Tag Archives: New Year

FIRST, SAFETY!

As we begin the year 2014, think about the many plans that are on your list.  First, we make those New Year’s Resolutions.  That usually last maybe two weeks, (especially the one about losing weight!)    We all have much to look forward to in the coming year.  And we need to focus on the positive, living a good life, and not worrying about things that are out of our control.  

Today is a good day to talk about safety.  Safety should be the first item on everyone’s agenda.  From the time you get up in the morning, preparing for the day, make up your mind that this day will be a safer driving day.  When you leave for work , depart a little earlier than usual so you won’t be stressed getting to work on time.  That’s the safe way.  Drive as though your life depends on your control of your vehicle – because it does.  Don’t talk on your cell-phone and definitely do not text!  Those messages can wait. 

Don’t take unnecesssary chances.  Is there anyone out there that can honestly say they haven’t pulled their vehicle into another lane and almost caused an accident?  Or ran through the yellow light, rather than waiting for the green?  What if someone else going the other way does the same thing?  You may not reach your destination at all.

Once you arrive at work, get started.  There’s no need to visit about what just happened, because you are now on someone else’s time.  If the job you perform is hazardous, use the appropriate safety gear that your company has furnished you.  It won’t be their fault if something flies into your eye because you didn’t wear your safety glasses.  You know what you are expected to do, so keep safe while you do it. 

Businesses should have an agenda to keep their employees safe at all times.  Each New Year is an ideal opportunity to assess the company’s safety plan, and convey it to all employees.  Plan training on a regular basis; things change and we all get in the habit of doing things a certain way, when there may be a new, easier, faster, and safer way.  Safety leaders could make this year’s resolution to include their employees in the design of their safety program; let them know how important their cooperation is to the company and their co-workers. 

Safety posters play a large part in encouraging employees to work safely.  They may be humorous or serious, either way, they convey a very important message.  

The employees of Texas America Safety Company and Blog4Safety wish each one of you a very safe, healthy, and successful New Year.  It is our hope that newfound peace will be attained in parts of the world that are in strife.  The most important wish of all is that our troops can return home safely.  Their duties require them to perform their job all the while staying safe! 

 

SAFETY FIRST IN 2010!

How about starting off this year with a pledge for a banner safety year in your workplace?  We all start off with the best of intentions, but somehow, things happen and our plans go up in smoke!  OSHA reports that on a typical workday:

  • 17 workers are killed on the job (traumatic injury).
  • 137 more workers die of occupation-related injuries.
  • 17,138 workers are injured on the job.
  • Estimates show employers pay almost $1 billion per year for direct costs of workplace injuries.
  • There are hidden costs such as retraining employees and lost productivity due to workplace injuries.

These and many other reasons contribute to the idea that safety policies and procedures should be executed with good planning and follow-up.  First of all, new employees should have safety training from the very first day on the job.  They should understand safety basics and the particular hazards of their specific job responsibilities.

Companies should pay close attention to how many incident reports and safety complaints are issued:  if there is an increase in near-misses or accidents, what departments are involved, what types of injuries, or if there is a certain group that seems to be reporting more accidents or close calls.  Refresher training should be given to groups that have experienced mishaps.

Employees should know they have the right to voice complaints to their compliance officer, if they feel policies are not being followed.  It is the responsibility of the compliance officer to investigate the issues and correct them, if necessary.  Safety committee members should establish good safety and health programs that can help prevent worker compensation claims.

One of the key factors in workplace safety is providing the right Protective gear.  Employees should understand how their PPE works and why it is necessary to wear it at all times while on the job.  This is an important compliance issue and affects everyone if someone gets hurt due to not wearing his/her protective gear.

This is a great time to plan for flawless safety performances at work.  Hopefully, this time next year, you will be getting ready for another completely “accident-free work year”!
Good luck!

HELLO, 2010!

We are ready to bid 2009 farewell, and look forward to 2010!  We hope you all survived the holidays, and are ready to gear up for another year.  Let’s all hope that this year brings financial stability to our country, a chance for peace in order for our troops to come home, and a political establishment that will make good decisions for the entire country.  There are many hard-working Americans that just want us to all be on a fair playing field.  For those who are without work, let’s hope that you find a job soon.

Here are some interesting observances that January presents.  We’d like to pass them on:

  • National Birth Defects Prevention Month, (March of Dimes)
  • National Blood Donor Month
  • Cervical Health Awareness Month
  • Crime Stoppers Month
  • Eye Health Month
  • Fiber Focus Month
  • Glaucoma Awareness Month (Prevent Blindness America)
  • Thyroid Disease Awareness Month

If you know someone who has any of the above health problems, get involved and see if you can help!  We call need to be “Crime Stoppers” every day and be more aware of things that happen around us.

Here’s a little “January Trivia”, Days of Interest:

  • 1st – New Years’ Day, Of Course!
  • 15th – First Superbowl game (Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 1967)
  • 18th – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • 19th – Texas State Holiday – Confederate Heroes Day
  • 24th – California Gold Discovery Day, 1848, at Sutters Mill.
  • 25th – Elvis’ First #1 hit released, “Heartbreak Hotel”, 1956
  • 27th – Viet Nam Peace Accord, 1973.  End of the Viet Nam War.
  • 28th – U.S. Coast Guard was established in 1915.

We sincerely hope that 2009 was a good one for you and yours, and that 2010 will be even better!  Please make a pledge to work and play safely.  We wish a healthy, Happy New Year to you and yours!  Hello, 2010!

GOODBYE 2009!

Every year at this time, we are looking forward to a new and better year.  We have high hopes that many of the bad things that happened in 2009 won’t be repeated.  Many of us are making New Year’s Resolutions; most of us will break them before the end of January!  Goals include losing weight, saving money, and improving our lives in different, ambitious ways.
Good luck to all of you that reach your targets in 2010!

In bidding a fond farewell to 2009, we can’t help but review many memorable things that it brought us:

  • New President, Barack Obama was inaugurated in January.
  • “Twitter-Mania” – a social network that allows you to express your views in 140 characters or less.
  • The new Yankee Stadium, which replaced The House That Ruth Built in 1923.
  • A huge commercial US Airways plane sitting in the Hudson River, with many of its 155 occupants standing on the wings.
  • Visions of Jamaican sprinter, Usain “Lightning” Bolt shatter his own world records in 100 and 200-meter sprints at the World Track and Field Championships in Berlin.
  • H1N1 Virus – originally called “Swine Flu”, later changed to the medical name in order to absolve pigs of the stigma involved.  This terrible illness started in Mexico in April, and quickly spread throughout the world.  In June, the World Health Organization declared it a Global Pandemic.  Almost 10,000 persons died worldwide due to this virus.
  • A shooting at one of our military bases, Ft. Hood, Texas, that resulted in the deaths of 12 soldiers and one civilian, and wounded 30 others.  How could that have happened?
  • Scandals: in politics, entertainment, sports world, and the biggest Ponzi scheme in U.S history.
  • An historic healthcare debate and vote in Congress – with lots of work still ahead.

Famous persons that passed this year were: Walter Kronkite, Patrick Swayze, Ricardo Montalban, Ted Kennedy, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson.  These are just a few that had an impact on many lives through entertainment, politics, or in the case of Mr. Kronkite, the most trusted news anchor in the U.S. for many years.

It’s hard to believe that nine years have already zipped by in this new century. It’s going to take all our villages to make 2010 a safe, sane year!  Wouldn’t it be great if there were no bad headlines at all?  How about these resolutions: no missing kids or missing persons, no wrong-way or distracted driving auto accidents, no pandemics, no wars, no taking chances or shortcuts, no standing on chairs rather than ladders, no going without P.P.E., (get the idea?) Wouldn’t it be great to live in a perfect world? We don’t, so there will always be challenges.

This year, as always, our concerns are to continue to provide helpful safety ideas involving the workplace, home, and other activities.  In addition to safety issues, we focus on encouraging our readers to keep their bodies healthy by exercise and diet.   Let’s try hard to be careful at work, play, behind the wheel, and anywhere else an accident may be lurking.
GOOD LUCK AND GOOD HEALTH TO ALL IN 2010!

JANUARY, 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  We hope you all survived the holidays, and are ready to gear up for another year.  We have found some interesting observances during the month of January, and will pass part of them on:

  • National Birth Defects Prevention Month, (March of Dimes)
  • National Blood Donor Month
  • National Book Blitz Month
  • Cervical Health Awareness Month
  • Crime Stoppers Month
  • Eye Health Month
  • Fiber Focus Month
  • Glaucoma Awareness Month (Prevent Blindness America)
  • School Board Month
  • Thyroid Disease Awareness Month

Here’s a little “January Trivia”, Days of Interest:

  • 1st – New Years’ Day, Of Course!
  • 15th – First Superbowl game (Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 1967)
  • 19th – Texas State Holiday – Confederate Heroes Day
  • 19th – Also National Popcorn Day!
  • 20th – Inauguration Day!  Since 1937, this has been the day set aside for a new US President.  If the 20th falls on Sunday, it is moved to the next day.
  • 24th – California Gold Discovery Day, 1848, at Sutters Mill.
  • 25th – First Emmy Awards, 1949
  • 25th – Elvis’ First #1 hit released, “Heartbreak Hotel”, 1956
  • 27th – In 1880, the first electric light was patented
  • 27th – Viet Nam Peace Accord, 1973.  End of the Viet Nam War.
  • 28th – U.S. Coast Guard was established in 1915.

Good luck and best wishes to everyone in 2009.  The ideal resolution to make: to go through this entire year without having an accident, whether at home, work or play.

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS, ANYONE?

Okay, how many of us are thinking about our promises for 2009?  As soon as we fill up on Christmas Eve and Christmas meals, all the goodies before and after, we will be sincerely ready to change our lifestyles.  But how long will it be before your “New Year’s Bubble” deflates?  Seriously, studies show that 52% of participants in a resolution study who were confident in the success of reaching their goals, only 12% actually achieved them.  Men were 22% more successful when they engaged in setting their goals where small measures are used: for example, losing one pound per week, than “lose weight”.  Women had 10% more success when they publicly expressed their goals and had support from their friends.

Here are some popular goals; see if any one or more are yours:

  • Lose Weight
  • Make a Difference
  • Save Money
  • Pay Off Debts
  • Eat Right
  • Exercise
  • Give Blood
  • Give More
  • Drink Less Alcohol
  • Quit Smoking
  • Reduce Stress
  • Take A Trip
  • Be More Green
  • Get A Better Education
  • Spiritual Improvement
  • Be A Good Friend
  • Appreciate Family More
  • Be A Better Listener
  • Volunteer
  • Be A Better Me!

You might want to print this list off and check off or add things that you hope to improve on.  Keep it in a place where you see it every day.

Another promise we ask you to make:  Live every day with safety in mind; your life and the lives of others depend on it!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

OUR WISH FOR YOU FOR 2009

As we close this year of 2008, we at the TASCO family wish for you and yours a very happy, prosperous, and safe New Year!  We appreciate your stopping by our Blog4Safety site, and hope that our safety tips have helped you in some way, and also brought a smile to your face as well.  Thank you for shopping with Texas America Safety Company throughout the past. This is our wish:

God grant us this year a wider view,
So we see others’ faults through the eyes of You;
Teach us to judge not with hasty tongue,
Neither the adult … nor the young.
Give us patience and grace to endure
And a stronger faith so we feel secure;
And instead of remembering, help us forget
The irritations that caused us to fret.
Freely forgiving for some offense
And finding each day a rich recompense,
In offering a friendly, helping hand
And trying in all ways to understand,
That all of us whoever we are …
Are trying to reach “an unreachable star.”
For the great and small … the good and bad,
The young and old … the sad and glad,
Are asking today, “Is life worth living?”
And the answer is only in “loving” and “giving.”
For only “Love” can make man kind
And Kindness of Heart brings Peace of Mind,
And by giving love we can start this year
To lift the clouds of hate and fear.
~ Helen Steiner Rice ~

Thanks again for visiting our site.