Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002
SAFETY NEWS & NOTES Vol. 3 No. 2

THOUGHTS & QUOTES
NEW NATION-WIDE POISON CONTROL NUMBER (800-222-1222)
ATV SAFETY TIPS
JOB HEALTH & SAFETY INFORMATION IN SPANISH
TRANSLATION FROM ENGLISH TO SPANISH WEB SITE AT NIOSH
FEMA INFORMATION IN SPANISH
FREE FEMA CLASSES ON LINE
PESTICIDE AND FERTILIZER SECURITY PPT

 

THOUGHTS & QUOTES

The members of the Ag Division of the National Safety Council have selected the theme for this year's National Farm Safety and Health Week to be, "Farm Safety and Health Week...Not Just for Farmers Anymore!" The focus will be geared toward preparing materials to help educate John Q. Public about sharing the road with agricultural equipment. Many motorists have no clue as to the meaning of 'that orange triangle' as well as the limitations and capabilities of the equipment operator on the road. FS&HW is the 3rd week in September. I will pass along more information as it is developed. If any of the counties are interested in promoting this, let me know and we can get you set up for it. I would also encourage you to pass the information along to driver's ed instructors etc. I do have a video, (available on loan) "In the Blink of an Eye" which depicts the hazards of equipment on the roads. It's target audience is the motoring public.

NEW NATION-WIDE POISON CONTROL NUMBER 800-222-1222

A new nation-wide toll-free telephone number has been announced by the U.S. Poison Control Center. The national hotline number is 1-800-222-1222, and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Callers will be automatically linked to the closest poison center.
Previously, there were as many as 65 poison control centers with more than 130 individual phone numbers. The centers field calls on about 2.2 million suspected poisonings a year, mostly involving young children. About 75% of all poisonings can be safely handled at home with the help of a poison center aide, though 700-800 calls to centers end in fatalities annually.
Half of all calls to poison centers involve preschool-age children, although calls involving adults or elderly tend to be more serious. Parents are urged to post this new phone number near their phones. Household cleaners and chemicals make up the bulk of poisonous substances in homes, though perfumes, medications, and spider and animal bites can also lead to poisoning. Members of the public may obtain free stickers, magnets, and other promotional materials by calling the toll-free number.
Source: National Safety Council

SAFETY TIPS FOR THE ATV RIDER

All-terrain vehicles (ATV's) have many uses and promise new adventures to young and old alike. ATV's are not toys and riding one can be a potentially hazardous activity, especially for young people under 16 years of age. These youth are particularly at risk when they ride adult-sized ATV's. Adequate physical size and strength, emotional maturity to assess a situation and take appropriate action and good motor skills are all important factors for youth operating motorized vehicles. Here are some additional general safety tips for young ATV riders.

- Youth under age 16 should not operate adult-sized (over 90 cc) ATVs.
- Besides adequate size or weight, these youth may not have the decision making ability, judgement, or riding skill to recognize dangers and react quickly.
- Helmets save lives. Wear protective equipment, including an approved motorcycle or ATV helmet, eye protection and protective clothing.
- No paved roads. ATVs are designed for off-road use only.
- No alcohol. Never consume alcohol or drugs during the operation of an ATV.
- Don't show off. Keep speed under control.
- No passengers! ATV's are designed for one operator and no passengers. An extra rider seriously impairs your ability to shift weight in order to steer and control the ATV.
- Take a training course. Most dealerships offer a training course.
- Be aware of proper fit of rider to vehicle.
- There should be at least three inches of clearance between the ATV seat and the operator's inseam while standing up on footrests.
- The upper leg position should be approximately horizontal when seated.
- With the heel of your right boot locked against the footpeg or in the proper position on the running board, the toe of your boot should be able to depress the foot brake with a simple downward rotation of the foot.
- In the seated position with your hands on the handlebars, your elbows should have a distinct angle between the upper arm and your forearm.
- Be sure your right thumb can easily operate the throttle, even with handlebars turned to the extreme left or right.
- Check to be sure the first joint of your middle finger extends beyond the brake lever and your thumb can reach the emergency switch while seated in normal operating position. Squeeze the brake lever a few times to be sure you can comfortably operate the controls.
Source: U.S. Product Safety Commission

NIOSH ADDS SPANISH-LANGUAGE WEB SECTION >WITH JOB HEALTH, SAFETY INFORMATION

CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has added a new Spanish-language section to its Web site to serve the Nation's growing Spanish-speaking population.
The new section includes Spanish-language versions of several NIOSH workplace safety and health documents relevant to industries and occupations in which large numbers of Spanish-speaking workers are employed. The section is located at http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/niosh/ and it also can be accessed from the NIOSH site at www.cdc.gov/niosh by clicking the link "NIOSH En EspaZol." The section also describes in Spanish how workers and employers can contact NIOSH and access basic services, such as health hazard evaluations. In addition, it provides links to other Spanish-language resources, such as the CDC En EspaZol Web page. The contents of the NIOSH EspaZol section will be expanded and updated on a regular basis.
The number of Hispanic workers in the U.S. work force is expected to increase by more than one-third over the next decade. Last year, fatal work injuries among Hispanic workers rose sharply while declining for non-Hispanic workers. This increase was led by a 24 percent jump in fatal injuries in construction among Hispanics, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
NIOSH will work with Hispanic organizations, industry and labor groups, safety and health professionals, and other government agencies to help workers and employers become aware of the site. The Web site is one of several NIOSH initiatives for better identifying and addressing risks for job-related injuries and illnesses among Spanish-speaking workers.

TRANSLATION FROM ENGLISH TO SPANISH WEB SITE AT NIOSH

NIOSH also has a construction safety web site which is very extensive. A list of common phrases is included with the translation into Spanish. Even though you may not be working with construction, many of the tools, machines etc. are similar to what is used in agriculture. You may find this page helpful: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/elcosh/docs/d0300/d000300/d000300.html

FEMA INFORMATION IN SPANISH

FEMA's On-line Library is divided into rooms or sections. In them you will find reference materials, publications, maps, photographs, audio and video clips... Materials in Spanish can be found at: http://www.fema.gov/library/lib17.htm

FREE FEMA CLASSES ON-LINE

FEMA offers 31 Independent Study courses that can be taken on-line. These are excellent courses that can be taken by anyone. They are free of charge. A test can be taken if the person wants to receive a certificate of completion. (I offer this as an assignment option for students in my safety class). Of special interest are: IS 5,10,11,324,393,394.
Courses can be found at: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/crslist.htm
IS-1 Emergency Program Manager: An Orientation to the Position
IS-2 Emergency Preparedness, USA
IS-3 Radiological Emergency Management
IS-5 Hazardous Materials: A Citizen's Orientation
IS-7 A Citizen's Guide to Disaster Assistance
IS-8 Building for the Earthquakes of Tomorrow: Complying with Executive Order 12699 IS-10 Animals in Disaster - Module A Awareness and Preparedness
IS-11 Animals in Disaster - Module B Community Planning
IS-15 Special Events Contingency Planning for Public Safety Agencies
IS-120, An Orientation to Community Disaster Exercises
IS-195 Basic Incident Command System
IS-271 Anticipating Hazardous Weather & Community Risk
IS-275 The EOC's Role in Community Preparedness, Response and Recovery Activities IS-279 Engineering Principles and Practices for Retrofitting Flood-Prone Residential Structures
IS-288 The Role of Voluntary Agencies in Emergency Management
IS-301 Radiological Emergency Response
IS-324 Community Hurricane Preparedness
IS-346 An Orientation to Hazardous Materials for Medical Personnel
IS-386 Introduction to Residential Coastal Construction
IS-393 Introduction to Mitigation
IS-394 Mitigation for Homeowners
IS-513 The Professional in Emergency Management
IS-600 Special Considerations for FEMA Public Assistance Projects
IS-630 Introduction to the Public Assistance Process
Q-534: Emergency Response to Terrorism (presented by the National Fire Academy-10 hours)

PESTICIDE AND FERTILIZER SECURITY POWER PT.

Attached is a power point presentation prepared by Dr. Norm Nesheim discussing security issues related to the storage of pesticides and fertilizers.

pesticide.ppt

 

SAFETY NEWS & NOTES is an e-mail newsletter prepared by Carol J. Lehtola, Extension Agricultural Safety Specialist. Design Team FL 124: Prevention and Preparedness: Agricultural Safety & Disaster Management.

If you have safety or disaster related questions or ideas that you would like to share with other agents, please let me know. If you know someone interested in receiving this, we will gladly add them to the e-mail list.
Pesticide Security.ppt
Name: Pesticide Security.ppt
Type: application/octet-stream
Encoding: base64

BE AWARE! BE ALERT! BE ALIVE!
Florida Ag Safe website: http://www.flagsafe.ufl.edu
Disaster Management Team website: http://it.ifas.ufl.edu/FDM/

Dr. Carol J. Lehtola, Ph.D. Extension Agricultural Safety Specialist Associate Professor Dept. of Agricultural & Biological Engineering
PO Box 110570 The University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611-0570
352-392-1864 x223 FAX: 352-392-4092

 

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