January 2011
Slips, Trips, and Fall Prevention
Slips, trips, and falls are among the most common
of school employee accidents. Next to traffic
accidents, falls kill more people than any other kind
of accident. Two of the most common causes of
slips and falls are slippery walking surfaces, and
uneven walking surfaces, such as cracked or
deteriorated concrete.
Preventing injuries is everyone’s responsibility!
Every step you take holds the potential for injury if
you are preoccupied. Stay alert and attentive to
what you are doing and where you are going.
The administration is responsible for the
implementation of policies and procedures that will
prevent injuries and each student and staff member
is responsible for following those policies and
procedures to ensure hazards are reported
immediately, areas are cleaned up, and everyone
stays safe.
Staff working in areas such as the kitchen or
maintenance areas and bus personnel should
always wear proper nonslip footwear. Always use a
stepladder when applicable and report any hazards
immediately.
Slip, trip, and fall hazards are prevalent throughout
school facilities. Don’t let yourself become a
statistic. Help make our school districts safe from
hazards. Develop the skills to recognize, avoid, and
control slip, trip, and fall hazards and take care of
them BEFORE someone gets hurt.
And the Winner of the IPod Is?
Out of 253 people taking 1299 safety modules over
a 4 month period of time, Tammy McHatton from
Golden Valley School District was our
winner. Congratulations Tammy on a
great Job!
The Four Most Common Headache Triggers
And How To Beat Them
If you get headaches often, you’re probably focused on
getting rid of the pain, but the key is to know what
causes them. Here are the four most common headache
triggers and how to beat them, courtesy of Health.com.
1. Stress. Studies show that 80 percent of all
migraines are caused by stress, which can lead
to pain and nausea. It can also make you clench
your jaw and neck muscles, causing tension
headaches. The fix: Find a way to relax,
whether you try meditation, deep breathing,
yoga, or massage.
2. Hormones. The dip in estrogen during a
woman’s monthly cycle, or menopause – or
peaks during pregnancy. The fix: take an overthe-counter medication like ibuprofen during
the last couple days of your cycle.
3. Cologne & perfume. The nerve responsible for
sensations in the face is also connected to the
lining of your nose. When you detect a
disturbing smell, the nerve releases chemicals
that can produce headaches. The fix: Avoid
using perfume or scented cleaning products,
soaps, or candles.
4. Bright Light from fluorescent bulbs and
computer glare. Your best bet: Switch to
incandescent bulbs, which don’t have the
almost imperceptible flicker of fluorescent
bulbs. Place a nonglare screen over your
computer. Hang up pictures to absorb the
excess light.
January 2011
Five Things You Shouldn’t Be Afraid Of
Fear is the #1 thing that holds us back – from getting a
new job, to asking someone out, to moving forward in
life. Courage is being afraid and acting anyway. So here
are five things it’s foolish to be afraid of. We got this from
Rodale publishing.
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Ignorance. The best way to appear smart
when you feel dumb is to ask intelligent
questions. Being clueless is only a temporary
condition. So don’t be afraid to say to your boss,
“I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” Or to a friend, “I’ve
never heard of that. Tell me about it. ” You won’t
seem dumb; you’ll seem honest and interested.
Don’t be afraid of mirrors. Enjoy the
person you are instead of lamenting the one you
aren’t.
Also, don’t be afraid of positivity.
Cynicism and sarcasm are easy. It requires no
effort to be negative, but people who keep
trying, who push through the hard times, and
who can see the silver lining will beat cynicism
every time.
Loss. Here’s a simple truth. Dads and dogs
will die. Opponents will win. Your favorite sports
team will fail, but loving then losing means
you’re playing the game.
The final thing you shouldn’t fear: Failure.
Failure is actually a sign of progress, because if
you’re not failing that means you’re not trying
anything new. Remember that that which does
not kill you only makes you stronger.
Never Pick Up Rodents On The Playground!
In recent months, we have received numerous incidents
involving students bitten by mice and rats. Please take
a moment to remind students never to pick up any kind
of rodent on the playground so as to prevent rodent
bites.
Hurry Up Can Hurt
Sports cars speeding over race tracks are marked with
racing stripes. People speeding through tasks on the job
are marked with cuts, bruises and bandages. In just
about every instance, hurrying on the job does not do
much to increase productivity. When we hurry on the
job, the only thing we really accomplish is increasing our
chances of an unsafe act happening.
Below are a few “hurry up” scenarios. Have you been
guilty of any of the following?
 Did not wear safety glasses because the job
should only take a few minutes
 Used the wrong ladder because the proper one
was too far away
 Did not use proper lockout procedures because
you could fix it yourself
 Took a shortcut between machinery or
stockpiles of materials
 Used a wrench instead of a hammer because
your hammer was located across the room
 Cut the grounding prong off a three-way ground
wire plug because you didn’t have an adapter
 Removed a guard to repair your machine and
did not put it back
 Reached “just a little bit farther” on the ladder
so you did not have to climb all the way down
and move it
 Did not unplug a power tool before making
adjustments because you would only have to
plug it in again
 Used a dull saw blade for just one more cut
 Climbed up the side of a bin instead of getting a
ladder
 Did not slow down at a blind corner because
you had never seen anyone there before
Sometimes when you hurry, nothing bad happens and
other times there may be near misses. But eventually, a
serious injury will occur. Is it really worth your eyesight,
your limbs, or even your life to save those few minutes?
For Safety’s Sake, Slow Down
January 2011
Jumbled Word Contest
Simple Routines to Help You Live Longer
You don’t need to overhaul your life to improve your
health. Here’s a list of simple routines you can follow to
live a longer, healthier life. They come from our friend
Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of the “Dr. Oz Show.”
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Routine #1: Never skip breakfast. Breakfast
eaters tend to be skinnier and healthier than
people who rush out the door. Why? Because
breakfast jump-starts your metabolism, and the
more fiber you eat in the morning, the less
hungry you’ll be after lunch – when people tend
to gorge on fatty sweets. So, aim to eat what
Dr. Oz eats: a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal, mixed
with raisins or walnuts.
Routine #2: Keep a medical history journal.
Accurate health information can do more to
keep you healthy than hiring the best doctors!
So, Dr. Oz recommends keeping a daily written
journal of your medical history. Or consider
storing it online, using a service like Google
Health, or Microsoft Health Vault. That way,
you’ll have access to your medical files even if
you’re away from home.
Routine #3: Lower your daily food intake by
100 calories. Dr. Oz says forget fad diets to lose
weight. You simply need to eat less of the food
you already eat. By cutting just 100 calories a
day, you’ll lose about 10 pounds in a year. Over
time, that’ll also reset your appetite, so you
won’t crave as much food.
Routine # 4: Anytime you feel stressed, take a
deep breath. However, instead of breathing
through your mouth, inhale through your nose.
Dr. Oz says the back of your nose contains nitric
oxide, a natural chemical which helps open up
blood vessels and improve blood flow. That’ll
rush more oxygen to your brain, making you
feel happier while calming your nerves.
Routine #5: Learn Yoga. Studies have shown
that yoga eases stress, lowers blood pressure,
and increases muscle flexibility. That’s
important because flexible muscles will reduce
your risk of injury as you age, which is why Dr.
Oz practices yoga every day, at the age of 50.
Y E A S T F
A Y P S
T F G I
D R A C S
COFFEE CONTEST
Congratulations to Sherry Reynolds, from
Mariposa County Unified School District, who
won last month’s contest.
If you’d like a chance to win, decode each line above to
come up with this month’s safety slogan and e-mail it
to: Jennifer Dervin, [email protected]. A drawing
will be held on Monday, January 17th. You could be
our next winner for a $20 coffee gift card. Good Luck!
Interesting Health & Safety Facts
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About 3.9 million employees are disabled at
work in any given year.
One work-related injury occurs every eight
seconds.
Fire kills more Americans each year than ALL
other natural disasters combined.
Nature requires over five years to get rid of a
cigarette butt.
The energy needed to make one
new aluminum can makes 20
recycled ones.
About 8 out of every 10 adults will have a back
injury in their lives.
On average, about 400 people die from excess
heat (heat stroke) each year.
Occupational skin diseases cost $1 billion
annually in workers’ compensation claim costs.
Of the 42,000 traffic fatalities in recent years,
41 percent were alcohol related.