Tidbits Week 35

This week the tidbits did not get out as planned. Locally, we have had a run of bad luck. E. coli has taken the life of a wonderful young man, here in NE Oklahoma, and made many more of us sick. Good health is a blessing that too many of us take for granted. I, myself, am one of those who had forgotten that good health is a gift from our creator. I will recover in another 5 days, but I will never forget the experience. My simple words for this week are Count your blessings every day. Live for the moment. Tell family members and friends how much they mean to you and be thankful for a wonderful life in the best country in the world.

I strongly believe that we can get to zero. Zero on-the-job fatalities for an entire year. Once we meet that goal we will push for Zero in Ten. A decade of zero fatalities. We can do it but it requires a change in the way people think.

Charles G. Koch talks about his goal of 10,000% committment to safety, which was a new concept to me. I did a little research and must say what a concept! I love it!! Mr. Koch is simply saying that we need 100% of employees committed to safety 100% of the time and that gets us to a 10,000% committment to safety. Lee Iacocoa recently wrote a book entitled, "Where have all the leaders gone"...well I can tell you where one leader is...he is leading Koch Industries, the largest privately held company in the world.

In my humble opinion, employees are looking for two things in their job. First, they want to have a position where they feel they are doing some meaningful work. And second, they want to work for a leader with a vision. We all want to see how we fit into the puzzle. Once employees know they matter, they will perform as expected. Helping employees see WHY safety is important will increase their committment to Safety. Management must prepare all employees for success or face the consequences. Managers must understand that nobody wants to fail, however if not provided with the tools of success, employees may fall through the cracks. Supervisors and managers take note...the success or failure of your people depends on YOU! Keep safety in the forefront and keep the lines of communication open! Success is within reach, if we all do our part.

Where there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs. 29:18

Safety Tidbits 8/18/08

Beware of the Unlicensed Driver
132,000 – The number of citations issued to unlicensed drivers in California last year.
10’s of 1000’s – The estimated number of illegal drivers in New York State alone.
117 – The number of driving-related deaths each day in America…117 deaths daily!
50 – The percent by which Oregon was able to reduce the number of illegal driving arrests by impounding vehicles of the offenders
20 – The percent of fatal crashes that involve a driver without a proper drivers’ license

A few tidbits about the almighty Greenback
1792 – The year Congress established the dollar as the monetary unit of the United States
1861 – The year Congress authorizes printing of paper money to fund the Civil War
1869 – The year George Washington makes his first appearance on the dollar bill
1929 – The year the size of U.S. currency is reduced by 30 percent
1944 – The U.S. dollar becomes the world currency for international trade.
1955 – As a Cold War statement, Congress orders ‘In God We Trust’ to appear on all paper currency. (See that actually do something right every once in a while)
1969 – The year the hundred dollar bill became the largest denomination available, as circulation of the $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 ceased.
1971 – The year President Nixon took the dollar off the gold standard (Reason: foreigners now held more U.S. paper currency than the U.S Government had in gold bullion)
04.22.08 – The day the dollar hit an all time low. 1 Euro = $1.60 USD

MSHA (and OSHA) is not ‘The Answer’
How many times have you heard someone say‘that is not an MSHA(OSHA) rule so we shouldn’t have to do it’ or ‘MSHA needs to hold employees accountable and fine them or nothing will ever change’?
News flash – the MSHAct will not be changing anytime soon and that is a good thing! We (managers, supervisors and employees) are the ones responsible for following and enforcing safety rules (MSHA regulations and more importantly company policies).

Remember: MSHA and OSHA are bottom line programs…employers must build from there. Employees must understand why companies have rules that are more stringent that those enforced by the state and/or federal government. It is to protect them!

Supervisors and managers need to make sure all employees (and contractors) are following applicable safety policies or be prepared to face the consequences. We all need to: Stop blaming MSHA and Start doing our jobs. Then we will get to ZERO! Ask yourself…
WWJWD --- What would John Wayne Do? (Hint: he’d do the right thing, and so shou YOU!).
Stop the Fatalities! 30 miners have already lost their lives this year…
Don’t you think it’s time to Step up and Speak out for Safety!

‘It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do.’ -John Baptiste Moliére

Heart Health

WEEK 34 – THINK HEART HEALTH* (before it’s too late!)
America's No. 1 Killer is Heart Disease - more than 910,000 Americans die of heart disease annually. But people aren't scared enough of heart disease, says a top U.S. research cardiologist.
"We have bypass surgery and stents and drugs that work; so the mortality rates are declining."
It's true that U.S. heart disease deaths overall are down. From 1993 to 2003, cardiovascular disease death rates dropped 22.1 percent. Still more than 70 million Americans live every day with some form of heart disease, which can include high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, angina (chest pain), heart attack and congenital heart defects.

Wake Up America, You’re Older than You Think
"We're just on the front end of the baby boomer epidemic, where the projections on the amount of cardiovascular disease are climbing steadily over the next 10 years," he said.
"We're delaying the disease, but we're not preventing it," said Dr. Steven Nissen, president of the American College of Cardiology.

5 Things You Can Do
-Eat more fiber and good fat – Choose fats that are high in Omega-3 (soluble fats like those from barley. Stay away from trans fats. Eat more fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains, and low-mercury fish like salmon, trout and sardines. The best oils to use are canola, olive, safflower and soybean,
-Cut back on cholesterol and salt – If you have elevated LDL levels try to consume less than 200 milligrams daily. And anyone with high blood pressure can reduce their risk of a heart attack by 25% just by cutting back on sodium. A good goal is less than 2,300 mg/day, which is about one teaspoon.
-Lose the gut – Carrying extra weight in your mid-section raises blood pressure, affects blood lipids, causes insulin resistance and can inflame the arteries The critical point for women is 35 inches and for men it is 40 inches (regardless of height). Read on…it will take some work!
-Exercise 3-5 times a week, 20-30 minutes each time (get that heart rate up, but if you’re out of shape talk to your doctor first. A combination of aerobic exercises and strengthening exercises is the best way to go.
-Know the signs and symptoms – Symptoms are warning signs…wait too long and you will have a Heart Attack.
· Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
· Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort: in one or both arms; the back; neck; jaw; or, stomach.
· Shortness of breath. May occur with or without chest discomfort.
· Other signs: These may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness
‘Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will - his personal responsibility.’