Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety. These types of distractions include:

• Using a cell phone or smartphone

• Eating and drinking

• Talking to passengers

• Reading, including maps

• Using a navigation system

• Watching a video

• Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player

• TEXTING

Of all the above, text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver and thus, it is by far the most alarming distraction.                                                                                 

PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE DISTRACTED!

General Christmas Safety Tips

Christmas is a time when your home is likely to be full of people and it is in the excitement of the season that accidents can easily happen. Follow these general simple safety tips to help prevent accidents:

·         Make sure you buy children's gifts for the correct age group and from reputable sources that comply with standards (e.g. The Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011).

·         Look out for small items that could pose a choking hazard to young children, including parts that have fallen off toys or from Christmas trees,button batteries and burst balloons.

·         Give yourself enough time to prepare and cook Christmas dinner to avoid hot fat, boiling water or sharp knife accidents that come from rushing.

·         Falls are the most common accidents so try to keep clutter to a minimum. Make sure stairs are well-lit and free from obstacles, especially if you have guests.

·         Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits with ground fault circuit interrupters to avoid potential shocks.

·         Do not drink and drive!

Ebola Virus Alert

WHAT IS EBOLA?

Ebola, also known as EVD(Ebola Virus Disease) is caused by a virus and can cause bleeding inside and outside the body. It is often deadly,but with early medical treatment, the death rate can be significantly reduced.

HOW IS EBOLA TRANSMITTED?

The Ebola Virus can be transmitted from an infected patient through body fluids including blood,saliva,vomit,stool,urine,semen,vaginal secretions,sweat and runny nose. EVD is also spread by contact with bush animals,though this has not been the case in the outbreak in Nigeria.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

HOW CAN WE PROTECT OURSELVES?

Simple actions such as frequent handwashing with soap and water and not touching people who are sick with Ebola will reduce the chances of getting the disease.

10 Commandments Of Workplace Safety

1. Always be responsible for the safety of yourself and others.

2. Always remember all accidents are preventable.

3. Always follow company rules, regulations and procedures.

4. Always assess the risks, Stop and think.

5. Always be proactive about safety.

6. Always deter from situations you’re not trained to handle.

7. Always manage the lift.

8. Always Be prepared.

9. Always take the safest path, never take shortcuts.
10. Always practice good housekeeping.

Christmas Tree Safety Tips

Tree lights

• Only use indoor lights indoors (and outdoor lights only outdoors). Look for the UL label. Check lights for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Replace or repair any damaged light sets.

• Also, use no more than three light sets on any one extension cord. Extension cords should be placed against the wall to avoid tripping hazards, but do not run cords under rugs.

• Turn off all lights on trees and decorations when you go to bed or leave the house.

Tree ornaments

• Always use the proper step stool or ladder to reach high places.

• Read labels before you use materials that come in jars, cans and spray cans.

• Never place lighted candles on a tree or near any flammable materials.

• Avoid placing breakable tree ornaments or ones with small, detachable parts on lower branches where small children or pets can reach them.

• Do not hang popcorn chains and candy canes on the tree when small children are present. They may think that other tree ornaments are also edible.

Halloween Safety Tips

Safety Tips for Motorists

• All motorists need to be especially alert and cautious when driving on Halloween because of the high number of pedestrians walking the streets.
• Watch for children darting out from between parked cars.
• Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs

Trick-or-Treating

• Most importantly, all children under the age of 12 should be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult, but before trick-or-treating, parents should:
• Tell your children not to eat any treats until they return home.
• Teach your children to never enter a stranger’s home.
• Agree on a specific time for your children to come home.

Costumes

• When making or purchasing Halloween costumes, follow these safety precautions to ensure your children remain safe while looking great:
• All costumes, wigs and accessories should be fire-resistant.
• Masks can limit or block eyesight, so consider non-toxic makeup or decorative hats as safer alternatives.
• Children should only wear well-fitting costumes and shoes to avoid trips and falls.

Fireworks Safety for Upcoming Holiday Celebrations

• Always purchase fireworks from a reliable source.
• Use fireworks as directed on consumer product safety label; never alter products.
• Observe local laws and use good COMMON SENSE.
• Have a designated shooter to organize and shoot your family show.
• A responsible ADULT should supervise all firework activities.
• Parents should not allow young children to handle or use fireworks.
• Alcohol and fireworks do not mix.   Save your alcohol for after the show.
• Use fireworks OUTDOORS in a clear area; AWAY from buildings and vehicles.
• NEVER carry fireworks in your POCKET.
• Wear safety glasses whenever using fireworks.
• Always have water ready if you are shooting fireworks.

Chikungunya Virus Infection

Prevention

-         No vaccine exists to prevent chikungunya virus infection or disease.

-          Prevent chikungunya virus infection by avoiding mosquito bites (see below).

-          The mosquitoes that spread the chikungunya virus bite mostly during the daytime.

Protect Yourself from Mosquito Bites

-        Use air conditioning or window/door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.  If you are not able to protect yourself from mosquitoes inside your home or hotel, sleep under a mosquito bed net.

-        Help reduce the number of mosquitoes outside your home or hotel room by emptying standing water from containers such as flowerpots or buckets.

-        When weather permits, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.

-        Use insect repellents

o   Repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol products provide long lasting protection.

o   If you use both sunscreen and insect repellent, apply the sunscreen first and then the repellent.

o   Do not spray repellent on the skin under your clothing.

o   Treat clothing with permethrin or purchase permethrin-treated clothing.

o   Always follow the label instructions when using insect repellent or sunscreen.

If you have chikungunya, follow these instructions:

-        During the first week of infection, chikungunya virus can be found in the blood and passed from an infected person to another mosquito through mosquito bites. An infected mosquito can then transmit the virus to other people.

-        To prevent further spread of the virus, it is important for people to avoid mosquito bites during the first week of illness.

Never Leave Your Child Alone In a Car

It can be tempting to leave a baby alone in a car while we quickly run into the store. The problem is that leaving a child alone in a car can lead to serious injury or death from heatstroke. Young children are particularly at risk, as their bodies heat up three to five times faster than an adult’s. These tragedies are completely preventable.

Top Tips

Reduce the number of deaths from heatstroke by remembering to ACT.

A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. And make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not in it so kids don’t get in on their own. 

C: Create reminders by putting something in the back of your car next to your child such as a briefcase, a purse or a cell phone that is needed at your final destination. This is especially important if you’re not following your normal routine.

T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.

Flash Flood Safety Rules

• Get out of areas subject to flooding. This includes dips, low spots, canyons, washes, etc.
• Avoid already flooded and high velocity flow areas. Do not try to cross a flowing stream on foot where water is above your knees.
• If driving, know the depth of the water in a dip before crossing. The road bed may not be intact under the water.
• If the vehicle stalls, abandon it immediately and seek higher ground. Rapidly rising water may engulf the vehicle and its occupants and sweep them away.
• Be cautious especially at night when it is harder to recognize flood dangers.
• During any flood emergency, stay tuned to your weather radio, commercial radio, or television. Information from the national weather service and disaster and emergency services may save your life.

'Rules' For Driving In Trinidad and Tobago

PLEASE DO NOT FOLLOW THESE 'RULES'!

NEVER DO THE FOLLOWING:

1. Never indicate - this will give away your next move. A real T&T driver never uses them.

2. The faster you drive through a red light, the smaller the chance you have of getting hit.

3. Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that your ABS kicks in, giving you a nice, relaxing foot massage as the brake pedal pulsates. For those of you without ABS, it's a chance to stretch your legs.

4. Never pass on the right when you can pass on the left. It's a good way to check if the people entering the highway are awake.

5. Speed limits are arbitrary figures, given only as a guideline. They are especially not applicable in T&T during rush hour. That's why it's called 'rush hour....'

6. Learn to swerve abruptly. T&T is the home of the high-speed slalom driving thanks to the city council, which puts holes in key locations to test drivers' reflexes and keeps them on their toes.

7. It is traditional in T&T to honk your horn at cars that don't move the instant the light turns green. This prevents pigeons from building nests on top of the traffic light and birds from making deposits on your car.

8. Remember that the goal of every T&T driver is to get there first, by whatever means necessary.

Now guys go out there today and make T&T proud by NOT practicing the above 'rules'!!!

Social Media Safety

Be careful what information you share on social media. Specifically, do not publicly post check-ins to distant locales or respond to invitations to future events that involve all residents of your home – you may be letting the entire world know that your home will be empty and a prime target for robbery, or that you will arrive home late at night and, therefore, will be a good target for attack. Posting information about your children’s schedules in a manner that is world-readable may also increase the chances that they will be targeted by people with bad intentions.

Playground Safety - Adult Supervision

Adult supervision can help prevent injuries by making sure kids properly use playground equipment and don't engage in unsafe behavior around it. If an injury does occur, an adult can assist the child and administer any needed first aid right away.

Kids should always have adult supervision on the playground. Young kids (and sometimes older ones) can't always gauge distances properly and aren't capable of foreseeing dangerous situations by themselves. Older kids like to test their limits on the playground, so it's important for an adult to be there to keep them in check.

Before you visit a playground, check to make sure that play areas are designed to allow an adult to clearly see kids while they're playing on all the equipment.

Be Unpredictable

Criminals often “case“ or scope out their victims prior to striking. Routines such as leaving and returning home at the exact same time each day, jogging at the same time, or regularly leaving your back window open while you cook dinner are all potential vulnerabilities. Consider mixing things up so that your routines can’t be predicted and used against you.

Cover Electrical Outlets and Protect Children from Electrical Wires

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Electrical shock causes deaths and injuries each year. An electrical shock occurs whenever a child touches an electrically charged object, while touching another surface that can conduct the electricity to the ground. Proper grounding, electrical safety devices and avoiding hazardous situations can help prevent electrical shock in children.

•     Childproof your home from electric shock with these safety tips:
•     Cover unused electrical sockets with plastic covers
•        Repair or discard any damaged appliances or electric cords
•       Keep young children away from electrical appliances
•       Teach kids to respect electricity as early as possible
•       Do not use a hair dryer or radio near water

Have an exit strategy

Do you know exactly what you would do if you woke up to a raging fire in your house? What if there was a sudden earthquake? What if you were driving on a dark country road and you realized someone suspicious was clearly following you? By going over these scenarios in your head, you can come up with plans and strategies to mitigate the inherent dangers. The more you think and plan now, the less thinking and planning you’ll need to do in a moment’s notice.

Always be prepared for the unexpected

Never, ever be so humble as to think that something cannot happen to you. There are simple things you can do to prepare for unfortunate events. For example, keep your cell phone charged and always have some credits available for an emergency call when needed. Keep some spare money in a hidden place (in your car?), in case you are robbed or lose your wallet. Program emergency phone numbers into your phone, because when you’re in shock or in a panic, you will not always be able to think straight.All phone calls distract drivers' attention from the road. What do you all think?

Seat Belts Save Lives

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Seat belts are important personal protection equipment. Like hard hats, safety glasses, and hard toe shoes in industry, seat belts help to decrease the severity of accidental injury or to prevent injury when crashes occur.

Guard Against Scalding

You probably know that your young child could drown in the bathtub, but she's just as likely to get seriously burned. A baby or toddler who is exposed to 140 degrees F water can be scalded in less than five seconds -- so make sure your hot-water heater is set to 120 degrees F, and always test the water temperature yourself before placing your child in the tub.

Home Safety Tips

• Whether you are buying, building or just remodeling your home make sure to select roofing that is fire resistant.
• If possible, install a locked mailbox at your home and never put outgoing mail containing personal information in an unsecured out-box or in your mailbox for pick up.
• To help prevent tipping off burglars, if you plan to be away from home for an extended period of time, set your phone ringer to the lowest volume.
• It is recommended to have interconnected smoke alarms. These alarms are linked together; if one alarm is triggered they all go off.
•  Never attempt to charge non-rechargeable batteries. Attempting to recharge non-rechargeable batteries could cause the batteries to explode.