Transcript AUGUST SAFETY TIPS

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