The National Safety Council is the organizer of “June – National Safety Month”. This year’s theme is “Safety 24/7”, because the National Safety Council says, “injuries and deaths off the job greatly outnumber those on the job.”
That is a pretty frightening thought; however, if you think back, you may remember some close calls you have already had this year. Maybe you started daydreaming while driving, and ventured a little too far into another lane on the road. Maybe you thought you could do that one text while driving, only to look up to another close call. Did you do something at work, that could have hurt someone else, or yourself? This could be a good time to focus on staying safe, both at home, work, or play.
There is a different safety focus for each week in June. Week #1 is Employee Wellness and PALA+ Challenge. (PALA stands for the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award Plus challenge. PALA+ is designed for anyone who wants to improve ones lifestyle by eating healthier and exercising more. Employers will be showing their commitment to their employees’ health and safety by starting this program up. It’s just common-sense that by eating well and exercising, we all feel better. What better time to start exercising either at work, or after work than now? Many industries offer fitness centers for their employees to utilize. Exercise and proper diet are important to every individual that desires to get healthy and stay that way.
Week #2 is focusing on Ergonomics. This is the science of fitting the job to the worker by designing tasks and furnishing equipment to suit the capability of each worker. The secret is to prevent injury before it occurs. Those workers in the healthcare field who are constantly lifting and assisting patients come to mind when thinking of ergonomics. Also, those who work in warehouses, or office workers require proper ergonomics training. Sitting at a desk all day requires proper posture, lighting, and ergonomically correct furniture.
Week #3 focus is on Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls. Falls are one of the most common injuries in the workplace. Falls usually result from a slip or trip. Housekeeping is essential to protecting workers by keeping obstacles out of the walkways, furnishing good lighting, and mopping and waxing floors when workers are away from the work area. Loose carpet or rugs, and poorly placed electric cords have also been known to cause nasty falls.
(One more thing about falls: recently, an elderly man we know fell and lay on the floor all night, until his daughter checked on him the next day. He couldn’t reach his cell phone and wasn’t wearing a call-alert button. If you know someone who stays at home alone, please see that they get this life-saving device that can immediately summon someone to help.)
Last, but not least: Week #4 is “Driving Safely!” How on earth to we get the message across to drivers to be safe? It seems that we all truly want to be careful drivers, yet when we get behind the wheel, our personalities change! (Maybe not all, but some of us!) We just published an article about “Click It or Ticket” – these officers mean business about fastening that seatbelt. They also are very serious if a driver is caught drinking while driving or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. There’s several culprits that contribute to distracted driving, especially cell phones. Please, don’t text and drive! Surely you have time to share that conversation through text or talk after you get home! Please, for the safety of others on the road, do the right thing and turn the phone off. The last thing my husband instructs me to do before I leave for a road trip alone is to Drive Defensively, as he has always said you never know what the other person is going to do.
We hope you will use this information to keep yourselves and others safe. We have wrapped up National Safety Month in one article; however, all these subjects we have written about or will continue to in future posts. Texas America Safety Company and Blog4Safety are dedicated to helping keep you safe.
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