Vol.1     Number 5    October, 2000
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IN THIS ISSUE

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1. Current Concerns
2. Fire Safety
3. The World of Risk
4. For New Parents
5. It Was in the News

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1. ANIMALS ON THE ROAD

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Last October, I was driving from Edmonton to Calgary at about 8 p.m. Without warning, a large White-Tail deer ran in front of my car. I hit him. He was scooped up onto the hood, smashed against my windshield and sent up to deer heaven.

Both my airbags activated, and my little Neon was almost a write- off. It could have been worse. Traffic was very heavy. Fortunately, I was able to keep the car on the road and ease it off onto the shoulder without causing a collision.

As a paramedic, I have attended several crashes involving animals on the road where the occupants of the vehicles have been killed. When a car hits a large animal such as a moose, horse or cow, often the animal's legs are knocked out from under them and the animal comes through the windshield. This will happen instantly and with extreme force. The results are devastating. Broken necks and severe chest and head injuries are common. A collision like this can also cause the driver to lose control and head into oncoming traffic.

With the daylight hours shrinking and animals becoming more active, we all need to use extreme caution. Slow down. And don't just keep your eyes on the road; scan the ditches as well.

For more articles on automobile safety, go to: http://www.safete.com/safetyarticles.html.

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2. FIRE SAFETY

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Fire Prevention Week is October 8th -14th this year. This is a good time to remind you to replace your old smoke alarms. You should also have a regular routine for testing the alarms and replacing the batteries.

Here are the facts:
The potential failure rate for a 10-year-old smoke alarm is as high as 30 percent.

One third of all smoke alarms currently installed in North America are at least 10 years old.

Over 25 percent of battery-powered smoke alarms do not work because the batteries are dead.

Replace your smoke alarms before they reach the 10 year mark. Test your alarm at least once a month, and replace the batteries at least once a year.

For more information on fire safety go to:
http://www.safete.com/safetyarticles.html

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3. THE WORLD OF RISK & LUCK

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The risk that someone who has diabetes does not know it is 50%.

The risk that an adult has a food allergy is 3%.

The odds of you dying from meningitis this year is 1 in 1,000,000.

The chances that your tractor will overturn and kill you this year if you are a farmer is 1 in 25,000.

The most common type of disease caused by work is skin disorders.

The typical American worker is 300% more likely to die during leisure time away from the job than at work.

Source: The Book of Risks by Larry Laudan ========================

4. FOR PARENTS

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For most children, the end of October means costumes, candy and a good time. For parents, though, Halloween is a time for special safety considerations. Let's face it, having a group of excited children running about in costumes can create all sorts of hazards. Trick or treating activities should always be supervised by a responsible adult.

A few things to keep in mind to help the kids stay safe:

Avoid baggy costumes that may cause a child to trip. Remember, they will be going up and down stairs all night.

Masks can be very uncomfortable. But an even bigger concern is that masks may reduce a child's vision. To fix this problem, try disguising your little one by using non-toxic face paint and a bit of imagination.

For more child safety tips, go to:
http://www.safete.com/safetyarticles.html

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5. IT WAS IN THE NEWS!

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For three days, a 75-year-old man who was partially paralyzed from a stroke sat in a 4.5 foot deep hole that was created when the outhouse he was sitting on collapsed. An alert postal worker noticed that the man's mailbox was full and went looking for him.

Contrary to popular belief, very few cowboys died from gunshot wounds. Most died from horse-related incidents. One of the most< common causes of death was drowning while trying to cross swollen rivers on horseback.

A college motorcycle instructor died of head injuries from a bike crash that occurred while he was giving a demonstration to students. The instructor hit some gravel and flew over the handlebars. He was not wearing a helmet.

Experts at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies in Providence, Rhode Island, were astounded to learn that, although one woman's blood alcohol was 0.537, she was still able to walk. At 0.08, you're legally drunk. At this woman's level, you're considered legally dead.

WHERE MARTIN HAS SPOKEN LATELY AND WILL BE SPEAKING NEXT:

CN Rail (twice) Edmonton,Alberta

CN Rail, Winnipeg, Manitoba

CN Rail, Prince George B.C.

Manitoba Safety Council, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Imperial Oil (five talks) Calgary, Alberta

Husky Oil, Calgary, Alberta

Canadian Freightways, Banff, Alberta Manitoba Hydro, Gilliam, Manitoba

Workers Compensation Board Conference, Charlottetown, PEI

New Brunswick Workplace Health Safety & Compensation, Saint John, NB

New Mexico Mutual Casualty Company, Albuquerque, NM

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Orlando, Florida


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This newsletter is written and produced by Martin Lesperance of Safety Health Publishing Inc. Martin is a fire fighter/paramedic, best selling author and international speaker. Visit his website at www.safete.com for free safety articles and information on his speaking services.

DISCLAIMER

The author and publisher have checked with sources believed to be reliable in a conscientious effort to provide information that is complete and congruent with acceptable standards at the time of publication. However, given the dynamic nature of this information, future changes and updates are anticipated. Therefore, readers are encouraged to confer with other reliable sources to ensure that they will receive complete, accurate and current information.