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THOUGHTS & QUOTES
New Eye Protection Fact SheetsWe have prepared a couple of eye protection fact sheets that are now posted on our Florida AgSafe Web site. These can be used along with a Power Point Presentation about the importance of protecting one’s eyes. Landscape MaintenanceWith summer here, landscape maintenance is in full swing. Here are basic safety information tips for many of the items worked with in this industry. Sun Exposure Tailgate Training that includes recommendations for hats and sunscreens. It is also in Spanish. Skin Cancer Publications Online about skin cancers and prevention from the Centers for Disease Control site. Several fact sheets about outdoor power equipment are on-line at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety site. Individual fact sheets are available for:
Mowing Safety Fact Sheet for push behind and for riding lawn mowers Zero Turn Radius mowers Hand Power Tools: Safety information from OSHA "Hand and Power Tool Safety" PowerPoint presentation Basic fact sheet on hand tool safety Training materials for the Landscaping and Horticultural Services Industry have been produced by Kansas State Univeristy Extension. Topics include: skid steer loaders, lift trucks, tractors, chipper shredders, tree trimmers, and mowing and trimming. Presentations include Power Point slides. These can be downloaded from KSU Ag Safety Web site. They are in English and Spanish. Industrial & Agricultural Mower Safety Practices: A Safety Training Program for Operators of Disc-Type Mowing Equipment is on NASD. The video can be viewed on-line in English or Spanish. Industrial & Agricultural Mower Safety Practices: A Safety Training Program for Operators of Rotary-Type Mowing Equipment is on NASD. The video can be viewed on-line in English or Spanish. The following Tailgate training lessons are available in both English & Spanish:
Tetanus Shot Reminder"Step on a crack, break your mother's back, step on a line, you break your mother's spine." This classic rhyme teaches kids to look where they're going and, indirectly, also warns about stepping on harmful things, including rusty nails. Of course, avoiding sidewalk cracks does nothing to prevent spinal injuries, but getting a nail puncture, cut, or laceration could bring on extreme muscle rigidity, known as lockjaw or tetanus. Contrary to popular belief, it's not the rust that brings on lockjaw, but a microbe, Clostridium tetani, found in soil, manure and common dirt, that affects the central nervous system. The spores lie dormant for up to forty years, ready to spring to life in the body's warm environment once they enter through an open wound. The toxins emitted by these germinating spores cause abdominal, back, and muscle spasms from the chest to the face. When this muscular rigidity sets in, there is little chance medicine can undo it, resulting in lung collapse and suffocation. In the United States, every child under seven years is required to get combined DTaP vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough. This program has effectively reduced the U.S. death rate from 581 lockjaw deaths in 1947 to eleven in 2003. (A booster is recommended every ten years throughout adulthood.) Before the vaccine was invented in the 1920s, tetanus killed thirty thousand people a year in the United States.” --- From Richard Hawk “Safety Stuff” #398 May 7, 2008 Some additional information about Tetanus:
SnakesA colleague recently saw a coral snake on their pool deck. One of their cats had recently died for reasons they were not able to pinpoint. They now think it may have been due to the cat playing with the snake and being bitten. This may be a good time for a reminder to all of us about knowing safe snakes from dangerous ones: On-line Guide to Snakes of Florida Note also that snakes may move
with changing habitat. For example, where land is being cleared
and new development is occuring, people in surrounding neighborhoods
should be aware that these changes may occur. Construction going
on near my colleague's home might explain their seeing a new
‘visitor’ who had not been known in the area previously. Teaching Idea for Workers to Improve Use of Hand Signals SkillsThis teaching idea comes from Richard Hawk’s “Safety Stuff" #401, May 29, 2008. It was sent in by a safety trainer where she described how she improved worker’s skills for using hand signals when working with heavy equipment. First, she set up a welder's blind or screen. Then, on one side, an operator stands with a fishing rod, with a small weight on the end of the line. The operator tries to put the weight into a Styrofoam cup sitting on the floor on the other side with the help of a signaller giving hand signals to guide the weight into the cup. Brush up on your hand signals first! -- Standard hand signals and their meaning New on NASDThe following are available in both English and Spanish:
Summer Job Safety For Teens
Preparing for and Responding to Excessive Heat EventsWith excessive heat blanketing many parts of the country, it is important to be aware that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more people die from heat waves each year than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. Older individuals are particularly vulnerable to the effects of heat stress. Because heat-related deaths are preventable, people and communities need to be aware of who is at greatest risk and what actions can be taken to prevent a heat-related illness or death. The following resources outline important steps that can be taken to respond to excessive heat events:
Internet Videoconferencing during a CrisisDuring severe droughts in Alabama in 2006 and 2007, the Agronomic Crops Program Priorty Team (PPT) of the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service (ACES) used Internet videoconferencing to respond quickly to clientele's needs during times of crisis. An advantage of using this interactive technology is the shorter time needed for organizing and conducting the conference. The Program Priority Team found that the total time required from conception to the meeting was approximately 2 weeks. This was a winning scenario because time and travel funds were spared for all participants involved. Overall reaction of the ACES administration to the Internet videoconferences was also extremely positive. The Agronomic Crops PPT has been encouraged to find additional uses for the technology in the areas of training, team building, and clientele response. Read the complete journal of Extension article: Internet Protocol (IP) Videoconferencing
for Networking During a Crisis New Training Materials for Pet-Friendly ShelteringHurricane Katrina brought to national attention the problem of pets and disasters. Many people refused to evacuate because they would not leave their pets behind, and many rescues were made difficult because rescuers were under orders not to take pets in rescue boats. In October 2006, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act became law, and it requires that companion animals be included in disaster planning at the state and local levels. Organizing Pet-Friendly Evacuation Shelters, a new training unit in the Florida SART Training series has been developed. The information is structured according to best practices for pet-friendly sheltering from FEMA, and includes additional aids for planning shelters. The training unit is accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation. These materials are available for download at the Florida SART Training Materials page. SAFETY NEWS & NOTES is an e-mail newsletter prepared by Carol J. Lehtola, Extension Agricultural Safety Specialist and team leader for the Prevention and Preparedness: Agricultural Safety & Disaster Management program. Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, UF/IFAS. If you have safety- or disaster-related questions or ideas that you would like to share with other agents, please contact Dr. Lehtola. If you know someone interested in receiving this newsletter, we will gladly add them to the e-mail list. Past issues of Safety News & Notes are archived on the Florida AgSafe Web site.  |
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