Lighting Safety

1. MYTH: Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice

TRUTH: Lightning often strikes the same place repeatedly, especially if it’s a tall pointy isolated object. The Empire State Building used to be used as a lightning laboratory, since it is hit nearly 25 times a year. Places prone to lightning are places to avoid when thunderstorms are nearby!

2. MYTH: If it’s Not Raining, or if Clouds Aren’t Overhead, I’m Safe from Lightning

TRUTH: Lightning often strikes more than three miles from the thunderstorm, far outside the rain or even thunderstorm cloud. ‘Bolts from the Blue’, though infrequent, can strike 10-15 Miles from the thunderstorm. Anvil lightning can strike the ground over 50 Miles from the thunderstorm, under extreme conditions. Lightning in clouds has traveled over 100 miles from the thunderstorm.

3. MYTH: Rubber Tires Protect You from Lightning in a Car by Insulating You from the Ground

TRUTH: Lightning laughs at two inches of rubber! Most cars are reasonably safe from lightning. But it’s the metal roof and metal sides that protect you, not the rubber tires. Thus convertibles, motorcycles, bicycles, open shelled outdoor recreational vehicles, and cars with plastic or fiberglass shells offer no lightning protection. Likewise, farm and construction vehicles with open cockpits offer no lightning protection. But closed cockpits with metal roof and sides are safer than going outside. And don’t even ask about sneakers! •

4. MYTH: A Lightning Victim Is Electrified. If You Touch Them, You’ll be Electrocuted.
TRUTH: The human body doesn’t store electricity. It is perfectly safe to touch a lightning victim to give them first aid. This is the most chilling of lightning myths. Imagine someone dying needlessly, for want of simple CPR or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, when their chance of survival was ~90%!

5. MYTH: If Outside in a Thunderstorm, Go Under a Tree To Stay Dry

TRUTH: Being underneath trees is the second leading activity for lightning casualties – Enough said?!

6. MYTH: I’m in a House, I’m Safe from Lightning

TRUTH: While a house is a good place for lightning safety, just going inside isn’t enough. You must avoid any conducting path leading outside, such as corded telephones, electrical appliances, wires, TV cables, plumbing (including plastic pipes with water in them), metal doors or window frames, etc. Don’t stand near a window to watch the lightning. An inside room is generally best.

Ready for Your Flu Shot

The CDC recommends a flu vaccination annually. This is the most important step in protecting yourself against seasonal flu. Every year, a new vaccine is developed to protect against the 3 main flu viruses researchers believe will be the most common. Vaccination is especially important for people at high risk of serious flu complications, including young children, pregnant women, health care workers, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart and lung disease, and people 65 and older.

The flu vaccine also is very important people who live with or care for people at high risk. This vaccine will not protect against the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. That will require a separate vaccination. Source: CDC

Is it Strep or Just a Sore Throat

Strep throat is caused by steplococal (strep) bacteria that infects your throat and tonsils. There are several different types of strep, some of which can be life-threatening. Here are some signs.symptoms of strep throat:

* A severely sore throat * Swollen tonsils and/or lymph nodes

* Painful swallowing * Fever in excess of 101 F

* A red throat with white or yellow spots

Strep is highly infectious and easily passed from one person to another. Your physician will do an exam and probably a rapid strep test to determine if you have strep throat, If the rapid strep test comes up negative, but your symptoms still appear to be strep, your doctor may grow a culture of the bacteria. If the culture is positive, your doctor will most likely treat it with antibiotics. A sore throat can mimic the signs of strep and have many of the same symptoms. Sore throats are usually caused by a virus and in most cases pose minimal risk.

Viruses are also infectious and can be passed from person to person. Sore throats accompanied by sneezing, coughing, and a runny nose, are usually not strep. Sore throats can generally be treated with over-the-counter medications and home treatments to help ease the discomfort. For a sore throat, sooth your discomfort by increasing fluid intake, gargling with warm salt water, and drinking a mixture of honey and lemon in hot water. Source: WebMD

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VISION – The main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance but to do what lies clearly at hand. Thomas Carlyle

Cooler Weather Means an Increased Risk of Home Fires Annually, thousands of Americans lose their lives to fires, flames and smoke, according to the NSC. Exposure to fire, flame and smoke is the 6^th leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. The potential for home fire increases as temperatures drop. The winter months account for the most fire deaths, especially during the holidays.

Installing a smoke alarm is one of the most important things you can do to protect your family. FEMA says a working smoke alarms decreases your chances of dying in a fire by 50%. Test and clean your smoke alarms once a month and replace batteries annually. Replace smoke alarms once every 10 years. A few more tips:

· Keep an eye on the location of portable heaters they start fires

· Keep combustibles a safe distance away from fireplaces

· Do not let candles burn unattended

· Be sure not to overload extension cords

· Buy an extinguisher for the house and keep it charged up

· Make sure heating pads and blankets are in good condition or replace them

Source: National Safety Council

Time again to think about Cold weather Hazards!

-Keep your home Safe.

Portable and fixed space heaters, including wood stoves, cause a disproportionate share of home fire deaths. Keep combustibles away from heat sources. 　Space heaters are involved in one-quarter of home heating fires, but three-quarters of home heating fire deaths.

-Winter clothing poses additional risk.

Coveralls, jackets, gloves can all pose additional hazards. Gloves cause you to lose dexterity and also pose hazards around pinch points. Insulated coveralls can be dangerous if zippers and straps are left undone. Jackets pose similar hazards of getting caught by moving parts if not zipped up.

But not wearing additional clothing can result in frost bite, so dress smart and keep extra clothes or blankets in your car.

-Equipment hazards

. Conveyor belts shrink up which can cause more material run off; mobile equipment needs time to warm up; windows and lights can get covered in snow, ice or mud which reduces visibility. Access ladders, stairways and walkways can become very slippery, so use handrails.

Use caution when conditions warrant - Better Safe than Sorry!

-Getting to work

. Think SAFETY! Give your car/pickup time to warm up, scrape the windows. Allow extra time for wet/icy conditions and inexperienced drivers…the frequecy of auto accidents increases as the weather deteriorates. If it snows, remove the snow from the vehicle (including the bumper; snow can block head and tail lights). Have you winterized your vehicle yet? Check your antifreeze, tires, wipers, fluids, belts, etc.

INSPIRATION - Before you can inspire the emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe. Winston Churchill

Numbers from the BLS

1.2　million – Number of work-related cases requiring days away from work (lost time) 87 – Percentage of the injuries that occurred during the normal (Mon-Fri) work week66 – Percentage of lost time cases involving men65 – Percentage of total lost time injuries that occurred between 8 am and 4 pm62 – Percentage of the days away from work that were related to back injuries 60 – Percentage of injuries involving workers aged 20-44 40 – Percentage of injuries that were the result of a strain or sprain34 – Percentage of injuries involving the trunk (including the back and shoulders)30 – Percentage of cases involving musculoskeletal disorders20 – Percentage of total lost time injuries that occurred between 4 pm and 12 am 7 – The median number of days missed