June is National Safety Month The theme for the 10th Annual National Safety Month is “Making our world a safer place.” Each week of National Safety Month has a specific target to aid in the focus of your efforts for keeping you and your family safe. Workplace safety includes ergonomics, personal protective equipment, lifting safety, and falls in the workplace. Workplace safety is trying to make employees more knowledgeable about the dangers in the workplace and how to avoid unnecessary ailments due to mishandling objects. The American Academy of Family Physicians has asked a number of questions to consider before lifting objects at work in order to help prevent back injuries. • Have you checked the object before you try to lift? • Is the load you want to life packed correctly? • Is it easy to grip this load? • Is it easy to reach this load? • What’s the best way to pick up an object? • How can I avoid back injuries? Falls in the workplace are creating a larger problem for companies than expected. In 1997, workplace falls were at a record high according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Workplace falls caused 715 fatalities and 313,335 nonfatal injuries in 1997, causing work absences. Work absences due to falls can cause a large problem in the household, not being able to take care of the children, or losing income due to the amount of time taken to recuperate. Driving safety is based on driving behaviors. One hundred and fifteen people are killed in motor vehicle crashes each day. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death of Americans, age 4 to 33. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons developed the following safety guidelines: • Wear safety belts • Don’t drink and drive • Obey traffic safety rules • Drive defensively • Keep your vehicle in good mechanical condition Twenty-nine percent of all United States drivers do not use safety belts. In 2001, safety belts saved more than 12,000 lives. In fatal crashes, 75% of passengers who were totally ejected were killed. Emergency preparedness focuses on emergency preparedness workplace and home. This week will include information on preparing for natural disasters within the home or workplace, emergency routes that should be prepared, and how to act when an emergency does occur. Home and Community safety includes indoor air quality, falls in the home, poisoning prevention, and fire prevention. Indoor air quality affects many millions of Americans a year. Twenty million Americans, 6.3 million being children, are affected by asthma. Other indoor air quality problems are mold, radon, and cigarette smoke. Falls in the home are becoming a serious hazard to everyone’s health. Ways in which to make the house easier to move around without causing obstacles are: • Keep electrical and telephone cords out of walkways • Arrange furniture to provide pathways • Keep the home clutter free • Clean up water right away • Keep a night light on With more than 2 million poisonings being reported to Poison Control Centers each year, more the 90% are found to occur in the home. Non-fatal poisonings are typically found in children under 6, and poisonings are one of the major causes of death among adults. The national toll-free number to contact if you believe someone has been poisoned by medicine or a household chemical is 1-800-222-1222. The National Fire Protection Association claimed that in 2003, 80% of fires in the United States occurred in the home, causing 3,925 deaths. Someone dies from a home fire about every 134 minutes in the United States. Smoke is responsible for three out of four deaths. One-fourth of all fire-deaths of children are from fires started by children. Never leave cooking unattended as it is the leading cause of kitchen fires. Visit these websites for more valuable information. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons