2011 starting up!

Revving engines and trying to get going in the morning is all to familiar to most people in Minnesota right now.   I’ll tell you a little story…..

 You’re about to go to the store (just up the block or two) and hurry to get in the car, missing your hat and gloves of course, you grabbed your coffee mug and drinking your coffee on the way there makes you somewhat warmer.   Half way there you hear an awful pop noise and there goes the right front tire!  Great, it’s cold, snowy, the car is out of control, your coffee spills all over you AND…after a lucky stop and no accident, you think….great the car is full of ”dirty snow” and now you have to change the tire!  (you don’t have AAA of course).  If you were to change this scene, what would you do different??

It’s all too a familiar story for a lot of folks.  Preparing for the worse case scenario is so important.  We all hope it never happens but if it does, we know we are covered!  What’s a few second more to grab that hat and gloves, NOT drink and drive ANYTHING, and make sure you know HOW TO change your tire or at least know the actions to take when broken down on the road.  Safety is a life saving action.  Make sure you are.   Read your car manual if you haven’t already, it has great tips and shows you how to change your tire too.

What do I do if my child/family member/employee/ has frost nip, UM, what is frost nip?? 

 Take our first aid class with our great trainers and find out just what needs to be done for nip, bite and other weather related emergencies AND how to prevent these emergencies all together!  Prepare your skin for the cold outside, do you know how??

Until next time,

Stay safe, happy and warm!

Shannon

Boost Your Health With a Dose of Gratitude
By Elizabeth Heubeck, www.webmd.com  10/26/10

What would happen if we extended the tradition of giving thanks, typically celebrated just once a year during the holiday season, throughout the entire year? Such gratitude would be rewarded with better health, say researchers….
the connection between gratitude and health actually goes back a long way.  Start today – here’s how:

• Maintain a gratitude journal.
• Create a list of benefits in your life and ask yourself, “To what extent do I take these for granted?”
• Talk to yourself in a creative, optimistic, and appreciate manner
• Re-frame a situation by looking at it with a different, more positive attitude

Ignorance is generally curable. We all started out pretty ignorant of what we now take for granted. That’s mostly the result of education, training and good old experience. Those of us fortunate enough to survive occasionally scary events are now known as “Experienced Workers.” But stupidity is usually incurable and often fatal. People incapable of learning life’s lessons need to be placed in positions where they are less likely to hurt themselves, or others. Removing recognized high-risk employees from jobs may not be easy but it does a favor for them and everyone who has to work with them. You don’t ever want to have to say “That was a stupid accident.” or “Why didn’t I get trained when I thought of it?”

Minnesotacprtraining.com wants to share with our readers some vital safety information that most might already know, but need to be reminded of and need to share!

While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that motor vehicle fatalities have gone down in recent years because newer cars have better safety features and more drivers and passengers are using seat belts—HOWEVER……. 

the number of traffic deaths caused by distracted driving from the increased use of electronic gadgets has gone up!

What is distracted driving? It is any nondriving activity that takes the driver’s attention from the primary task of operating the vehicle and thus increases the risk of crashing. There are three main types of distraction:

1. Visual—taking your eyes off the road
2. Manual—taking your hands off the wheel
3. Cognitive—taking your mind off your driving

Remind your freinds of these common activities that can distract a driver:

• Using a cell phone
• Eating, drinking, or grooming
• Talking to passengers
• Reading, including map reading
• Using a PDA or GPS
• Watching a DVD
• Changing the radio station, CD, or MP3 player
• Texting

Note: Using a cell phone while driving delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. And talking with another passenger can also be distracting, however a passenger may warn the driver if there is suddenly a dangerous situation on the road.

Share these practical tips on how to focus on their driving. Advise them to avoid distracted driving by following these safety practices:

• Make only emergency cell phone calls while actually driving.
• Have a hands-free phone and speed dialing when you have to make an emergency call while on the road.
• For texting or a routine cell phone call, pull over to the shoulder.

Visit the NETS website at http://trafficsafety.org/drivesafelyworkweek for daily campaign activities and other information on Drive Safely Work Week.

Why It Matters. 

• The NHTSA estimates that more than half a million people are injured, and nearly 6,000 die annually in crashes involving a distracted driver. Most dangerous of all is texting because it involves all three types of distraction—visual, manual, and cognitive.
• Drivers who send and receive text messages take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting.
• At 55 miles per hour, this means that the driver is traveling the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road.
• Drivers who text are more than 20 times more likely to get into an accident than nondistracted drivers.

Until next time, stay safe and happy and enjoy our Autumn colors!

Shannon

Breaking news from ECSI.  

YOUTH SPORTS-RELATED CONCUSSIONS ON THE RISE

According to a new American Academy of Pediatrics study published in their Pediatrics  journal, the rate of sports-related concussions in young children and high school-age athletes is on the rise. From 1997 to 2007, emergency department visits for concussion in kids aged 8 to 13 playing organized sports doubled while the number of visits by older teens also increased by more than 200 percent.  The study listed football, basketball, soccer, and ice hockey as the organized sports in which concussions were most likely to occur; bicycling and snow sports presented the greatest risk for individual sports.

For information on how to rescue someone with a concussion or other sports-related injury, take a life safety class through our company and become prepared!

Until next time, stay safe and happy!

Shannon Madden

Education Coordinator