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Vol 8., No. 6, August 2007 THOUGHTS & QUOTES
Dangers of Bottle-raised BullsA 45-year old Midwest farmer was recently killed by a bull on his farm. He apparently had been hit in the stomach and the chest. The news article noted that the bull was one of the family’s 4-H projects and had been raised on a bottle, and the article implied that he was considered a pet. The bull was now 3-4 years old. Lately, the bull had showed signs of charging. A danger of raising a bottle-fed male calf to be a bull is that in his ‘bull-brain’ he thinks he is people, and when it comes to being dominant, he will exert that dominance on people. Even if not being aggressively mean, a human is no match for a 1500-pound animal when he wants to ‘butt heads’. Bottle-raised female cows are fine, and bottle-raised male calves should be castrated. Read more in the article by animal behavioral specialist Dr. Temple Grandin Aging Farm Community ProceedingsASH-NET and the University of Illinois Extension are pleased to announce that the Electronic Proceedings from THE AGING FARM COMMUNITY: USING CURRENT HEALTH AND SAFETY STATUS TO PLAN FUTURE ACTION Conference held March 6-8, 2007 proceedings are now available on the World Wide Web. Complete presentations are
at: http://www.age.uiuc.edu/ash-net/Speakers%20and%20Presentations.htm. Which Helmet for Which ActivityIn March of this year, the Raffaelli family of San Mateo, Calif., tragically lost their son Casey, 20, after he fell from his skateboard. Casey’s parents and uncle have courageously partnered with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to share a powerful safety message about the unquestionable importance of wearing a helmet when out on a bicycle, skateboard, scooter, etc. The visual and written message from the Raffaellis should motivate everyone to “strap a helmet on – it could save your life!” To honor Casey and to help create a safer community where you live, they ask that you download this poster (www.cpsc.gov/nsn/helmets.pdf) and share it with friends, family and neighbors. Free Lab Safety ResourcesThe Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Office of Laboratory Safety has produced a number of safety videos focusing on practices that should be carried out in the laboratory to control the intrinsic hazards associated with biomedical research. Safety information is presented through the interactions of scientists working in the modern biology laboratory. The videos address relevant safety issues, provide practical guidance and instruction, and show appropriate safety techniques. The videos are designed to introduce new staff to good laboratory practices and to provide a technical safety review for experienced laboratory workers. Fire Prevention WeekOctober 7-13 is fire prevention week. The theme is “Practice Your Escape Plan”. The National Fire Protection Association Web site includes resources and teaching materials for home and schools. Fire safety materials of interest to farm and rural families include:
The In My Back Yard (IMBY) Safety Checklist is available on the Florida AgSafe Web site. Need for Increased Awareness in Rural AreasOne farmer recently reported about a suspicious fire on his farm and also other suspicious activity. He noted that there is a need for a sense of awareness for security measures in rural areas. In the April 2006 issue of SN&N, we highlighted some security information. This just serves as another reminder. An excellent tip sheet containing Agricultural and Rural Crime Prevention information is available from the St. John’s County Florida Sheriff’s Office. There are also materials about security issues on-line at the Florida SART Web site. Chemical safety and security information can also be found at our Disaster Handbook Web site. Look under "Other Disaster Related Products." Occupational Chemical DatabaseAt the OSHA/EPA Occupational Chemical Database Web site, there are reports for each chemical in the following categories:
There is also a "Full Report" link you can click on to get all of the reports displayed in sequence. Resources to Develop a Disaster Plan for a Business (EDEN)This course is intended for individuals interested in helping small- and medium-sized businesses survive potential disaster. Course participants will:
If taught in a classroom setting, the course is designed to be delivered in two to three hours. Like all EDEN courses, this one provides:
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