Big Week Ahead!

Week of April 4-8, 2011

Greetings to one and all and thank you for stopping by our Blog Site today and we hope you enjoy your visit and please leave your comments.  We have a very busy week ahead of ongoing and new information to share with you this week:

·       National Public Health Week;

·       National Work Zone Safety Week;

·       Medication Safety Week;

·       Drowsy Driver Awareness Day;

·       National Day of Hope; and

·       World Health Day.

So let’s begin the week by taking on a very important topic – Safety around the home.  Think ahead, if you have guests visiting, especially younger children, be prepared!  Put those sharp things away and out of reach of those little hands.  Do you have cleaning fluids around, if so; put them away where curious little ones can not get to them.  Are all your electrical outlets covered, if not, please cover them.  Once you have done your check throughout the home, make a second trip on your knees just to make sure everything is squared away, in its place and safe for those visiting.

(From the National Public Health Week Organization (www.npw.org) provides the following overview.)

Safety is NO Accident

It only takes a moment for an injury to happen – a fall on a stair, a moments glance away from the road, a biking or sports-related injury, a medication mix-up. But it also takes just a moment to protect against injuries and make communities safer. The potential for injury is all around us. Each year, nearly 150,000 people die from injuries, and almost 30 million people are injured seriously enough to go to the emergency room.

Injuries are not "accidents", and we can prevent them from happening. Taking actions such as wearing a seat-belts, properly installing and using child safety seats, wearing a helmet and storing cleaning supplies in locked cabinets are important ways to proactively promote safety and prevent injuries.

During National Public Health Week 2011, the American Public Health Association (APHA) needs your help to educate Americans that "Safety is No Accident". Together, we can help Americans live injury-free in all areas of life: at work, at home, at play, in your community and anywhere people are on the move. We all need to do our part to prevent injuries and violence in our communities. Join us as we work together to create a safer and healthier nation.

NPHW calendar of events 

Monday: At Home

Day One

You can protect yourself, your family and community by taking action, both big and small, to prevent injury. Here are just a few examples:

Start small...

·       Assess your home for potential hazards such as poor lighting and uneven surfaces to prevent falls.

·       Install and maintain smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

·       Establish a plan for how you would evacuate from your home in the event of an emergency.

·       Make sure all electrical outlets are covered and inaccessible to children.

·       Supervise young children whenever they’re near cooking surfaces and never leave food unattended on the stove.

·       Program emergency numbers, such as the Poison Control Hotline (1-800-222-1222), into your phone to call in the event of a poisoning emergency.

·       Install four-sided isolation fencing at least five feet high and equipped with self-latching gates to prevent drowning in home swimming pools.

·       Store cleaning supplies and medicines in locked cabinets out of the reach of children.

·       Check your hot water heater periodically and adjust the thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower to avoid burns.

Think big...

·       Organize Tai Chi classes to help promote physical activity and prevent falls among older adults.

·       Invite local firefighters to a community event to promote fire safety.

·       Form a coalition that supports consumer protection policies to reduce the use of toxins in household products.

·       Partner with your poison center to visit schools to talk about poison safety.

·       Submit a letter to the editor of your local paper that stresses the importance of living injury-free during NPHW and beyond.

There is much more you can do to prevent injuries beyond these actions. Raise awareness of safety and injury prevention within your community during National Public Health Week. You can help make your home and community a safer place to live.

Tomorrow we will discuss the work place – where the employer and employee can work together in making their environment a safe place to work.