August, 2014 Safety Topics

1. August, 2014 Safety Topics Highway Work Zone Safety – Yours and Theirs! Heat & Humidity Hurricane Season Reminders Defensive Driving Summer Safety Reading

2. Work Zone Ahead! • When you see these signs, pay extra attention. • AIM HIGH in steering and back it down a bit. Leave extra following distance. LOOK for signs of slowdown ahead. Be prepared to STOP! • Be alert for unusual conditions, such as DUST, loose stones, mud, other impairments. • Trucks entering or leaving the work zone can cause dangerous slowing of traffic. Be alert for this. Use emergency flashers to warn other drivers. Look for strobe lights. • When workers are directly adjacent to your travel lane, try to hug the opposite side of your lane - give them some extra room. • Night work – extra alertness required. Fatigue and impairment hazards increase. A lot of people don’t sleep so well, let alone during the daytime. So pay more attention. • Fines may be higher for speeding in a work zone. A lot of fatalities had to happen to pass this law. Think. Slow down in and around work zones.

3. Heat & Humidity = Mid-Atlantic Summer • You’re right, it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. It will multiply the effects of heat. Think this through. On a hot DRY day, you are less likely to be hammered by heat. • On a hot HUMID day, you’d best be making some adjustments for outdoor work schedule. Most of our work is less than time or mission critical, the message is: ‘don’t push it’. Weather changes. Wait for things to cool down. • Hydration, diet, sleeping pattern, work schedule, general state of health, medications, etc. are all factors affected in high heat. • When possible, set up large volume fans to move air for a cooling effect. Avoid direct sun exposures. Wear a hat. Cover bare skin. Intake hydrating beverage . Avoid marathon performances. • Be aware of the cardio-vascular load you create with strenuous activity. For most of us it’s actually a good stress workout. For folks in borderline health, it can result in a 911 call. • Serve ice cold watermelon at breaks. It’s a miracle drug for the heat.

4. Hurricane Season Until Columbus Day • Fact - most death and injury occur AFTER a storm than during it. • Falls, electrocutions and chain saw injuries are the top three. Asphyxiation from generators is also a danger. • Stay in protected areas during the storm. Big stuff will forcefully blow around. • Prepare a simple emergency kit for the power outage. Think: kids, pets, water • Plan for basic hygiene needs in case of loss of water (i.e. fill up a bathtub or other water supply to manually flush toilets) • Buy an extra propane bottle for the grill. • If the roof is blown off, you are not going to help matters by falling through the hole. If a tree is down, there’s a lot of spring tension energy in the limbs. Using a chain saw on this mess is equal to asking for reconstructive limb re-attachment. • There is a huge increase in stress associated with a hurricane, before, during and after. This affects people, pets, wildlife, nature. Take things slowly during recovery. Plan a little bit for some basic comforts for a few days until normalcy returns and you should be ok.

5. Defensive Driving (AGAIN!) • Best Practices: • Daytime Running Lights * Leave 4 second following distance • Protect your REAR * Caution around intersections • Avoid congested parking lots * All occupants buckled in • Minimize distractions/ no texting * Avoid over-use of tinted glasses • Pedestrians, bikes, kids: yield, slow, stop * Select safest route • Avoid night driving * Watch for impaired drivers • Stay well rested * Avoid marathon drives • Check your rig, tires & air pres. * Only carry what you need • On long trips, try to balance your vehicle’s weight distribution. Roof-top and rear bumper loading may affect center of gravity. Be aware of wind displacement in extreme conditions, sharp turns, sudden stops, etc. • There are a lot of safety features on new vehicles. Consider a rental if your rig is not quite suited to the trip & comfort. Trucks, vans, SUV’s ride high, offer better driver viewing, with more cargo capacity and stability. • Stay well away from large vehicles, 18 wheelers, etc. • Number One Defensive Rule- Leave a lot of room between you & what’s ahead!!

6. Summer Safety Reading “Don’t Try This at Home” • Last month the NY Times featured a "Do's & Don'ts" article on safety and preventing injuries at home. It was interesting reading. One of the contributors was an ER doctor from Los Angeles named Brady Pregerson. • This young doc treats so many preventable injuries that he decided to write a couple of booklets about how to avoid preventable injuries and illnesses. It's a brief and entertaining read. • A lot of bad accidents occur at home, in travel, to kids, to elders, to just plain folks bumbling along. • Two booklets, lots of direct advice on how to avoid a trip to the Emergency Dept., straight from a doc who has seen a lot of needless misery. • GotSafety.org is Dr. Pregerson's website where you can get more information on these two books or find a link to the Kindle version of one of them.  Reading & heeding this wisdom is probably the most cost-effective insurance policy ever invented!