The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) partnered to designate March 3-9, 2013, as National Severe Weather Preparedness Week, and is calling upon all Americans to Be a Force of Nature.

Safety Training Services, Inc. is committed to Being a Force of Nature and pledges to do so by: knowing our risk, taking action, and being an example for our families and community by sharing the steps we took. Because we live in an area prone to floods, severe thunderstorms, snow, etc., the recent severe snow and weather reminded us that this weather can strike anywhere and at any time.

Just last year, there were more than 450 weather-related fatalities and nearly 2,600 injuries. Each time severe weather threatens we hear stories of ordinary Americans who do the extraordinary to save loved ones – a mother protecting her children by shielding them from flying debris, a homeowner opening up his storm shelter to neighbors, neighbors helping a senior in a wheelchair get to a safe shelter, individuals ensuring friends are aware of the current watch or warning in their area. 

For those with seniors and people with disabilities, this disaster preparedness guide is a free resource that shares valuable information about their safety and mobility in case of a natural disaster.

Tornadoes struck approximately 46 states, caused over $1.6 billion in damage and nearly 70 fatalities. There were more than 935 tornadoes in 2012, with 206 in April alone. While April and May are peak months, tornadoes happen all year round.

Building a Weather-Ready Nation requires that every individual and community take action because severe weather knows no boundaries and affects us all. Be a Force of Nature by making a public pledge to be prepared at ready.gov/severe-weather.

What can you do to Prepare?

Knowing your risk, taking action and being an example by sharing your knowledge and actions through your social network are just a few steps you can take to be better prepared and assist in saving lives.

Know Your Risk: The first step to becoming weather-ready is to understand the type of hazardous weather that can affect where you live and work, and how the weather could impact you and your family. Every state in the United States has experienced tornadoes and severe weather, so everyone is exposed to some degree of risk. Check the weather forecast regularly and visit ready.gov/severe-weather to learn more about how to be better prepared and how you can protect your family during emergencies.

Pledge and Take Action: Be a Force of Nature by taking the Pledge to Prepare at ready.gov/severe-weather. When you pledge to prepare, you will take the first step to making sure that you and your family are prepared for severe weather. This includes filling out your family communications plan that you can email to yourself, putting an emergency kit together, keeping important papers and valuables in a safe place, and getting involved.

Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio, and check to see if your cell phone is equipped to receive Wireless Emergency Alerts and sign up for localized alerts from emergency management officials. Stay informed by having multiple sources for weather alerts - NOAA Weather Radio, Weather.gov, and Wireless Emergency Alerts. Subscribe to receive alerts at www.weather.gov/subscribe.

Be an Example: Once you have taken action and pledged to Be a Force of Nature, share your story with your family and friends. Create a video and post on a video sharing site; post your story on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, comment on a blog, or share through any other social media site. Technology today makes it easier than ever to be a good example and share the steps you took to help us achieve the vision of a Weather-Ready Nation.
Join us today and pledge to prepare for the severe weather in our area.

Information on the different types of severe weather such as tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flooding is available at www.weather.gov and ready.gov/severe-weather or the Spanish-language web site www.listo.gov.

During their 2012 fiscal year (which ran from October 2011 through September 2012), federal OSHA conducted almost 41,000 workplace safety and health inspections. Very interestingly enough, it seemed as though companies didn’t take the hint from the previous year in that the top cited violation is not only still number 1, but actually increased from fiscal year 2011. Below, you find the top 10 citations they handed out to companies for 2012 and further down you may be interested to see the previous year’s top 10 as well.

OSHA’s Top 10 for 2012

1. Fall Protection--General Requirements (1926.501) 7,250 violations (No change)
   

2. Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 4,696 violations (Up 1)
   

3. Scaffolding (1926.451): 3,814 violations (Down 1)
   

4. Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 2,371 violations (No change)
   

5. Ladders (1926.1053): 2,310 violations (Up 3)
   

6. Machine Guarding (1910.212): 2,097 violations (Up 4)
   

7. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 1,993 violations (No change)
   

8. Electrical--Wiring Methods (1910.305): 1,744 violations (Down 2)
   

9. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 1,572 violations (Down 4)
   

10. Electrical--General Requirements (1910.303): 1,332 violations (Down 1)

OSHA’s Top 10 for 2011

1. Fall Protection--General requirements (1926.501): 7,139 violations
    
2. Scaffolding (1926.451): 7,069 violations
    
3. Hazard Communication (1910.1200): 6,538 violations
    
4. Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 3,944 violations
    
5. Lockout/Tagout (1910.147): 3,639 violations
    
6. Electrical--Wiring Methods (1910.305): 3,584 violations
    
7. Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178): 3,432 violations
    
8. Ladders (1926.1053): 3,244 violations
    
9. Electrical--General Requirements (1910.303): 2,863 violations
    
10. Machine Guarding (1910.212): 2,748 violations

Don't become a statistic!

So what should you do, now armed with this knowledge? Well, first thing is get up and simply take a look around your office/plant/factory. Do you see any of these standards violated? In the safety world, if you think you have a problem....chances are you do! If you do not know you have violations or do not know how to look for them, that's perfectly understandable--you are not alone. This is where Safety Training Services can help!

Your next step should be to identify these issues. Have you found them to be problems in training (or lack thereof)? Or retraining (annual refresher courses)? Unsatisfied with previous training/trainers? Remember, ignorance is bliss....until you get a visit from OSHA. We will train (and/or retrain) you and your employees on OSHA compliance & other safety-related courses. Our site or yours, our hands-on courses will provide you with appropriate training to keep you safe and trained consistent to OSHA requirements.

Maybe your issue is equipment? Whether you need new, used, rentals, servicing or just to figure out what equipment to use for a specific job, speaking to one of our professionals in our Technical division will help you find the right tool for the job in whatever capacity necessary. 

Or simply contact our safety consulting division at (219) 554-2180 and found out how we will help identify problems and conduct a safety-related gap analysis for your company. 

February is the month dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease. This blog post is dedicated to increasing knowledge about prevention, educating ourselves on the dangers of, and to helping get on track to better heart health!

According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

Let’s first talk about some important facts about heart disease. This is information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

• Every year, about 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States; that’s about 1 in every 4 deaths!
• As stated earlier, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. In fact, in 2009, more than half of the deaths due to heart disease were in men.
• The most common type of heart disease is coronary heart disease (CHD); it kills more than 385,000 people annually.
• About 935,000 Americans have a heart attack in a year. Of that number, 610,000 of these are an individual’s first heart attack. That means that 325,000 happen in people who have already had a heart attack (we will talk about prevention in a moment).
• Coronary heart disease alone costs the United States $108.9 billion each year. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity.

Let’s talk about warning signs and symptoms, because early action is very important. Do you know the symptoms? Help you or your loved ones prevent death or serious injury by knowing these warning signs:

• Chest pain or discomfort
• Upper body pain or discomfort in the arms, back, neck, jaw, or upper stomach
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea, lightheadedness, or cold sweats

Many sudden cardiac deaths occur outside a hospital. This suggests that many people with heart disease don't act on early warning signs. Remember the adage, “Knowledge is Power.” As knowing these, acting fast, and acting EARLY can reduce these unsettling statistics. Most recognize chest pain as a symptom of a heart attack, but knowing all major symptoms and knowing to call 911 when someone is experiencing a heart attack is what saves lives.

About half of Americans have at least one of the three key risk factors for heart disease. But what are they?

High blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, and smoking.

Other medical conditions and lifestyle choices can also put people at a higher risk for heart disease. Here are 5 examples:

• Diabetes
• Overweight & obesity
• Poor diet
• Physical inactivity
• Excessive alcohol use

So after some of this staggering data, where’s the silver lining? How do you protect yourself/your loved ones? Well, I do have good news for you!

The good news is that you can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol to reduce your risk of heart disease. Here are 4 ways you can do this (in no particular order):

1. Consult a doctor; follow their instructions and stay on your medications.
2. Eat a healthy diet that is low in salt; low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol; and full of fresh fruits and vegetables.
3. Take a brisk 10-minute walk, 3 times a day, 5 days a week.
4. Don't smoke. If you already do, quit as soon as possible. For tips on quitting, visit smokefree.gov or cdc.gov/tobacco.

Have a great February, remember what we’ve learned today, and don’t forget to comment if you have anything to add and subscribe to our STS Blog and ‘Like’ STS on Facebook for more relevant safety news and information!