Tag Archives: safety articles

General Safety Issues

BLOG4SAFETY THIRD WEEK IN A ROW! TOP 25 SAFETY ARTICLES, WEEK OF MARCH 8TH (GUEST POST)

 Top 25 Safety Articles of the Week: March 8

Posted by Erin Raub in Weekly Roundups

fire rope ladderSomething this simple can save your family’s lives.

It’s the little things in life, right? And while the phrase usually refers to life’s simple pleasures, “little things” can really be a lot of things. Like an inexpensive, compact fire ladder that saves a man’s life as he flees from a burning building.

Yes, it is the little things in life – little things that allow us to continue enjoying life. Safety measures are so important, not as a way to incite paranoia or fear but as prevention. We’ve all heard the maxim, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So this week, we’re focusing on not just the latest safety news but also on the latest ways to prevent data fraud, childhood illness, and more. Be safe!

Home Safety

  1. Lauren of Safety Source, the blog for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), shares with us a new tip sheet on outdoor electrical safety.
  2. If I haven’t yet convinced you of the importance of a fire safety plan, then you have to read this week’s story from John of the Culture of Safety on how a fire ladder saved a man’s life.

Family & Child Safety

  1. The Kids With Food Allergies Foundation shares evidence that certain airborne chemicals have been linked to immunoglobulin E (IgE) and asthma.
  2. The Huff Post and Moms Rising question the presence of questionably effective, possibly dangerous chemical flame retardants in kids’ products, like nap mats and pajamas.
  3. If you worry about your young driver acting irresponsibly in the car, KidSafe this week featured a new invention that stops teens from texting while driving. (I wish I could install in on every adult I ever pass while driving!)
  4. Tim from uKnowKids does it again, this time offering up some valuable info that is also heartwarming: check out his roundup of current anti-bullying and anti-cyberbullying movements around the U.S. 
  5. Alison the SafetyMom hits the nail on the head with this week’s post, titled with the self-explanatory With Parenting Styles, One Size Does Not Fit All. You got that right!
  6. Free Range Mom Lenore always brings us the latest on all things preventing kids from being kids, and this week she has some uplifting news: a public call to ditch the “misguided security blanket” afforded by helicopter parenting policies, and focus on the real problem: red tape and lawsuits.
  7. Pets are important members of the family, but we don’t always apply the same precautions to our furry friends as we do to our kids. Jim Tedford, Director of Animal Welfare Initiatives and Alliances, gives us all the details on pet-proofing to prevent poisoning.
  8. And speaking of your four-legged family members, Natalie Lester, a PetSafe Brand Communications Specialist, shows us how one door + one containment system can = independence for your pup.

Mobile & Cyber Safety

  1. Last Watchdog Byron reminds us that being on a smartphone or tablet does not make us invulnerable to data stealing, especially with the latest scams that have you clicking on links you never intended.
  2. Brian of Krebs on Security warns that suspicious activity this week prompted a password reset for all Evernote users, while Oracle’s Java also issued its third critical security update in a month.
  3. If you’ve ever been interested in the online dating scene, don’t miss this article from Safe Kids (they care about parents’ safety, too!) on online dating safety tips.
  4. Tim, of uKnowKids, clues us in to the latest sex trafficking scheme – using Facebook to find victims – and how you can protect your kids.
  5. If you’ve ever lost or had your smartphone stolen, Scott from A Silver Lining reminds us that these little touch-screens are actually mini-computers – and need to be treated as serious security risks.
  6. David of We Live Security has some excellent points on how hundreds of thousands of Facebook likes can be deceptive (and completely wrong). The article reminds me of what my mom always asked: If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?
  7. Lisa, of Sophos Naked Security, peels apart the onion layers (it’ll certainly make you cry) of the latest debit-card fraud – scammers pretending to protect your from scammers.

Senior Safety

  1. Ryan of Inside Elder Care reminds us to really dig into the policies of our parents’ or other loved ones’ assisted living or nursing care communities. What will happen in an emergency? Will community staff perform CPR?
  2. Susan at Help! Aging Parents gives us some pointers on helping our parents make the best decisions for their health, like whether they should get life-changing surgeries.
  3. The Aging Wisely blog develops a debate about the work-family balance, and how it applies to work-at-homers and eldercare.
  4. Safety Mom Alison features a really cool infographic on the “communication lifeline” – the relationship between caregiver and seniors. Alison is also hosting a Twitter party on March 13 to discuss signs your aging parents need help.

Work Safety

  1. In the U.S., construction mishaps account for 17 percent of all work-related accidents. Carl at Blog4Safety provides 5 tips for a safer construction workplace.
  2. Blog4Safety gives us another good one on how to identify the dangers of asbestos.
  3. And speaking of creating a safer workplace, Kevin from the Safety at Work Blog discusses the lack of a “safety culture” for employers and employees.
  4. If you’re in the U.S., your time is going to change this weekend. Roy at The Society for Human Resource Management reminds us all to be careful that sleep deprivation doesn’t lead to workplace accidents next week.

Thanks, Erin, for including us in your top twenty-five list of safety articles.  You offer a whole range of reading for our supporters, and we are honored to be part of it.  Pat

General Safety Issues

TOP TWENTY-FIVE SAFETY ARTICLES OF THE WEEK: MARCH 1 (GUEST POST)

Posted by Erin Raub in Weekly Roundups of Safety.com

I am happy to announce that Blog4Safety made the list of top twenty-five safety articles again!  Our thanks to Sam Banai, who submitted the article: “How To Outfit Your Business for Winter.” pb

seatbelt for pregnant womenThis pregnancy seatbelt is not only safe, but allows for (more) comfortable third-trimester driving. Finally!

Welcome to another week of the blogosphere’s best safety & security news! There were a lot of important tip posts this week, so I tried to round out the seriousness with upbeat safety news, too. For example, did you know that a U.K.-based company has developed a harness seatbelt for safer driving (or car riding) while pregnant? Ladies, the third trimester just got a little bit less uncomfortable.

I hope you enjoy my favorites. As always, if there’s something I missed, please let me know in the comments.

Home Safety

  1. Martine at Dainty Mom shares her top tips for keeping your home and family safe. I really appreciate her emphasis on simple, clean things we can all do, like choosing healthy foods and chemical-free cleaners.
  2. Fire safety crosses international borders. Seasoned home inspector Brent from Homes Extra asks important questions in his fire safety test. Is your family safe?

Family & Child Safety

  1. If you’ve ever worried about what to do in the case of anaphylactic shock, you can’t miss Caroline’s post over at The Grateful Foodie on four missed anaphylaxis emergency care opportunities.
  2. When Inhabitots mentioned the world’s first seatbelt designed for pregnant women, it was all I could do not to shout YES! It looks more like a race car harness than your standard belt, and is designed to keep mother and baby safe in the event of an accident.
  3. Did you know that heart disease kills more women than breast cancer? Read all about heart health – for men and women – over at Safety Mom.
  4. Admittedly, growing pains are not so much a safety concern as a question of your little one’s comfort and happiness. But we all want to minimize our children’s pain, so The Parent Report has some easy tips on what to do if your child is experiencing growing pains.
  5. File this one under obvious-but-forgotten: if your child has special needs, is in public school, and has and IEP, Judy Safety Source reminds us that he or she should have a personalized emergency evacuation program.
  6. If anyone has ever taken care of your child, you probably know how awkward/hard/uncomfortable/stressful (take your pick!) it can be to relay your wishes in a way that doesn’t make you seem… well, kind of nuts. Sierra from Common Sense Media has some really great, really sane tips on how to communicate screen time rules for every occasion.
  7. Have you checked your credit report lately? Dennis from iKeepSafe tells you why you need to run regular reports, and how you can do it with minimal headache.
  8. Doreen from SAF Baby has some really solid tips this week on healthy, easy habits your family can adopt to prevent obesity.
  9. What to expect when you’re expecting – and you already have a dog? The Parent Report collaborated with doggie guru Dr. Stanley Coren to give us some good tips on introducing your new baby to your furry baby.

Senior Safety

  1. Change is constant, but it’s also hard. And change is particularly difficult for seniors, who are experiencing major transitions, like the death of a spouse or loss of independence. Aging Wisely gives some good advice on how not to handle transitions for the seniors you love.
  2. This week, Susan from Help! Aging Parents also reminded us that it’s never too soon (or too late) for a refresher on the signs of stroke and learning proper emergency response to a stroke.

Online & Data Security

  1. Robert from McAfee reviews one of the sneakiest – and most rampant – Craigslist scams out there today. Seller beware!
  2. Aleksandr of We Live Security clues us in on a major hacking scheme against European banks – that’s been going on for a year!
  3. Consumer Reports reminds us that we should never ignore a data breach letter. Take the (free) steps to avoid identity fraud, and save yourself a bundle of stress and money down the road.
  4. Patricia Vance, President of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), hops over to the Get Game Smart blog to school parents on how to read game ratings – and why they matter.
  5. It’s easy to demonize cyberbullies, even the pint-sized ones, but Tim from uKnowKids has a great point: is your child a cyberbully without knowing it? Remember, even well-intentioned kids can get swept up into peer pressure. Sometimes all it takes to turn bullying around is a bit of parental guidance on netiquette and The Golden Rule.
  6. And while we’re on the topic of kids and their roles in cyberbullying, Sameer from the Cyberbullying Research Center reports on a very encouraging trend: young students are now using plays to combat cyberbullying.
  7. Graham from Naked Security (hmm… wonder what that office looks like!) gives it to you straight about Adobe’s record three Flash Player security updates in February.
  8. Good news doesn’t always make headlines, but Last Watchdog Byron has the details on some new, cutting-edge technology to beat the bad guys.
  9. WebProNews summarizes some of the findings from HP’s newly released 2012 Cyber Security Risk Report.

Work Safety

  1. Blog4Safety brings us a timely guest post from Saam Banai on how to outfit your business for winter safety. Keep your employees and customers safe during this final month of winter!
  2. Steve from The Safe Workplace posts summaries of OSHA and state OSHA significant citations that have proposed fines over $100,000 every week. Check out some of the citations from the week ending February 23rd – and make sure your workplace isn’t on the list.
  3. Pamela at Income Therapy has some 10 rock-solid tips on best safety practices for the workplace.

Thanks, Erin, for including us in this list of very interesting and helpful articles! Pat