November 2007 Safety Newsletter

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We've been hearing a lot lately about safety recalls. Several large companies voluntarily pulled children's cold and flu medications off the shelf recently and there have been a number of toy recalls due to lead paint hazards in the last couple of months.

I don't know if the number of unsafe products has skyrocketed or just the amount of press coverage but it is almost impossible to keep track. In researching a couple of these recalls, I came across a resource I wanted to share with readers of the Emergency Contacts Safety Newsletter.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission's web site http://www.cpsc.gov/ features lists of recalls broken into the following categories: Children's Products, Toys, Household Products, Outdoor Products and Specialty Products.

The lists were easy to read and gave the name of the item and the manufacturer. Clicking on the item brings up the details of the recall including injuries and how they happened, where the item was sold and details on how to return the item or contact the manufacturer.

You can also sign up for an email alert when there is a recall in a specific category. I've only received about an email a week that contained all the same detail as the website. No frills, no junk -just the facts. You may want to consider signing up for these bulletins, particularly if you buy a lot of children's products or toys.

* The next two articles appeared in last December's Emergency Contacts Safety Newsletter. With Thanksgiving coming up in a couple of days, the holiday season is officially here and I wanted to include these two timely reminders.

Driving While Drowsy? Driving While Drowsy?

Every year during the holiday season, TV, radio, newspapers and others talk a lot about the hazards of drunk driving and remind us to be careful. One thing they rarely talk about - also a huge problem during this hectic time - is driving while drowsy. Falling asleep at the wheel is obviously the most dangerous result but tired drivers also tend to be more irritable and impatient.

Police reports say there are over 100,000 crashes a year that are related to fatigue but The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that number may just be the tip of the iceberg. They believe many sleep-related accidents are unreported or attributed to other factors.

This year, with Christmas on a Tuesday there will no doubt be many people who leave work on Friday and start out on long-distance trips to be with family or friends. College students whose holiday break begins after classes on Friday may be headed home as well (males between the ages of 16 and 29 are the highest risk group!). Another critical time will be New Years Day.

Here are some recommendations you should consider and pass along to family members and friends who may be traveling by car during the holidays:

• Don't start your journey tired. Be aware of the risks if you get up unusually early to start your trip or leave directly from work or school when you are tired.
• Plan your trip to include a 15-minute break every two hours.
• Share the driving if possible. Safety experts recommend switching off every three hours.
• You're too tired to drive if you start drifting from your lane, hitting rumble strips, yawning repeatedly, having difficulty focusing or keeping your eyes open, missing road signs or tailgating. Pull over to a safe place as soon as possible, drink a high caffeine drink and take a 15 minute nap.
  

Ready, Set, Shop!! Ready, Set, Shop!!

During this holiday shopping season, remember some basic personal safety strategies and share them with family members as well.

• Always try to walk to and from your car with one other person. If you are shopping by yourself, try to walk near other shoppers in parking lots.
• Most malls have security officers. If you weighed down with packages and are leaving the mall alone at night, ask if a security officer can accompany you to your car.
• Avoid dark hallways (that often lead to restrooms, unfortunately) and other deserted areas of the mall or department stores near closing time.
• When shopping with children, point out the security guards so they know where to go for help if they get lost.
• Avoid shopping cart injuries to children by staying with the cart at all times. According to one report, over 21,000 kids are hospitalized each year after they've fallen - or jumped - from shopping carts.
• Check for loose or dangling items of clothing (both your own and your kids') before stepping on an escalator.
• Only use ATMs located in highly visible, well-lit areas and try to have someone accompany you when making withdrawals after dark. Be aware of what is going on around you. Cancel your transaction if anything suspicious happens.

These are just a few of the many tips I found. Hopefully, this short reminder will help us focus a little on safety during this hectic season.

Have a safe and happy holiday!