Tag Archives: sports

General Safety Issues, Head Protection

WHAT DO FOOTBALL HELMETS AND HARDHATS HAVE IN COMMON?

The answer: protecting our hard heads!

If you have waited all summer for football season to begin, it’s here!  My husband loves this time of the year, scoping out every football game that he plans to watch, while at the same time, switching channels to Texas Rangers baseball games, and week-end golf tournaments.  His remote trigger finger has to move pretty fast.  (He prefers to surf channels rather than watching two events at once!) 

Chances are, he’s not the only one who is in a great mood, now that NCAA and NFL  football is here.  Are you wondering where the hardhats come in?  Well, most guys and gals that are required to wear hardhats in their line of work have the opportunity to sport their favorite team hardhat!  Can you think of a better way to support your team than showing off their logo for an 8-hour shift?  Chances are, you will see some fans wearing their team hardhats at the games.  

Not wanting to slight any other sports, there are hardhats that display the MLB, NHL, NBA, and NASCAR logos.  The main function of hardhats is to protect our heads, either from getting hit by falling objects or bumping into things.  Hardhats have come a long way since they were first created, being made of leather and shellac.  There are all types of attachments that hardhats can contain, such as protective neck shields from the sun, sunshield that fit around them, earmuffs, headsets, and pencil holders. 

Just as helmets and pads protect our football players from injury, hardhats serve the same purpose for workers.  It’s surprising just how many types of hardhats exist: ones that are aluminum, high visibility Glow-In-The-Dark, and even Cowboy style hardhats that furnish the same safety functions.  The key to a successful safety program is to protect employees from head injuries.  The easiest and most important way is by wearing safety hard hats.  These protect workers from the shock of a blow to the head, and penetration.  The shell should be 1 to 1 ¼” away from the head to cushion impact, and the hardhat should have instructions for proper adjustment and replacement of suspension and headband.  Proper fit is of the utmost importance. 

While your employees are wearing their hardhats to be compliant with safety requirements, allow them to support their favorite teams by wearing their logo on their hardhat.  Make compliance fun!

Eye Protection, Home Safety Products

KEEP AN EYE OUT TO SAVE YOUR VISION!

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There are many things that we take for granted in our every day life, and our vision is one of them.  We wake up each day, and are very fortunate to see everything around us.  We depend on our eyes to guide us as we go about our routine existence.  September is the month to observe Sports and Home Eye Safety Month, so here are some tips to help protect those peepers. 

First, sports and recreational activities cause more than 40,000 eye injuries each year, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.  Most of these accidents are preventable.  In fact, Prevent Blindness America reports that 90% of sports-related eye injuries can be prevented.  Two sports that cause the most eye injuries are baseball and basketball, followed by water sports and racquet sports.  Safety goggles are advised for children and adults who play softball and baseball.  Children are the most vulnerable, as they often have underdeveloped depth perception, and may find it difficult to judge the position of a flying ball, resulting in a blow from a flying ball.  It only makes sense that when professional athletes or others wear eye protection while playing sports, that we all should consider doing the same thing.  You can get a finger in your eye, a black eye, or things such a tennis ball, racquet, fist, or elbow can cause sudden compression of the eye.  Penetrating injuries occur when a foreign object pierces the eye; BB pellets are a common cause of this type of injury.  Warning signs of potentially serious eye injuries include:

  • Tears in the outer ocular walls;
  • A foreign body inside the eye;
  • Visual loss;
  • Bleeding on the surface or inside the eye.

In any event, it is important to see a physician or ophthalmologist as soon as possible.  First aid would be to place a protective cover over the eye to prevent more damage, or tape the bottom of a paper cup over the eye if no shield is available. 

Another source of eye injury is right there in your home.  Accidents involving common household products cause 125,000 eye injuries annually.  However, 90% of these eye injuries can be prevented through safety practices and using proper eye protection.  When you are painting or mowing, be sure to wear safety glasses or dust goggles.  Keep tools in good condition; flying pieces of damaged tools can be hazardous to the eyes.  Do not mix cleaning agents.  There are many chemical ingredients in cleaning products that can irritate the eyes.  Understand that regular eyeglasses don’t always provide enough protection. 

As the old saying goes, “the best treatment is prevention.”  The best prevention of eye injury while involved in sports or working at home is to wear specially designed protective eyewear.  Eye guards may not completely eliminate risks, but can greatly reduce the chance of ocular injury.  Different types of eye protection should be considered to match the sport or tasks involved, such as: 

  • The standard eye guard designed for use in sports such as baseball, racquetball, and basketball is made of polycarbonate (plastic) and has closed lenses and sports frames.
  • Total head and face protection is essential for any collision sport, such as a helmet in football and a facemask in hockey.
  • Non-prescription and prescription safety glasses.
  • Shooting Safety Goggles.
  • Face shields.

Be vigilant about what type of eye protection you choose for your young athlete, and grown-ups, wear eye protection whether at work, play, or at home.  It’s not worth taking a chance on losing the precious gift of vision.

General Safety Issues

ARE YOU “WEAK IN THE KNEES?”

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Our knees are very important joints in our bodies, as they allow us to walk, run, jump, kick, sit and stand.  But this weight-bearing joint is the cause of many problems and much pain.  We see athletes suffer from knee injuries- many that require surgery and long-term rehabilitation.  There are an estimated 19 million Americans annually who visit their orthopedic surgeons because of knee discomfort.  One cause of knee pain is osteoarthritis, a painful condition that happens when the cartilage in the knee wears away.  The description “bone on bone,” is the term used when the cartilage is gone.  There are over 10 million people in the United States that have osteoarthritis of the knee.  Rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating disease that causes the same result, as well as joint deformities, especially in the hands and feet.

  Twisting, stretching, or straining the knees are common ways of injuring them.  There are ways that you can try to reduce knee  discomfort;  in case of an injury, try the RICE method of routine home care:

  • Rest
  • Ice
  • Compression
  • Elevation 

If this method doesn’t improve the condition, see your doctor.  Seek emergent care if the injury causes immediate swelling, bones appear to be deformed, pain is intolerable, inability to bear weight, or a loss of sensation below the injury site occurs.  You also need medical attention if the joint is warm and has fever. 

Exercise is an important way to build muscles  that stabilize the knees.  Strong and flexible quadriceps and hamstring muscles can prevent minor stresses to our knees.   Try ten minutes of stretching before your daily workout and see if that won’t help.  Also, wearing a good pair of running shoes that have shock absorption takes some of the stress away from the knees.  Low profile knee supports may be helpful to runners to stabilize their knees.   If you have weak knees, your best option may be walking rather than running.

Certain types of shoes (clogs or stiff-soled walking shoes) may cause your joints to carry loads up to 15% greater than shoes with flexible soles, according to a study from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.  High heels may also increase the load on knees.

Protecting your knees is important, too.  If your job requires working on your knees, there are all types of knee pads that will make the work day much easier by taking stress off the joints.  They also serve the same purpose for at-home or garden chores. 

Maintain a healthy weight in order to help your joints stay strong.  Even ten pounds can put more stress on your knees.  One national survey stated that obese men had five times the risk of getting osteoarthritis of the knee than their lighter peers; and obese women had four times the same risk.  

One personal note:  for years, my husband suffered from severe pain in his knees and legs.  He saw several doctors who x-rayed his knees and said they were just fine.  Finally, we were sent to an internist, who repeated x-rays of the knees.  Later, after observing him walk, sent him back to have his hips x-rayed.  He had “bone on bone” in both hips.  Even though his hips never hurt during that time, the doctor explained that his pain was “referred pain.”  It is amazing that pain can fool us by traveling to another joint.  Following his hip replacements, the knee pain went away. 

Although sports and recreational activities cause many knee injuries, more knee injuries happen at home or work.  Regardless of your location, on the playing field, at work, or working in your house, yard, or garden, take precautions to protect your joints.  They can usually be repaired or replaced, but it’s a costly experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

General Safety Issues

MORE ABOUT VOLUNTEERS

We all know that there are many worthy causes to give our time and money to.  A very special group that utilizes thousands of volunteers is the Special Olympics.  June of 1962, Eunice Kennedy Shriver started a summer day camp for children and adults with intellectual disabilities at her home in Maryland.

Camp Shriver was the predecessor to the Special Olympics.  When Mrs. Shriver declared the first Special Olympics open in Chicago, July, 1968, she lead 1,000 athletes from 26 states and Canada onto Soldier Field.  From that time until the present, the Special Olympics have grown to more than three million athletes in over 150 countries.  The Winter Special Olympics were held in Canada this past February; summer games will be in Athens, Greece, in 2011.

Special Olympics offers year-round sports training and athletic competition in all fifty states of the U.S.  Texas has more than 44,000 volunteers that help with the daily workouts and keep the contests running smoothly.  In addition to helping with events, they coach athletes, help with fund raising, coordinate events, work in offices, and serve on committees.  Volunteers are the backbone of this organization.  More than 1.5 million individuals around the globe donate their time to giving children and adults with intellectual disabilities or physical disabilities the chance to compete and make friends with others from outside their own communities.

SO vest

Those youngsters age 14 or under who want to volunteer to help with Special Olympics, must be accompanied by an adult.  What better way for a parent and their child to experience the joy of helping others could there be?  If you live in a city that is home to a Special Olympics office, contact them and offer your help.  If not, there are plenty of other ways to help.  Check the Special Olympics website for all types of information.  These great athletes can teach us about spirit, determination, and sportsmanship.

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized, Weather Protection

LET’S HELP OUR YOUNG ATHLETES KEEP THEIR “COOL”

We have talked about keeping our workers safe from the hazards of doing their jobs outdoors in the heat and humidity, and how to recognize the signs of heat stroke, heat cramps, etc.  But with August just around the corner, indicating it’s time to get ready for football, cross country, and other outdoor sports, we want to focus on our youngsters.

When the temperature is 95° or higher, (and believe me, in Texas, it is!), and the humidity is 75%, this combination slows down the body’s evaporation and sweating doesn’t do its’ job to assist the cooling process.  We have found several good tips that parents and coaches should keep in mind to as their youngsters take the field:gatorade01

1.    Instruct all athletes to pre-hydrate.  Drinking at least 24 ounces of fluid prior to each workout will help.

2.    Allow the athletes to drink 10-12 ounces every 30 minutes of activity.  If they wait until they are thirsty, chances are they are already dehydrated.

3.    Do not allow athletes to drink carbonated drinks or energy drinks.  Keep plenty of water on hand; however, Gatorade has been proven to be better than plain water to replace fluids.

4.    Weigh-ins before and after practice will show how much fluid each individual loses and needs to replace.

5.    Let the players become acclimated to the hot weather.  Remember that younger persons adjust more slowly than adults to hot and humid conditions.

6.    Lighter clothing helps promote heat loss.  Helmets need to be removed periodically, as the body can cool itself more efficiently.  Helmets retain significant amounts of heat.

7.    Heat production is proportional to body weight, so be sure to observe very large or obese players for early signs of heat stress.

8.    Ask athletes if they taking antibiotics, which can cause them to be more susceptible to heat illness.

Good training is very important.  Youngsters should train for the sport rather than expect the sport to get them into shape.  Coaches can help by choosing a conditioning program that is suited for the individual athlete.  Youngsters that enjoy going out for a particular sport should be encouraged by parents and coaches to follow the rules of the game.  Those playing contact sports should have the proper equipment to decrease risks of injury.

One of the most important bits of advice that we can pass on is for parents and coaches to encourage healthy competition, not a “win at all costs” attitude, and let them have     FUN!  In return, our youngsters will enjoy the experience of teamwork and develop a positive self-image that will carry on throughout their lives.

First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, Respiratory Safety

TEXAS RANGERS ARE FIGHTING THE “BUG”

Not in law enforcement, but in Major League Baseball, an article in the Fort Worth Star Telegram Saturday, July 25, stated that Vicente Padilla, pitcher for the Rangers has been confirmed as having the H1N1 virus. (According to television news, he is the first professional player in any sport that has contacted the virus.) For the past several days, announcers for the Rangers have been mentioning during broadcasts of Rangers games that various players have been ill with flu-like symptoms.

Thad Levine, Assistant General Manager of the Rangers, reported that cultures have been submitted to the health department, but at the present time Padilla is the only team member with the virus, and that he is feeling better and expected to possibly play next Tuesday in Arlington.  Other players have been experiencing flu-like symptoms.  The team is taking all the standard precautions, and after receiving advice from team doctors and MLB officials, will not treat this any differently than common flu.  Tamiflu, a widely-used medicine to fight influenza, has been prescribed to all team members who have had signs of the illness.

Many more of these stories affecting sports teams will probably surface, as it is predicted by health officials that we will be facing the H1N1 virus head-on until a new vaccine can be developed.  Five different U S vaccine makers are working vigorously to produce a vaccine that will help prevent this virus that is spreading throughout the world.

Until then, the best ways to prevent contacting H1N1 are to keep yourself in good condition, wash your hands with warm soap and water, or use hand sanitizer.  Many times germs from viruses remain on doorknobs, cell phones, countertops, stair rails, and other things that are used by more than one person, so pay attention to things you must touch, and again, wash your hands often.

Source: Ft. Worth Star Telegram