N.C. Industrial Commission Safety Bulletin, March 2009 Issue

N.C. Industrial Commission
Safety Bulletin

March 2009

"Better a thousand times careful than once dead." ~ Proverb

Greetings Friends in the Name of Safety:

With travel restrictions being placed on everyone, we are currently reviewing our APCAP schedule for the remainder of 2009. As soon as we can make some determinations we will send out an announcement. Please bear with us as we continue to strive to serve.

Also, we would like to say "Thank You" for your continued support of the Safety Education Section and look forward to seeing you in May at our 79th Annual Statewide Safety Conference May 12-15, 2008 at the Joseph Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC.

There's no better way to gain knowledge at a affordable cost...ZERO REGISTRATION! This year promises to be another great conference with quality speakers and great topics. Our VENDORS will be there in full force to provide you with new ideas and products too!

Travel is being cut back by everyone, but this is a conference you will not want to miss. The theme this year is "SAFETY - A NEW YEAR!" Come for one day or stay for the entire conference. For those needing WATER & WASTEWATER CREDIT HOURS, Tuesday is the day! You can get all six of your critical hours at no cost.

We have moved the SAFETY TALK CONTEST to Wednesday morning this year to help you get more value for the day as well. NETWORKING is always rewarding at our Vendor sponsored Reception Wednesday evening from 5:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

Thursday will have a great EXECUTIVE SESSION plus many topics during the afternoon to peak your interest. By the way, the GRAND PRIZE drawing sponsored by our VENDORS promises to be awesome again this year. To be eligible to win, you will need to visit each booth and have the vendors sign your card.

You won't want to miss Friday morning to hear what OSHA has to say either.

By CLICKING HERE you can pre-register for the conference and download and PRINT the program to show your boss why they can't afford not to send you to this conference this year. There's no better way to face the challenges of 2009!

We look forward to a great conference and hope to see you there!

Volunteer to Better Yourself

Most people think of volunteerism as performing a selfless act - helping someone without expecting to receive anything in return. However, volunteerism not only has positive effects on recipients, it also provides many benefits for the person doing the volunteering.

Volunteering is actually a great way to learn new skills or fine tune the ones you already have. For example, planning a benefit for a charity can help you to develop both budgeting and planning skills. Volunteering is also a great way to give back to your community, and in the process of doing so you might meet new friends, or further develop your network of professional contacts.

Volunteerism can also give you the opportunity to learn and explore new fields without making long-term or time-consuming commitments - most organizations accept volunteers for as little as an hour or two per week or month. So if you've got a cause that piques your interest or is close to your heart, don't be afraid to volunteer and let it work for you, too.

Regional Safety Councils

Please do not forget to support your Regional Safety Councils by joining their membership ranks and participating in their scheduled events. For membership applications, see the Quick Links to the right.

Shame May Keep Addicts Addicted

There is a considerable stigma surrounding almost any addiction - and people who have never faced addiction sometimes perceive it as a weakness or a moral failing in others. Unfortunately, this negative, judgmental view of addiction may be a major reason why only a fraction of the people who need help for addiction actually seek and receive that help.

Sadly, addiction is not the first disease to which a stigma has been attached. Throughout history, diseases like leprosy, HIV, and cancer have all had (and may still have) some level of stigma attached to them. It has only been through education that people can begin to understand that, like these other diseases, addiction does not define the worth of the person who suffers from it.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), addiction is a chronic disease: it has a tendency to run in families, its onset and course are influenced by environmental conditions, and it can respond to appropriate treatment - which may include long-term lifestyle modification.

NIDA also stresses that treatment needs to be readily available and tailored to the needs of each individual person. Unfortunately, even if treatment is available, it remains difficult for people with addictions to seek help when they must risk becoming social outcasts.

This stigma is so apparent that many rehabilitation programs have the added focus of restoring the dignity to individuals who have sought treatment. In addition, many state and federal laws prohibit discrimination against people in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction who are seeking jobs, housing, or education.

The existence of such legal protections and rehabilitation efforts to restore dignity indicate that the stigma surrounding addiction is pervasive to make both doctors and lawmakers believe that it must be regulated and addressed. However, these efforts also represent an increased awareness about the stigma surrounding
addiction, and will hopefully allow more and more people to obtain the help which, in many cases, they so desperately need.

NCIC Video Library

Check out our Video Library !

View our online Video/DVD listings. The new listings are in RED.

To view the rest of our Library and download the REQUEST FORM, please CLICK HERE

How Do Shocks Happen?

When you turn on your computer or other electrical equipment, a current flows from the generating source through conductors (typically wires) to the equipment and then back to the source. This is called a closed circuit.

Unfortunately, any time part of your body becomes part of that circuit, you can get a shock, in which an electric current enters the body at one point and exits at another. Shocks will occur when you touch both wires of an electric circuit or one wire of an energized circuit and the ground.

Shocks are usually quite painful, and can range in seriousness from a tingle to burns, cardiac arrest, or death. If someone is electrocuted - you should NOT touch the victim or the source of electricity. Instead, shut off the electrical current at the source and call for help. Only after the current is shut off should you begin Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) if it's necessary.

Taking Time (out in the country)
By Michael Nance

I can recall my parents telling me that as you get older, time goes by quicker. At the "time", I thought they were crazy. In my mid teens it seemed so long to wait for that driver's license. Then the twenties rolled in and you felt like a true adult. By that time, most of us were out from the rules and regulations of the parent (or guardian's) care and we could vote, stay out at night, watch TV whenever, and have a party if we wanted to. Perhaps we landed our first or maybe second job then. Perhaps you joined the military. No matter where your path took you, you felt certain independence.

Now let's fast forward many years. Maybe it's been 25 or 35 years since you were in your twenties. You might have a son or daughter who is just starting to enter the "away from parent" party scene. Kind of scary isn't it; after all, you know what you used to do back then. I'm a late family starter. In my upper 40's and I have a son that 10 and a daughter that is days away from actually being a "teen"-ager.

My parents were right. Seems that with the school stuff and extracurricular activities such as baseball, softball, basketball, scouts, church youth, etc, there's no time to just sit and relax. Our family has gotten to the point that we savor the few Friday or Saturday nights when we have nothing to do. Friends will call and ask "what are you doing?" and they'll not understand when we say "nothing" and we are planning nothing.

Whenever I do have a few hours of the precious "free" time, I like to do some woodworking or auto work in the garage. Partly for stress relieve and it has the added bonus of being out of the house but under cover in case of rain. I'll turn on the radio and listen to a ball game or my favorite music that is now called the "oldies". (How depressing) Anyway, a tune came on the radio about two weeks ago that had a simple tune and a simple message. It was by the group Three Dog Night. Hmmm, anyone know this group? If you were a rock-n-roller in the late 60's and 70's, you know the group and probably can recall some of there tunes right now. Short lesson of where the name "Three Dog Night" comes from: On cold nights indigenous Australians would customarily sleep in a hole in the ground while embracing a dingo, a native species of wild dog. On colder nights they would sleep with two dogs, and if a night was especially cold, it was a "Three Dog Night".

Editor's note: Michael Nance is the NCIC Blue Ridge, Southern & Western Piedmont areas Safety Representative. If you are interested in having one of our programs in your area, please give Michael a call at 919-218-9047 or email him at Michael.Nance@ic.nc.gov

From the Desk of Dennis Parnell
Director Safety Education

Beware of Stuart Pendous!

Stu Pendous is an overconfident, arrogant employee who is good at his job - most of the time. Unfortunately, from time to time, Stu's unrelenting confidence causes strained relationships and even workplace safety concerns. Stu's colleagues complain that they can't even have a conversation with him (Stu's always right), and from time to time Stu's bravado causes him to take unnecessary risks - like operating machinery without proper training or personal protective equipment.

Confident people often have magnetic personalities - they are so sure of themselves that other people begin to believe in them, too. In the workplace, confidence is an essential quality that allows employees to think and act independently. But when a confident employee is a little too sure of himself, problems like Stu's can definitely arise.

Being sure of yourself is one thing, but if you catch yourself thinking that you're invincible, think again. Ostracizing others with a superior attitude or failing to follow safety procedures can quickly earn you a bad reputation as an employee who is considerably less than stupendous.

Now you know. Dennis :)

Insight!

Fun and useless tidbits

James Buchanan was the only US president never to be married.

Libra, the Scales, is the only inanimate symbol in the zodiac.

Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature.

Woodrow Wilson was the only US president to earn a doctorate.

Zsa Zsa Gabor was the first - and only - recipient of a Golden Globe Award for "Most Glamorous Actress." She won the peculiar award in 1958. The category was deleted thereafter.

Approximate number of facial expressions dogs can make: 100.

Approximately 125 people die in the United States from an anaphylaxis to foods each year.

Keep Produce Safe

The Food and Drug Administration offers the following advice to keep raw fruits and vegetables safe:

- Don't purchase damaged or bruised produce. If your produce is bruised or damaged after you've purchased it, cut away those parts before eating.

- If you purchase pre-cut produce, choose only those portions that are kept cold.

- Keep raw produce separate from raw meats and seafood, especially in grocery bags and refrigerators.

- Store produce at 40º F or below.

- Always thoroughly wash your hands before handling produce.

- Wash all produce before preparing or eating it. Firm produce such as potatoes can be scrubbed with a brush.

- Dry produce with a paper towel or cloth to further reduce bacteria.

You know you shouldn't...

...but you still say yes. If you've ever had one of those out-of-body experiences during which you hear yourself committing to a time-consuming task even though you're already swamped, you're not alone. For many people, saying "no" at work, to friends, or even to family members is next to impossible, and unfortunately, this can make finding balance a very elusive task.

People have trouble saying no for a variety of reasons. There are people pleasers, who, above all, don't want to disappoint anyone. There are also people who worry that saying no will make them seem unreliable, cost them business, or cause them to appear rude or lazy. Some people even fear that saying no will mark them as incapable.

Unfortunately, the reality is that constantly saying yes can be just as problematic. While you might please people initially by saying yes, how are those same people going to feel if you can't give a project your full attention because you spread yourself too thin? If you say yes so often that this becomes the case, you're even more likely to disappoint people, and you definitely won't seem reliable or capable.

If you absolutely can't say no when asked, make it a habit to take a day to consider commitments before agreeing to help out. If you decide that an activity really shouldn't make your priority list, be honest about why you must say no, and express regret only if you mean it. Otherwise, the same person may come asking again next month.

The key to successful nay-saying is having a good understanding of - and a strong commitment to - your priorities. Saying no to some things can help you to focus on the parts of your life that are really important, and develop a stronger sense of self. When things clearly do not fit into your life, be firm - and don't feel guilty - your fear of disrespecting your own time and your time with loved ones should always be greater than your fear of disappointing others.

Family Bonding Over Dinner

You're busy. No, you're really busy, and so is your entire family. You've got work, school, extra-curricular activities for the kids and if you're lucky, hobbies for the adults. By the time you're done running from one place to the next, you're worn out, and it's dinner time; how does the day usually end for your family?

Eating dinner together is a rarity for some families, but a daily sit-down meal is an excellent opportunity for families to communicate and connect. Nightly dinners as a family can help you stay involved in the lives of your family members and allow you to influence the morals and values that your kids develop as they grow up. In fact, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), teens who have frequent family dinners are three-and-a-half times less likely to abuse prescription drugs and other illegal substances.

Having dinner with your family can also ensure that each member gets a balanced meal each night and can help influence kids to develop healthier eating habits. In particular, girls who frequently have dinner with their families are less likely to develop bad habits like skipping meals or using diet pills, and are also less likely to develop eating disorders.

If your family logistics make dinner together impossible, don't worry, you're not doomed as long as you always make family time a top priority. Even if you're a good role model, you can't influence your children or ensure that they feel safe and supported if you don't spend time with them regularly. And kids who feel supported and sure of themselves will find it easier to follow through with healthy behaviors, even when peer pressure pushes them to do otherwise.

Remember, too, that family dinners or other regularly scheduled interactions are notjust a time to spend time with your children - it's also important that you make time to connect with your spouse or partner on a regular basis.

What Folks Are Saying...

Mel,
Thank you again for the fantastic Defensive Driving training class yesterday at SCC. As you know, our NCDOT policy requires our employees attend Defensive Driving every three years and you were the presenter at our 2006 training. (Although we have our own Fleet Safety training program here in Division 14, it is structured for the benefit of our CDL drivers.) I heard "rave reviews" about the class from many employees. Several employees from our Equipment Shop told me this morning that it was the best training class they've ever attended. You really do a great job and you are very appreciated here at NCDOT! - Candie R. Auvil, NCDOT
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Mel,
Thank you, again, for driving to Shelby to conduct Defensive Driving Training. You did a great job!!! You are a wonderful instructor! - Lisa L. Wassén, City of Shelby
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Dennis,
I wanted to let you know that you really drilled home to me the importance of safety in the workplace as no one has ever done before. Your style of teaching safety was fun, informational and very meaning. I brought back to my store a fresh perspective on safety and I just wanted to thank you. - Carol Stallings, Colony Tire, Plymouth, NC
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Dennis,
I would like to extend thanks from my team and and myself for a great class. This was one of the best classes I have attended in some time. The material you covered really hits home, and I didn't realize how dangerous a open hole could be. My techs have a safety sense that I haven't seen in the past and I credit you for this. We very seldom have a cable that is below 3 feet but the hole could be deeper, thus creating a serious issue. My techs have starting asking the contractors to slope the banks and fill in to just below our cable, now they are SAFE. Thanks - - -Tommy Hopkins, Embarq, Rocky Mount, NC

About N.C. Industrial Commission Safety Section
The N.C. Industrial Commission Safety Education Section stands ready to assist you with your Safety training needs. We offer a variety of courses, designed to suit your needs. Please give one of our Industrial Safety Representatives a call.