Tue, 10 Nov 2002
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SAFETY NEWS & NOTES
Vol. 3 No. 6
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A PERSONAL NOTE
THOUGHTS & QUOTES
NEW PUBLICATIONS
RHYTHM OF THE SEASONS VIDEO
EDEN MEETING NEWS PRODUCER INPUT NEEDED
ERGONOMIC SOLUTIONS (FOR AGRICULTURE) IN
SPANISH
***************
A PERSONAL NOTE
Pass this info along to the young men (ages 17-30) that you know.
This
FDA information piece discusses facts and symptoms (or lack thereof)
for
testicular cancer. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/196_test.html
My 21-yr.old son Philip is a senior at Iowa State University.
He is very
disciplined about physical fitness. When he was here just prior
to fall
classes he was at the fitness center daily and very disciplined
with his
weight training etc. Two weeks ago he went to the doctor due to
a cough
that wouldn't go away...thank goodness for a quick diagnosis...he
was
diagnosed with testicular cancer which had led to a mass in the
chest.
He started chemo immediately and had surgery 3 days later. His
prognosis
is excellent...the scary thing is that so many people that I have
talked
to have known someone who has had it....so even though uncommon
over
all, the group it hits are young men 17-30. So pass the info along
about
self exams etc. Thank you.
***************
THOUGHTS & QUOTES
Do you know where your shut-off valves are? Do family members
know where
they are? One evening I just happened to be standing near the
kitchen.
I had not been recently working at the sink or using the faucets.
All of
a sudden I heard a horrendous racket and water came gushing out
from
under the sink. Fortunately I was able to shut it off at the valve
under
the sink. The 30 yr. old supply line to the faucet had given out.
I can
just say that 1) I was very glad that I was at home....I don't
even want
to imagine the mess; in only a minute there was water all over
the floor
and 2) I knew where the shut off valve was. Think of teaching
kids (who
may spend time alone at home) and family members where key shut
off
valves, breakers, etc. are.
***************
NEW PUBLICATIONS
Recent publications that have been added to EDIS are:
Small Farmer's Resources for Safety http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AE228
Agricultural Employer's Resources for Safety
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AE229
Safer Tractor Operations for Florida's Privately Owned and Operated
Farms and
Ranches http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AE196
A pub. that is currently in review and should be up shortly is:
Safer
Tractor Operations for Home and Acreage Owners (Cir 1251)
***************
RHYTHM OF THE SEASONS VIDEO
The Rhythm of the Seasons Video is completed. We are now in the
process
of details for duplicating and marketing. In the mean time if
you have
a program coming up and would like a copy, please let me know.
It is 25
minutes long and is both a safety message as well as a message
for
people dealing with grief/loss.
Rhythm of the Seasons: A Journey beyond Loss was written by Marilyn
Adams and describes the death in 1986 of her son, Keith, by suffocation
in grain. It also covers her first year of recovery. In 1987,
Marilyn
founded Farm Safety for Just Kids, which now has over 150 chapters
throughout the United States and Canada. "FS4JK" is
dedicated to
preventing child agricultural injuries. (http://www.fs4jk.org)
Rhythm of the Seasons is required reading in my undergraduate
safety
course, "Safety in Agriculture," where it makes a big
impression.
Marilyn's story puts an unforgettable face on the statistics of
fatalities on farms. To paraphrase several students, "30
minutes to
read, a week to recover."
We just completed production of a video adaptation of Marilyn's
book.
We're very excited about this production. Marilyn herself narrates.
C.
Everett Koop, former surgeon-general of the United States, provided
an
introduction, and Orion Samuleson, a star of agricultural broadcasting
for over 40 years, recorded concluding remarks.
***************
PRODUCER INPUT NEEDED
If your county extension office would like fact sheets, printed
by EDEN,
to make avaialbe to your producers, please let me know how many
and we
will send them out to you.
The Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) has extended its
online
homeland security survey through December. The 20-question survey
asks
farmers how ready U.S. agriculture is for a terrorist attack and
which
agricultural sectors are at highest risk.
The survey is confidential and can be accessed at EDEN's Web site
at
http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/eden.
EDEN is a collaborative effort by state Extension services to
develop
and disseminate disaster information. The University of Florida
Cooperative Extension Service is a member of EDEN.
About 250 producers and farmland owners across the country have
completed the survey since it started Sept. 1. EDEN hopes to poll
1,000
or more producers in the weeks remaining, said Carol Lehtola,
EDEN
delegate and Florida Extension Agricultural Safety specialist.
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ERGONOMIC SOLUTIONS (FOR AGRICULTURE)
IN SPANISH
>
Simple, versatile, and effective ways to protect farm workers
from back
injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders are outlined in a
new
Spanish-language booklet from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and
Prevention's (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health
(NIOSH).
English: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pdfs/01-111.pdf
Spanish: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/simplesol.html
>To order free copies of these publications call: 1-800-356-4674
***************
The National Ag Safety Database: http://www.cdc.gov/nasd
Florida Ag Safety: http://www.flagsafe.ufl.edu
***************
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.
***************
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