Cruise Safety
With the holidays quickly approaching and friends and families taking vacations left and right, it is important to keep in mind safety tips when traveling, especially while cruising. Personal safety while traveling is always your responsibility. Follow these cruise safety tips below to ensure a safe and exciting vacation: Check the cruise report card: Did you know that ships get report cards just like we used to receive in school? The best reports come from the Vessel Sanitation Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which regularly checks cruise ships for their cleanliness, repair, food prep, water quality, hygiene and many other things. Check your ship’s report card before booking your vacation! Use the ship’s safe: Leaving your expensive belongings at home may be the best idea, but if you must bring your valuable belongings on the ship be sure to make use of the safe in your room. Keep most of your cash and all valuables (jewelry, tickets, passports) in the ship’s safe. Watch what you eat: Don’t be reckless with what you eat on the ship; if you are lactose intolerant on land you will be on the ship as well! Watch the booze: Alcohol will always compromise your judgment, perception and behavior. Don’t let your drinking get out of hand, drinking on a moving ship is not the same thing as drinking on land! Excursions: Be careful and wary on your shore excursions. Although the cruise lines organize shore trips, there are many other options that are cheaper and may do the exact same things. Report anything suspicious: Your safety is your own responsibility!...Tips for Safe Teen Driving
Unfortunately, statistics show that teenage drivers account for more auto accidents than any other age group. Through practicing safe driving techniques, the odds will hopefully increase and your teenager (and their passengers) can stay safe on the roads. Below are some great and very important tips to go over with your teen before they begin driving. Stay away from the phone! This is one of the most important things to go over with your teen. Cell phones are one of the leading causes of car accidents among teens and can easily be prevented. Multiple studies have shown that using a cell phone while driving is the equivalent of driving drunk. Let your teen know just how important it is to stay away from their phone at all times while driving (even when they are stopped) and just how dangerous it can be. Turn on your lights: Headlights are an important feature of cars and allow us as drivers to have increased visibility as well as allow other drivers to see you better even when it is light out. Obey the speed limit: Speeding is another major contributor to fatal teen accidents. Explain to your teen driver they should not feel pressured to keep up with the traffic if it seems as if everyone else if flying by. Driving at a safe speed helps to ensure your well-being and can keep you away from expensive traffic tickets that can cause a huge spike in auto insurance premiums! Keep distractions at a minimal: As inexperienced drivers, teens are more likely and apt to lose control of their cars. Distractions can significantly...OSHA Launches Program to Protect Nursing Employees
According to surveys by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there are over 35,000 back and other severe injuries among nursing employees every year. In terms of the numbers of these injuries, the BLS data shows that nursing assistants are injured more than any other occupation! The number one reason why so many nursing employees are getting these injuries is by doing their everyday jobs of moving and lifting patients. It is no news that this has become an epidemic among hospital nursing staff members, but for some reason no actions have been taken – until now. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has recently announced that they for the first time ever, they are going to crack down on hospitals to prevent an epidemic of back and arm injuries among nursing employees. Last year, OSHA sent letters to hospital administrators across the country and created a companion website, warning that nursing employees suffer high rates of injuries from moving and lifting patients. Hospitals can potentially be fined $7,000 if they do not adopt the new initiatives OSHA recommends. Studies have proven that the “body mechanics” that are taught during nursing school are not enough when it comes to lifting a patient and will not prevent a nurse from being injured. Instead, the only way to actually prevent injury and move patients safely is by using special equipment, such as ceiling lifts – similar to that of what a factory would use to lift heavy parts. Under the new enforcement memo, OSHA’s inspectors will interview nursing staff and managers and review internal hospital documents...Travel Safety Tips
Traveling may be at the top of everyone’s lists of things to do, but it is important to stay safe while traveling! Below are safety tips to follow when traveling to help ensure you and whomever you may be traveling with stay safe throughout their travels as well: Make sure someone knows your plans: This is very important in case something were to happen. Share your itinerary with a friend or family member. Although they do not need to know everything last thing you plan on doing, they should do what time you left point A or when you are supposed to be in point B. If you are in any kind of danger, having someone that knows your plans can make a huge difference. Scan & copy your important documents: Don’t leave home without extra copies of your driver’s license/passport. Keep these documents in a separate place from your actual documents in case something gets misplaced or stolen. Additionally, you can even photograph or scan these important items and store them somewhere online such as a dropbox file or a Google drive account where they can be accessed easily online. Know the area you are visiting before you leave: Research the area you plan on visiting before you leave to know what you are getting yourself into. Are there dangerous areas you should avoid? If you are traveling internationally it is particularly important to know what you should do in case of an emergency; you should be aware of where the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate is. Leave unneeded wallet extras at home: Travel as lightly as possible....Have a question? Give us a call.
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