Safety Handouts: How to Safely Install a Car Seat
Automobile accidents are not rare, and even the most careful of drivers can encounter mishap on the roads. Because the occurrence of car accidents can not exactly be reduced, many companies have gone the extra mile to develop additional safety features in the automobiles they design. Furthermore, since children are to be given special attention when it comes to road safety, it is very important for parents to have car seats installed for their kids.
A good car seat can have varying price tags, special features, additional attachments, and the like, stuff that can make selection a bit of a challenge. But in choosing a car seat for your child, keep in mind that it is an investment worth making. Factors you may need to consider are the type of seatbelts on them, the modes of attachment for your car, and the age and weight limits of the car seat. The features such as toys and accessories to keep your child busy are only secondary.
Once you have purchased your car seat, what should be done? If you need a little help, here are some tips on how to safely install a car seat.
1. Car seats are always installed in the back seat, never in the passenger side next to the driver. This is because the airbags, when activated, can cause injury to children.
2. Read the package instructions carefully. Do not try to improvise with putting the belts together if you are not sure. Doing so can result in tangling or injury.
3. If your child is a year old or below, infant car seats are installed facing the rear. For children above the specified weight range, car seats can be facing the front of the car. Some car seats for larger children do not have their own belts, so you use your car’s seat belts to secure your child, these are called booster seats.
4. Ensure that you have placed the car seat flat on your car’s back seat. Do not place any item under it. As you secure it with your car’s seat belts, ensure that everything is buckled tightly. You may have to jiggle the car seat several times to be sure that it is secured.
Always inform your child how important it is to be placed in the car seat. Consider these safety tips when installing your child’s car seat, so you as parents can be worry-free and have safe, enjoyable drives with the rest of the family.
Source: http://www.brunkco.com/
February 17, 2009 No Comments
Safety Handouts: Swimming Pool Safety, Get it Right!
Swimming is an exciting and fun activity that any one of any age can do. Especially when summer draws near people start to anticipate and dream about spending days beside the pool. Whether or not you are lucky enough to have your own pool or you regularly visit the local centre or even go abroad, there are various safety precautions you must take, both for your self and your family. As you do not want a day of fun to end up being a day of hell.
There are a few basic safety tips that you should know before you go for a swim, especially if you have kids by your side. Firstly you should never leave kids that are around the pool unattended, they should always be under supervisory guidance. I say this because even though a child may be a good swimmer it only takes a mouthful of water before they start to panic and lose control. It would also be a wise idea to learn a few CPR techniques, so if the worst does occur you could be potentially saving a child’s or adult’s life.
Secondly kids are very mischievous they can be gone in an instant, so if you have a pool of your own I would get some sort or barricade, so that they simply cannot access the pool while you are not around. It would also be a great idea to get a sensor alarm fitted so that if they do somehow manage to get through the locked apparatus, you will be warned by the alarm sirens.
Next you should not leave pieces of luggage or items around the pool area; this is a very dangerous hazard. As any one could come running along totally oblivious to the item on the floor and trip over, hit there heads and fall into the pool.
Finally you should never have the influence of alcohol around a swimming pool. The reason for this is that when people have had one too many to drink, they believe they are invincible and do life threatening stunts around the pool. So many times have people been injured performing drunken stunts.
Remember to keep yourself and your kid’s safe around the pool. Swimming can be a fun activity for the whole family, but safety must always come first. If you think something looks hazardous or out of place I would stay very far away.
Source: http://www.brunkco.com/
February 16, 2009 1 Comment
Safety Handouts: How to Protect Your Children from Internet Predators
We’ve all heard of adults trying to contact children online to get sex. If you are a parent, what can you do to protect your children who use the Internet? Should you just not let them near a computer until they reach a certain age? While life may not hold the promises we would like, there are a lot of things you can do to protect your children. The dangers they need to be protected from can include pornography, sites that children may go to by accident, or out of curiosity; and sexual predators.
There are a lot of online tools which can provide valuable tools in protecting your children from both online pornography and sexual predators while they are using the Internet. There are blocking and filtering technologies designed to protect your children. There are also websites that counsel parents on how to supervise how your children while using the Internet. There are things you can teach your child to make him safer while he is on the Internet.
The makers of various types of blocking and filtering technologies claim their products protect users, including children, from harmful sites, spyware, privacy predators, and phishing. Some kinds of software are designed to protect Internet users, including children, while they are chatting or sending instant messages online. Some of the blocking and filtering technologies are even designed to protect from viruses.
One such website which offers such software is www.cyberpatrol.com. The company says its software can be used to restrict the amount of time a child spends on the Internet, the sites he visits, and to protect him or her from predators. A free trial is available, and the software costs $39.95.
Another company offers similar software at www.cybersitter.com. The company’s software allows you to monitor you child’s Internet activity, including chat sessions, IM’s, e-mail, and website visits. You can even see everything your children typed while online. The software can also block access to millions of objectionable sites and receive detailed logs of Internet use. The software is also $39.95 and can be installed online in a minute.
Another company is www.netnanny.com. It offers to help protect children from online porn, Internet predators, and to protect from viruses for $39.99 a year.
And lastly is Safe Eyes at www.internetsafety.com. This one also has the features the others have, but cost a little more at $49.95 a year. I personally use this one and it works well.
Experts say that while such blocking and filtering technology can be useful in protecting children from online pornography and sexual predators, the buyer is never in total control of what can and cannot be viewed. A buyer may even have limited knowledge of what information is available. Experts have also said that such technology often blocks educational material and may even block up to 90 % of decent Internet websites.
Another website, www.getnetwise.com, teaches parents about the risks kids face online, provides links to law enforcement agencies you might want to contact if there is a problem, gives safety tips for children using the Internet at different ages, links to Internet safety products, and lists family websites. It also tells how to use the privacy settings of popular social network sites, how to activate safety features in search engines, how to disable spyware, and gives other important information.
There are certain things you should tell your child never to do when he is using the Internet, such as give his age, name, or information about where he lives. He should not give out any information, even the city he lives in. He should know not only not to give out such information, but also not to lie about it. He should not tell his gender to anyone online.
Don’t ever let your child use a webcam when he is online. A potential predator could learn about your child’s age and gender. A potential thief could learn about things you own. A potential predator could also expose himself to your son or daughter.
There are many sexual predators out there, and there are many pornographic websites your child could visit unintentionally or out of curiosity, but there are a lot of things you can do to protect them.
Source: http://www.brunkco.com/
February 15, 2009 No Comments
Safety Handouts: How To Safely Assess Flood Damage
When assessing flood damage, it is important that you remain as safe as you possibly can. What could possibly be harmful when assessing flood damage? Well, it is actually largely in part to what it is flood damage can leave behind. This includes debris that is extremely dangerous, air quality that is well below par, and mold and mildew that can be very toxic and dangerous. With all of these things present, you have to be very careful to make sure you can assess the flood damage in the safest means possible.
Please read on for safety tips for yourself and your belongings when you are about to assess the extent of flood damage in your home or office.
Safety tips
When you assess flood damage, there are some safety tips that you can keep in mind. Those safety tips are:
* Wear fiber masks when going into an area with flood damage. This is so you don’t breathe in any toxic mold and other things that can be floating around in the air.
* Make sure you do not have children with you when you’re assessing flood damage. They can get hurt because kids get curious and want to see what is going on.
* Wear gloves because flood damage consists of many harmful things. You may run into rusty nails and other items that can severely injure you.
* Don’t wear shorts and short sleeves. Keep your skin covered as much as possible. This also includes wearing goggles to protect your eyes from anything that might be floating around in the air or can easily come in contact with your eyes.
* Wear steel toed boots because you don’t want anything loose in the flood damage to fall on your foot and break your toes. You don’t want to jam anything into your toes either.
* Don’t try to move anything that is heavier than what you can lift. If you do, then you can severely injure your back or other extremities. No one wants to have to be lying injured amongst flood damage. It’s hard to tell what could cause harm. Make sure you always do a team lift.
* Always test the flooring in front of you before putting your weight on it. You want to do this because you don’t want to fall through it. This is one of the things that flood damage is notorious for. All you have to do is put one foot in front of you and then keep increasing your weight until you have worked your way up to total body weight.
Another thing that is important about flood damage is that you just use common sense. Common sense can take a person to great heights, especially when taking flood damage into consideration. As stated before, flood damage means serious business, so you have to take it seriously. If you don’t, then you can become another one of those casualties, whether it is your life in the physical sense or in the emotional sense. So don’t underestimate flood damage.
Source: http://www.brunkco.com/
February 14, 2009 No Comments
Safety Handouts: 5 Tips For Grilling At Football Tailgate Parties
It’s that time of year again. Football season! Whether you love high school, college, or professional football, everybody loves a football tailgate party. Don’t let an accident ruin your fun. Keep these three safety tips in mind while you’re grilling and chilling.
1. Don’t leave the grill unattended, even for a moment. It may be tempting to go check on your friends two aisles down and see what they are cooking, but not at the risk of starting the back of your SUV on fire. The safety rules that apply for the backyard griller are even more important in the stadium parking lot, because of the density of people there.
2. Food safety is important, too. Bring paper plates so you can put the uncooked food on one plate, and then put the cooked food on a fresh plate. Wear disposable latex gloves when handling foods such as chicken that can cause contamination. Bring extra utensils, so again, you can handle the uncooked food with one utensil, then switch to a clean one when taking the food off the grill. Wash your hands frequently using liquid hand sanitizer.
3. Clean up as you go. Bring an extra plastic tub with a lid for the dirty cookware and utensils. Lock down the lid to minimize bugs and critters. Put disposable plates, glassware etc. immediately in a plastic bag and tote to the garbage bin. And of course dispose of any coals in the appropriate containers even if you’ve doused them with water.
4. Clean hands clean food. It’s tempting to relax the rules of wash your hands before you eat at a tailgate party but now is not the time to ignore safety. Both adults and children should make trip to the restroom for clean hands. If that’s not possible use a liberal dose of hand sanitizer. There are also disinfectant hand wipes that can be used.
5. Organize the tailgate party. A tailgate party is a little bit like camping, in that it takes practice to learn how to pack and unpack the car so there is room for both the uneaten food and you and your friends to get in the car and go home. Also, being organized will allow you to get to your seats by kickoff, and get out of the stadium lot before the worst of the deadlocked traffic occurs.
Make enough food so you can share with neighboring tailgaters. It’s really fun for tailgaters to sample each other’s cuisine. This can be a great way to make new friends, or even learn about some new dishes you may want to try. You might even want to offer food to the fans of the opposing team, in a gesture of good sportsmanship, before you go inside the stadium and watch your team totally annihilate theirs.
Source: http://www.brunkco.com/
February 13, 2009 1 Comment
Safety Handouts: 10 Tips For Using a Mobile Yard Ramp
Mobile yard ramps are used for the unloading of rear loading trucks and standard ISO containers, without the need for a permanent docking bay. Using a mobile yard ramp with a single forklift truck is far more efficient and less time consuming than using a pallet truck.
Mobile yard ramps often come equipped with safety features such as safety chains and wheel chocks, but extra care still needs to be taken to prevent accidents and injury. Ten safety issues that should be considered when using a mobile yard ramp include:
1. Mobile yard ramps are constructed of steel and designed to support heavy loads. But be careful not to exceed their maximum specified load capacity.
2. When unloading always use the chocks to prevent the yard ramp moving, even if the ground appears level. Never use the mobile yard ramp on a slope.
3. The ground beneath the mobile yard ramp must be solid, ideally concrete or tarmac. Do not use on grass even if the ground seems firm.
4. Extra care should be taken in adverse weather conditions such as frost and ice.
5. The lip plate of the mobile yard ramp must be securely connected to the rear of the container or truck. Attach the safety chains to prevent any movement.
6. Drive at a safe speed when towing the mobile yard ramp to a new location. Damage can be done to the legs if driven over bumps and potholes at excessive speed.
7. If the mobile yard ramp is stored outside check for signs of rust damage before use. Regular checks should always be made of the legs, wheels, lip plate and deck surface. Any damage must be immediately repaired before further use.
8. Check the level of the hydraulic fluid on yard ramps that use hydraulic operation to adjust their height. Always look for signs of leaking hydraulic fluid.
9. Do not use the mobile yard ramp to enter the back of the lorry or container when the forklift truck is in operation.
10. Do not extend the mobile yard ramp above its specified safe operating height.
Common sense is the best advice for using a mobile yard ramp. If the yard ramp is old or damaged it is better to be replaced than risk continuing to use it. Renting mobile yard ramps is becoming a popular practice as regular maintenance is often included in the rental rates. Chase Equipment can provide more advice about renting mobile yard ramps.
Source: http://www.brunkco.com/
February 12, 2009 No Comments
Safety Handouts: Power Tool For Around Your Home
You may feel confident using power tools around your home, but safety should still be a primary concern. Even experienced people can have serious accidents, so you should never skip even the most minor of safety precautions. By consistently following certain rules you can prevent many potential hazards that could harm you or your family.
The steps that should be followed are:
1. Read the instructions
When buying or borrowing a power tool, be sure to read all of the instructions carefully. Different brands and types of tools will have different safety regulations.
2. Maintain and check your power tools
Before you begin any project, be sure that your power tools have been regularly checked and any maintenance that is necessary, has been performed. A loose screw, drained battery, or rusty blade can cause serious damage on both your project materials and your body.
3. Dress for work
You wouldn’t arrive to the office in Bermuda shorts, so don’t pick up a drill while wearing pearls. Wear comfortably fitting clothing, goggles, ear plugs, Wand gloves when necessary. Loose shirts or accessories can get tangled in the power tools, causing damage to both you and the machine.
4. Work in an appropriate area
You sometimes might be limited in your workspace options, but it’s important to make sure the area is well-ventilated and as clean from debris as possible. Tripping or fainting while running a power tool will almost certainly lead to disaster.
5. Watch your cords
Electrical shocks are common hazards that can usually be avoided. To ensure electrical safety, don’t plug in too many devices into one outlet, stay away from moisture, use tools with double electrical insulation, and keep them wires from getting tangled. You don’t want to get snagged on a wire and go face first into your project.
6. Turn it off
Always turn off your power tools when not in use, and unplug them if they will be unused for a long period of time. Even if you’re just going to set it down momentarily, it needs to be switched off. A power tool in motion can leave a destructive trail.
7. Be prepared for the worst
No matter how cautious you are, accidents will happen. Having a telephone with preprogrammed emergency numbers and a first aid kit can help you out of a difficult situation. Make sure that your first aid kit includes more than just band-aids. Alcohol wipes, hydrogen peroxide, gauze, medical tape, tweezers, soap, scissors, and plastic gloves are all necessities.
8. Educate your children
Very young children should not be allowed near power tools and they should be stored and locked in a safe place. Teenagers should be taught safety tips early if they will be allowed to use power tools. Even with safety training, they should always be supervised closely.
A little slip is all it takes to cause some serious damage. By always following safety rules, most accidents can be avoided and risks greatly reduced. The more knowledgeable you are about your tools and how they work, the better shape you’ll be in.
Source: http://www.brunkco.com/
February 11, 2009 No Comments
Safety Handouts: Toys For Your Baby/Toddler
Choosing the most safe toys for your child is very important. It’s hard to tell when they are ready for a toy upgrade, and even then how much of an upgrade to give is still a question. Remember within the first few years of your child’s life it is extremely important to keep them in constant supervision during play time no matter how safe their toys are.
Starting on the first 12 months you want to consider your baby will have an awareness of sound, motion, and colorful toys. Also keep in mind they might occasionally try to fit toys in their mouth so sanitation and size play the biggest roles early on. Some ideas on toys are solid large-top rattles, bigger squeak toys, and hanging colorful and mobile objects, such as little toy stars, above their crib just out of reach to avoid any incidents. Such toys to avoid at this age include small-top rattles, any small toys in general, and any toys that have any small possible parts that may break off that may cause an incident.
After the first year keep in mind that this is the time of possibly reckless mobility and more curiosity. You can now start introducing larger push-pull toys now they most likely understand it by now. Your child can now work with take apart toys with all large pieces of course. And play blocks are fine as long as they have well rounded corners for safety precautions.
Between the years of 2-4 your child will grow even more curious so safety is still a factor but now you can introduce some slightly more complex toys. Simple musical instruments are a big hit with children during this age just keep in mind the small parts rule. They can understand easy jigsaw puzzles, blocks with numbers and letters, and peg boards. At this point it is best to still stay away from any electrical toys until after age 4. Even at this point make sure the toy is battery operated only with no plugs or wires at all.
After 4 years of age it’s a good idea to let your child to try out board and card games along with activity books and picture books. They can start playing with riding toys such as low wagons or non electrical toy cars. Whenever you decide to introduce the tricycle make sure that the seats are low-slung and use them in the safety of your backyard. Make sure that the riding toys are very sturdy and well put together before your child begins to play with them.
Between all these years general safety tips include: stay away from miniature toys or toys with small break of parts, make all toys have well rounded edges, and make sure all equipment is sturdy and well put together. Once again constant supervision during playtime is critical towards the safety of your child.
Source: http://www.brunkco.com/
February 10, 2009 No Comments
Safety Handouts:Basic Workout Safety Cannot Be Understated
Basic workout safety is always a must. Whether you are a body builder or just an average Joe, you must follow certain safety tips. Especially if you are just an average exerciser, as you may be more vulnerable to that broken bone or strained muscle.
First of all, be sure to stretch all your muscles. Never overexert yourself, fifteen minutes of stretching and fifteen minutes of exercise is a good routine to go with as a beginner. After all, most of us are just average Joes, not Hercules.
Do not try to cram three days worth of workouts into one hour, as you will not see the results you want. You will only succeed in lying flat on your back for three days, and looking in the mirror with disgust, while hobbling to the bathroom!
That method has been tried and proven! Always remember an unsafe workout is an injury waiting to happen.
One of the main things to remember is always drink fluids. Water is always the best, even if you think it should have a “Mr. Yuk” symbol on it. The flavored sports drinks are okay for workouts longer than an hour, running long distances, or long bike rides because they contain carbohydrates and minerals.
So, if you are not a big fan of water, and you want to workout, you will have to suck it up and drink it. After all, being well hydrated does improve your performance. Remember to keep drinking water before and after your workout, too.
Another thing to remember is always use safety equipment. Wearing safety equipment can be compared to wearing your seatbelt, nobody wants to do it until someone gets hurt or killed. Even then, people tend to have the “that won’t happen to me” syndrome.
You don’t send your kids out there without a helmet. Better yet, you don’t tell your kids to go talk strangers or accept candy from them do you? So, if you don’t do that to your kids don’t do it to yourself!
There is always safety in numbers, therefore if you choose to walk, run, or ride a bike try to take someone with you. If you ride a bike try to find someone who also rides a bike, because they more than likely would not want to run along side your bike.
If you must go by yourself, be careful, don’t go out there announcing you are by yourself and vulnerable. Try to bring something with you for protection like pepper spray and a cell phone.
To sum it all up, always remember these five things:
1. Always stretch your muscles before exercising.
2. Do not overexert yourself.
3. Always drink fluids, before, during, and after exercise.
4. Always use safety equipment.
5. There is always safety in numbers.
Source: http://www.brunkco.com/
February 9, 2009 No Comments
Safety Handouts for5 Steps to Internet for Kids
While the Internet has certainly brought a wealth of information, convenience and has a made the world a much smaller place, the Internet has its liabilities and especially so for children and teens. The responsibility of protecting children from online dangers lies with parents. There are several steps you can take to provide Internet safety for kids.
One solution, which many choose, is to completely restrict their children from using the Internet. This solution is not always the best option. One, the Internet is here to stay, it is an important part of everyday life, and its use is a skill that is often required by schools and in the work place. Also, if you just tell your kids that they cannot have or use then Internet then you eliminate the opportunity to teach them how to use it safely. So, if they do use it when they are away from you, at a friends house or school then they will not have the tools they need to stay safe. Having talks and discussions with children about the risks is important, and as a parent you should set certain limits give them the information they need to stay safe and keep the conversation open in regards to Internet safety.
The following are 5 hands-on steps you can take to teach, limit and restrict children while they are online and therefore provide Internet safety for your kids.
5 Steps to Internet Safety for Kids: First of all have a conversation with your kids. Explain to them, in as much detail as their age will allow some of the dangers that exist online. For example, that strangers in chat rooms, are just that, strangers. That they should never agree to meet anyone, give out their names, phone numbers, address etc. The same conversation that you had with them about not talking to strangers applies even more so when online, so use that and extend it further. Please remember that most of these steps will only apply to computers you have at home. When your children are away from you they will have access to other computers and that is when those conversations will be the guidance that ensures their safety.
Secondly, there is software available, which can help to protect your children from any content that is not appropriate for them. Software like, Microsoft Windows Vista Parental Controls, helps parents to manage, monitor and administer the use of the computer by kids. The software, Windows Live OneCare Family Safety, filters certain chosen information and even a childs’ searches can be blocked for certain keywords.
Third, all web browsers allow for parental control settings. You can make personalized adjustments from the browser to set limits that you desire and to insure your childs’ safety.
Fourth, you can increase childrens’ safety by creating Limited User Accounts for your children from your Administrative Account. This restricts children from changing system settings, installing any new software which includes chat programs, games, etc. You can see the help section of your Operating System for detailed instructions on how to create User Accounts.
Fifth, be active and be a snoop. Yes a snoop, keep track of the websites that children are surfing. You can view all websites that they visited in the History List or Cookies from the web browser. You can even see email addresses, correspondence and downloaded files.
Always remember that these are concrete steps that will provide Internet safety for your kids and protect them while they are online and still allow them to get the benefits of using and learning to use the Internet.
Source: http://www.content4reprint.com/
February 8, 2009 No Comments