Take Safety Home: Fire Prevention Week 2011
Fire Prevention Week 2011 starts October 9th and the theme this year is “Protect Your Family From Fire”. According to the NFPA this year’s theme focuses on how to protect your family from fire by planning ahead and integrating simple things into your everyday life.
Does your family know what to do in an emergency situation, such as a house fire? How about preventing a house fire? Does your family have a Home Fire Safety Plan?
If not, you can visit the NFPA website at http://www.firepreventionweek.org for information on the leading causes of home fires, how to protect your home and family with life-saving technologies, and the importance of home escape planning. The website also provides a downloadable Family Fire Safety Checklist and a Home Fire Escape Plan Grid to help you and your family develop a home fire escape plan. However it’s not enough to just develop your plan; it is important that your family practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
Remember that working smoke alarms, home fire sprinklers, a home fire escape plan and identifying potential hazards are all important parts of a home fire safety plan and will protect your family from a fire.
For fire prevention tips for the workplace and jobsite, please click here.
This information is provided as a service to you by Compliance Consultants, Inc.
Take Safety Home: Household Chemicals
The American Association of Poison Control Centers estimates that approximately 90% of poisonings occur in the home. Household chemicals and pesticides are responsible for these incidents. Some common household chemicals are cleaning products, medicines, health or beauty care products, pet shampoos, automotive chemicals (anti-freeze, windshield washer fluid, etc.), insect repellents, swimming pool chemicals, rodent poisons, and weed killers. To prevent a poisoning in your home:
- Always read the label and follow product instructions carefully.
- Lock up or restrict access to household chemicals.
- Close product containers fully when finished or if you’re interrupted during use.
- Always keep chemicals in their original containers.
- Remove children and pets from the area where dangerous chemicals are being used.
- Always use the safest product possible. Look for the Designed for the Environment label as seen here.
- Post the Poison Control hotline number near all phones or program it into your cell phone: 1-800-222-1222.
Take Safety Home: Cell Phones and Driving
Although we all know that everyone leads busy lives these days, the use of a cell phone while driving is very dangerous. Sending text messages while driving is even more unsafe. Statistics prove that a driver using a cell phone is four times more likely to get into an accident than someone who chooses not to.
In the City of Philadelphia and the State of New Jersey, the use of cell phones while driving is not allowed unless you are using a hands-free device to talk. Texting is prohibited! A proposal for a similar ban across Pennsylvania and many other states is being considered. The PA State Department of Transportation reported that 1,241 crashes in 2006 involved drivers that were using hand-held phones compared to 60 crashes in which drivers used hands-free devices or headphones. That number is significantly high.
Did you know that the number one source of driver inattention is the use of a wireless device? Think of safety first and don’t risk your life or the life of others by talking or texting on a cell phone. If you must make an important call or send an urgent message, pull over to a safe spot or park before doing so. Otherwise, keep your cell phones turned off while driving!
This information is provided as a service to you by Compliance Consultants, Inc.