Tag Archives: hardhats

Eye Protection, First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, Head Protection, Home Safety Products

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS HARD TO SHOP FOR?

There’s probably one in every family – the person who has just about everything you can imagine, and may be just a little hard to please.  Did you ever think about checking out safety products, as a unique gift?  It might be fun to try something different, and give him/her that special gift that also serves as a safety tool.  Here are some suggestions: 

  • How many persons have a Highway Safety Kit in their car?  Hopefully, none of us will ever get stranded, but especially in these winter conditions, it would be a great item to have in the trunk, just in case.  Always take water,  snacks, cell phone, blankets, and other supplies when traveling on a long trip.  The safety kit would alert other drivers that you need help.
  • If you are shopping for someone who wears hardhats, why not give them one with their favorite NCAA or professional football, basketball, or hockey team on it?  Hardhats are a great way of showing their patriotic spirit, as well.  If you want a one-of-a-kind gift, World War II or Vietnam era types of hardhats are a great show of respect for those who served. 
  • For a really unique gift, and for that want-to-be cowboy, there’s nothing more fun than a western hardhat!  They are ANSI-certified for all jobs that require hardhats, (except electrical work), and they look like the real thing!  Yee-hah! 
  • For the athlete on your list, brim lights for ball caps are pretty cool.  They are a great way to see and be seen while walking or running.  Clip-on LED lights would also be something neat to put under the tree!  Any high-visibility item, either vests or gloves, offer a safer walk or run.  An AM/FM earmuff radio would be neat to have while walking, running, or doing chores around the house. 
  • Give someone who thinks they’re pretty cool a nice pair of polarized safety glasses!  These are safety glasses that provide protection from the sun’s glare on snow, ice or the highway, and are just as stylish but not nearly so expensive as those in department stores.

These are just a few ideas that express to your loved ones that you have put much thought into keeping them a little safer.  There are many items that are geared toward safety, but we take them for granted –  everyday items like flashlights, NOAA Weather radios, First Aid Kits, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and the numerous products that can help us in times of emergencies.  These things may not be as glamorous as jewelry, clothes, or electronics, but they may play a vital part in providing safety for a loved one.

General Safety Issues, Head Protection

UNDERSTANDING TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

1 Comment

The human brain is the most complex organ in the human body, producing every thought, action, memory, feeling, and experience.  As there are constantly connecting and changing nerve cells, memories are stored in the brain, habits are learned, and personalities shaped.  Our brain structure is shaped partly by genes but mainly by experience.  How it ages depends on both genes and lifestyle.  The brain needs to be properly exercised and fed the right diet, just as the rest of our body requires. 

During our lifetime, things happen that can have a lasting effect on our bodies.  Persons may suffer head injuries due to a car accident, a hard fall, blows to the head to athletes. Military personnel suffer TBI’s as a result of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s) and other horrors of war. 

About 1.7 million people suffer traumatic brain injuries in the United States annually.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says traumatic brain injuries kill about 52,000 Americans every year, and result in 275,000 hospitalizations.  A bump, blow, or jolt to the head may be severe enough to disrupt normal brain function.  The CDC also reports that falls are the Number 1 leading cause of traumatic brain injuries, but road traffic injuries are second, and result in the highest percentage of deaths – 31.8%. 

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) is commonly referred to as a concussion.  There may be a brief loss of consciousness or disorientation, ranging up to 30 minutes. Damage may not be visible on an MRI or CAT scan.  Symptoms of MTBI are headache, lightheadedness, dizziness, confusion, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, fatigue.  MTBI can have long-term effects.  

Severe Traumatic Brain Injury results in loss of consciousness for over 30 minutes, or amnesia.  The same symptoms of MTBI are included, along with others, such as vomiting or nausea, convulsions or seizures, slurred speech, and  loss of coordination. 

Our military personnel are furnished helmets for head protection.  Athletes also wear helmets to protect from head and neck injury.  These helmets should be of good quality. Motorcyclists should always wear their helmets, as well as bicyclists.

It makes sense that when personal protective equipment is furnished for employees, company supervisors should be sure that their employees are in compliance.  ANSI Hard hats should have a rigid external shell that resists and deflects blows to the head.  Inside that shell is a suspension system that acts as a shock absorber.  Hardhats are constructed with partial or full brims.  The full brim protects from spills, splashes and drips.  Many hardhats can accommodate faceshields, earmuffs, and other accessories needed to make the job easier and safer.  Knowing all this, statistics show that often workers who suffer impact injuries to the head are not wearing head protection at the time of injury.   

Wearing all types of Personal Protective Equipment is the responsibility of each employee.  It has been purchased for good reason, just as it is called: Personal and Protective.  Every one should use their head, and wear that helmet or hardhat!