focuses on logo, carpeted, molded and all weather floor mats. 

Staying safe while on the road requires more than just ensuring that your car is in good shape and being an observant driver. It also requires that you pay attention to safety laws – one of the most important of which is to wear your seatbelt. Seatbelt use is mandatory in almost all 50 states in most situations (there are some instances where you’re not required to wear them). However, even if you don’t have to wear one, it’s still a good idea to buckle up. Why should you go through the discomfort and hassle of wearing one? Here are some pretty convincing reasons.

Don’t Become a Statistic

Wearing a seatbelt is vital to saving your life. While there are documented cases where not wearing a seatbelt has saved someone from death, those few instances are the exception, not the rule. 40,000 people every year are killed in the US because they were not wearing seatbelts. Don’t become a statistic. Buckle up.

What Happens to You

When you have an auto accident, your car impacts another vehicle (or more than one depending on the situation). Most people assume that’s pretty much the extent of things, but it’s far from the whole story. During an accident, there are two impacts – the first is your car impacting the other vehicle. The second is your body impacting the dashboard, the door or the seat in front of you. To put it in perspective, hitting an immovable object at just 30 miles per hour is the equivalent of falling three stories straight down. Wear a seatbelt and avoid that second impact.

The Faster the Speed, the Greater the Impact

As mentioned, your body reacts to an accident impact at 30 miles per hour in the same way it would if you fell three stories. Now imagine if that impact happened at 45, 50 or 60 miles per hour. Chances of survival (we’re talking whether you live or die, not injuries) are very slim at higher speeds if you are not wearing a seat belt.

Your Reasons Don’t Make Sense

Most people understand the importance of wearing a seatbelt, but they rationalize the act away with reasons that are silly at best and downright wrongheaded at worst. What are the most common reasons not to wear a seatbelt?

It’s Uncomfortable – Chances are good that you’re not wearing the seatbelt correctly if it’s not comfortable. In addition, once you have become used to wearing one, you hardly notice it at all. Most seat belts are also adjustable in different ways, allowing you to get as comfortable as if you weren’t wearing one.

My Clothes Will Wrinkle – If you’re more concerned with the state of your attire than whether you live or die, you might need to rethink your priorities. Having a few wrinkles is a pretty low price to pay in exchange for the chance to walk away from a devastating auto accident.

It’s Just a Short Trip – If you think you’re safe because you’re only driving a couple of miles, think again. Most accidents happen within just a few miles of the house (80% of fatalities occur within 25 miles of the home). Buckle up no matter how far you’re driving.

There is no better way to protect yourself during an accident than just clicking that buckle in place. Your air bag won’t help you (they’re designed to supplement your seatbelt, after all), and no matter how skilled you are at driving, there is always the chance for an accident. Keep yourself and your family safe and always wear your seatbelt.

General Safety Issues

HOME SECURITY – THREE TIPS FOR A PEACE OF MIND HOUSEHOLD (Guest Post)

Home Security: 3 Tips for a Peace of Mind Household

By Samuel Ott of  www.nightwatch.net

There’s nothing more satisfying than coming home after a long, hard day’s work and plopping down on a nice comfy sofa. Maybe crack open a nice cold beverage or turn on the tube, or whatever is that takes the edge off from your day. Forgetting about your worries is your goal for spending quality time with your family.  However, sometimes our minds have difficulty shutting down and we continue putting stress onto ourselves by thinking about what needs to be done or what could happen. 

However, there are ways to forget about your problems, though. What it comes down to most is understanding the mind. The mind needs reassurance and positive reinforcement in order to stay at ease or focused. Here are three tips for giving yourself the serenity you are looking for: 

1)     Home Security Systems:  A great method for achieving tranquility is by securing yourself completely from the dangers of the outside world. An alarm or home security system allows for you to take a load off without having to worry about the ‘what ifs’ of a break in or theft. Let the security system worry about it, so you don’t have to.

2)      Companionship:  A man’s best friend will take any worry out of the mind of a person. Whether it’s playing with your pet, lounging around with it or simply having it sleep at the foot of the bed, the peace of mind you’ve been searching for will certainly saturate your thoughts, leaving no room for worry.

3)      Double up and double check:  Of course, you always want to lock your doors and windows, but don’t be afraid to double check to see if they’re locked. You might have locked them yourself, but someone else in your family might have opened them and forgot to lock them afterwards. It never hurts to be safe. Also, make sure your doors have deadbolts that are at least an inch deep. Too shallow of a deadbolt allows for vulnerability to break-ins. If you’re that worried about your deadbolt, sometimes it wouldn’t hurt to double up. However, the security of the entrance also relies on the strength of the door frame. If it’s an older house and the frame has never been replaced, then the weaker and easier it could be to break through it. 

Whether a home security system gives the protection you need, having someone beside you for support or maybe just the reassurance of making sure your home is locked up. Either way, when it comes down to peace of mind and home security, it’s all about making you feel safe. So, go ahead, give yourself some positive reinforcement and relax with ease.

Samuel Ott is a writer for Nightwatch Security, professional home alarm systems provider and installer. Visit their website (above) to find more information on home security and family safety.

 

Fall Safety, General Safety Issues

WORKING AT HEIGHTS: HOW TO AVOID DAMAGE AND SERIOUS INJURY (GUEST POST)

Sent to us by Karl Young.

Most people would be surprised by what the definition of working at heights is: work at height means working in any place where, if precautions were not taken, a person could fall down and injure themselves.

Work at height means working in any place where you work above ground level, could fall from an edge, through an opening or fragile surface; or could fall from ground level into an opening in a floor or hole in the ground. If your job requires you to work with any of the above dangerous then you will be working at height. If on a day to day basis you use working platforms such as scaffolds, tower scaffolds, cherry pickers, scissor lifts and podium steps, work on a roof, piece of plant or equipment; or use ladders or stepladders you and your employer need to be following the working at heights regulations.

Precautions

More often than not you will only be working at heights as a one off, you might be changing a light fitting or climbing a ladder to access storage space.  One of the best ways to ensure injury prevention at height is to carry out a risk assessment; this is a simple process which will help you choose the right precautions to take when working at heights.

Small businesses are often the ones that don’t have the right equipment in place to protect their employees from the dangers of working at heights. In most cases injuries and damage can be avoided by investing in long handled tools and other equipment that can sometimes be used to safety carry out a task from ground level.  Long handled brushes, roller paint brushes, water fed poles and hatch openers are just a few pieces of equipment that can enable any user to perform a basic task without the need to move above ground level.

Prevention

Employees are most often at risk from falling when working at heights, there are several methods of prevention for falling in the work place that can easily be implemented.  You can ensure the fixtures around you are safe and tight, ensure the roof of your premise if accessible is fitted with guard rails. You should always ensure that equipment purchased as a safety precaution is safe to use and has regular checks and maintenance.

Additional measure can be taken at work to reduce the risk of a fall. When using any equipment for work at height you need to ensure that:

  • The people using it are trained to use it safely;
  • It is regularly inspected and well maintained; and
  • The work is supervised to check people are working safely

The consequences of a fall can be minimised if you try and avoid and the prevent a fall before using measures that will only minimise or limit the consequences. A good example of this are safety nets, they can be installed around the edge of a premises roof to minimise the risk of injury if someone falls. Fall arrest equipment will also minimise injury if someone falls, providing the equipment is set up correctly, users know how to look after it and they understand its limitations.

The key to a safe and happy workplace is a knowledgeable employer and employee.  The failure to follow and adhere to regulations when working at heights can result in hefty fines and extreme cases employees being injured resulting in a lawsuit. It is best to be knowledgeable and smart when your employee needs to work at heights, visit your local authority’s website for more information on working heights regulations and precautions.  

The post was created by Karl Young on behalf of Loxam Access a leading specialist in the rental of Access Platforms, Access Equipment and Cherry Pickers.