Tidbits – 2/11/08

Life is more than work
“When making your choice in life, do not neglect to live.”Johnson, Samuel

Tidbits
-"Mayday, Mayday" the international radio distress signal, has nothing to do with the first of May. It represents the pronunciation of the French m'aider, "help me," or the latter part of the phrase--venez m'aider, "come help me." -In his book, "Hazards of Medication," Eric Martin reveals a startling fact: many of the "safe" drugs, which are sold in drugstores without prescription, actually contain hallucinogenic ingredients in the same family as LSD and hashish. Over 130 different products (sleep aids, sedatives, etc.) contain hallucinogenic ingredients.
-Annually, road construction work zone incidents result in 700-800 deaths and 5000 injuries. Give workers a Brake in these areas – fines often run double.
-You can save gas by making sure your tires are properly inflated. Check ’em often!

Leadership
Leaders have the confidence to test boundaries, the courage to face adversity, and the knowledge to make difficult decisions.

OSHA Numbers
OSHA conducted over 39,000 workplace inspections in 2007 – 4 percent more than they were budgeted to do. Here is the citation breakdown:
2007 2006
Total Citations 88,846 83,913 (6% increase)
Serious 67,176 61,337 (9% increase)
Repeat 2,714 2,551
Willful 415 479
The good news is accident and injury numbers continue to drop and our focus is worker safety!

Nothing worthwhile is easy
Success will not lower its standard to us. We must raise our standard to success. Rev. Randall R. McBride, Jr.

Speed Lifting
Many people die shoveling snow every year. Strenuous work can lead to a heart attack, especially if you are out of shape. Too often people don't realize just how strenuous shoveling snow is. Besides heart attacks, it is an easy way to hurt your back. It's like speed lifting. If you plan to shovel at a steady rate, you should be sure you are in good enough shape to go to the gym and do some fast and furious lifting. If you plan to shovel (or do any other strenuous activity)and you are NOT sure you're up to it, get someone else to do it for you. If you can't, then take your time. It's not like you're putting out a fire. The snow will still be there after you take a break. I recommend you stress more than once to your employees just how strenuous shoveling snow can be.

Quote of the Week: “Be honorable yourself if you wish to associate with honorable people.” --Welsh Proverb