E-Newsletter

Safety and Savings Tips for December 2012, From All Safety Products, Inc.

The Eyes Have It!         

Take steps to protect your precious vision Do you use appropriate eye protection for every type of job in which a hazard might exist?

If not, you're gambling with one of your most precious possessions-your eyesight. But there's more to eye safety than just wearing safety glasses or goggles. You also have to take good care of your eye protection, or it won't protect you when you most need it.

Here's how: 

• Keep protective eyewear clean. 
• Wash lenses regularly with warm, soapy water.
• Rinse the headband on goggles as well.   
• Prevent fog-ups.  Apply soap or antifog solution to both sides of the lenses and then wipe it off. This may have to be done every few hours when working under humid conditions.  
• Protect your safety eyewear by keeping it in a case when it's not in use. Don't leave safety glasses or goggles lying around where they could fall, or something could be dropped on them.
• Replace damaged eye protection immediately.  Wearing eye protection that is in poor condition is almost as bad as wearing none at all. Scratched or pitted lenses have been weakened and do not provide the protection you may need.
• Also take care not to let the headband of your goggles get stretched out-an improper fit increases your risk of an eye injury.    

Some Actions to Take In Electrical Mishap            

Know What To Do In An Emergency

It's easy to forget how hazardous electricity  can be, but you can avoid accidents and  injuries by following the safety rules. Just in  case, however, be prepared to deal with an electrical mishap.

Here's what to do:

Shock :

• Don't touch the victim. Turn off the power immediately, if possible, and call for medical help.
• Use a stick or other nonconducting aid to move the victim away from the shock source.  Some businesses carry rescue hooks that are for this very purpose.
• Call or send for help. Don't wait until after you've applied first aid.   
• Give artificial respiration if the victim is not breathing.
• Give CPR if the heart has stopped.  Most businesses now carry defibrillators.  
• Try not to move the victim. Keep the person lying down and covered until help arrives.    

Electrical Fire: 

• Do not use water or touch the burning object.
• If possible to do safely, unplug or turn off the current.
• If the fire is small, put it out with a CO 2 or multipurpose ABC extinguisher, or even baking soda.   
• Always notify firefighters immediately. Electrical fires are tricky. They can keep burning unnoticed behind walls.    

Burns:    

• For a minor burn, rinse with cool water and cover with a clean dry cloth.
• Cover a major burn with a sterile dressing and get immediate medical attention.   
• Remember- electricity supplies the muscle  to make things run, but you supply the brain to protect yourself.  

For a list of our first aid supplies, please visit our first aid products category,      

Medication and The Workplace: 

How safe are legal drugs in the workplace?      While the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse in the workplace are well known, little attention has been paid to prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications.

The fact that these drugs are legal makes them seem safe. Yet some of these medicines can cause serious impairment problems and may interact with other drugs or foods in ways that can jeopardize your safety on the job.

For instance, a study performed by the University of Iowa found that an OTC dose of Benadryl, a common antihistamine, can impair your driving performance at least as much as alcohol.

Another OTC medication, Excedrin, used to treat minor aches and pains, contains 65 mg of caffeine per tablet. If combined with coffee drinking, it could cause a good case of the jitters.

Stimulants, such as diet pills or stay-awake tablets, may provide an initial energy boost, but they increase the tendency for impulsiveness and risk-taking.   

The more potent prescription drugs can cause even stronger reactions. Depressants, such as Valium and Xanax, can slow brain activity and impair thinking and judgment. Breakdown products from depressants can stay in your body for days after use as well, affecting coordination, concentration, and judgment.    

What You Can Do? Fortunately there's a lot you can do to protect your safety and others on the job when you're taking medication:  

• Read medication labels carefully.    
• Check with your doctor or pharmacist about possible side effects.
• Typical impairments include drowsiness, nervousness, or poor sense of balance.    
• Ask about possible drug interactions. Some prescription and OTC drugs can interact with foods, beverages, and other medications. For example, you should avoid alcohol if you're taking antihistamines, cough and cold products with the ingredient dextromethorphan, or drugs that treat sleeplessness.
• Talk to your supervisor if you're taking a medication that could affect your fitness to safely perform your job.

For the industrial medications for upset stomach, cough and cold,

About All Safety Products: We are all about trying to save you money when we are able to.  It is our shipping policy to only charge you the actual shipping/handling costs.  Sometimes there is a shipping error on our website.  We do review all orders for accuracy and pleasantly surprise our customers when we notify them of an adjustment in their favor. We make money on products, not shipping!