E-Newsletter

Savings / Safety Tips for May 2018 from All Safety Products, Inc.

Technology brings new safety challenges

The new warehouse is no longer the dusty destination for long-term storage. It's now a symphony of activity where robots and humans work together in a rapid and complex dance.

In the new warehouse, safety systems are key, controlling issues such as how fast robots move materials along floor routes and how they behave when approaching human space. Imagine what would happen if someone with bad intent hacked into those safety systems.

As you might expect, someone has! In January 2018, the first malware attack hit an energy plant in the Middle East, deploying highly sophisticated malware to halt operations at an energy plant, according to cyberscoop.com.

The attack specifically targeted safety systems designed to regulate the speed at which machinery moves and to assume privileges to shut down operations. This attack created a new safety and security reality throughout global industry. In robotic industrial settings, computer safety controllers can detect if something is wrong in a plant and sound an alarm, according to ArcherSecurityGroup.com.

The controllers can order remedies to avoid catastrophe, such as releasing pressure if an explosion is imminent, or simply beginning a safe shut down of the plant. Evil software could fake a safety problem, causing a plant shutdown, or even create a hazardous situation.

But no need to panic. At the moment, no piece of malware can cause explosions, for example, by breaking into a safety system, according to Archer. More worrisome is the link between smartphone apps and machine monitoring and management. In many situations, engineers monitor and manage machines through smartphone apps. But the apps can and do have security holes.

According to technologyreview.com, researchers found 147 security holes in 32 apps used by major companies. Just two apps got a clean security report. These security holes could allow hackers to mislead engineers into thinking a machine is running safely when it is not. Or, hackers could exploit app flaws by inserting malicious code to servers controlling machines. The new reality for cyber security and safety is expected to affect industrial operations of machines and humans worldwide.

Study: Non-narcotic pain medications work as well as opioids

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like ibuprofen were shown to work better than opioid-based medications at treating chronic back pain, according to research by the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. Dr. Erin Krebs, one of the lead authors of the study, said that the study shows that there is no discernible benefit to using opioids over NSAIDS that outweighs the potential risk of accidental death or addiction from the more potent pain relievers.

The study looked at 240 patients at a VA primary care clinic that were seeking treatment for chronic pain. Researchers randomly assigned half of the patients a mix of opioids and half a mix of either acetaminophen or ibuprofen for one year. Before and after the trial started, each patient was asked to rate how their pain affected their daily lives and the intensity of the pain itself on a 10-point scale.

While both groups found overall relief over the course of the year, the results were nearly identical for both measures and indicated that there might not be any apparent reason for the more powerful drugs to be used under normal circumstances.

Opioid-related deaths continue to be the most significant driver of drug overdoses in the United States with 42,249 recorded in 2016 alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Many states, especially in the Northeast and Midwest regions, saw significant death rate increases and prescription rates still hover around 66 per 100 people.

It is possible that further research into non-opioid pain medications could help reverse this trend while still providing relief to sufferers of chronic pain.

RECIPE FOR THIS MONTH:

Preparing the Essential Morel
The woody flavored morel mushroom graces dishes ranging from eggs to meat, but the basic preparation is frying.

Simple Instructions:
To begin, soak morels in cool water with a dash of salt for 15 minutes.

Rinse and repeat two more times. This removes any insects from the honeycombed exterior.

Pat dry.

Cut the cleaned mushrooms in half lengthwise. Trim stems as needed.

Dip in a bath of milk or egg and toss with flour to coat.

Melt a half cup to a whole cup of butter in an iron skillet over medium heat. Iron or non-coated metal skillets are best for browning.

Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Eat them piping hot.

Popular variations on the recipe include substituting crackers for flour or adding Parmesan cheese.

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 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!

All Safety Products | P,O. Box 6353 | Lakewood | CA | 90714