SafetySkills™ is starting off November with showcasing another free course of the month. This month’s free course is Hazardous Materials Transportation, Introduction. This free course is available to individuals or companies looking for online safety training. To view the course, you must create an account. The account is free and the course is free and the certificate of completion is also free. Why do we offer free training? Because we hope you find SafetySkills™ so effective and easy to use that you choose us for all of your compliance training needs.
More than 800,000 hazardous material shipments occur every day – 365 days a year. Commerce involving hazardous materials contributes more than $446 billion to the US economy annually. It is an important part of everyone’s daily life. Persons involved in the packaging, marking, labeling, and transporting of hazardous materials must be familiar with the proper handling and safeguarding of hazardous materials as prescribed in the Hazardous Materials Regulations, or HMR. This free course is designed to give HAZMAT employees a general awareness of the requirements of the HMR.
Hazardous Materials Transportation,Introduction can be used to fulfill the requirements of 49 CFR 174(a)(1) for the general awareness/familiarization training. After the completion of the course you will be able to summarize which packages and containers the HMR apply to, what training is required and what the possible penalties are for violating the HMR. Employers may also be interested in all the courses available in our Hazardous Materials (DOT) Training Series.
The weather is hot and it’s only getting hotter. There are so many fun things and events that people associate with hot weather - the sun, the beach, swimming, cook outs and the Fourth of July. Children and the inner child of many adults look forward to Fourth of July because it is one of the only times they are allowed to light things on fire and set up explosive fireworks while the whole family watches. As fun and exciting as it is when you gather the family around to enjoy the display, you also must keep in mind that it can get dangerous. Each year fireworks cause thousands of major and minor injuries mostly to young people. With the proper firework safety training, this year’s Fourth of July can ensure that everyone can have a blast (no pun intended) the safe way!
SafetySkills™ would like to ensure that you and your family have a safe and happy Fourth of July by offering a completely free 15 minute course on the hazards and safe use of fireworks. The course is available at http://safetyskills.com/fireworks-safety-training. To learn more information about SafetySkills™ and other free courses, please visit us at http://safetyskills.com/free-online-safety-training.
The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has designated that today, the Friday before Memorial Day as “Don’t Fry Day”. The goal of this campaign is to encourage sun safety awareness by reminding everyone to use sun protection while enjoying the outdoors. Start this Memorial weekend off by taking the pledge to not fry today or any day. Millions of Americans will be enjoying the unofficial start to summer this weekend and with all the excitement it is easy to forget to pack the SPF. Did you know that more people will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year than breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer combined? (Source: www.skincancerprevention.org) You can still enjoy the outdoors and stay safe by putting on a shirt, wearing sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher, wearing a hat or sunglasses or hanging out in the shade. You also check the UV index in your area to prevent overexposure to the sun by going to http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html. For this year’s “Don’t Fry Day”, go beyond sunscreen to protect your skin.
SafetySkills is offering the public not only important safety tips to keep you and your family safe while traveling this holiday season, but also their Hazardous Driving Conditions course completely free of charge (http://safetyskills.com/winter-driving).
Here are some tips to keep your road trip as smooth as possible.
1. Check the weather and know how to drive in bad weather safely before going out.
75% of winter weather related deaths are due to driving in dangerous weather. Only venture out it bad weather if you have to and take SafetySkills Hazardous Driving course free at http://safetyskills.com/winter-driving.
2. Winterize your vehicle.
Make sure all vehicle maintenance is up to date and stock your vehicle full of self-sustainable technologies and supplies (first aid kit, blankets, bottled water, flashlights, etc.)
3. Pay Attention.
Don’t get distracted. Driver distraction is becoming the most dangerous issue affecting the roads today. In 2008, 500,000 car accidents and 6,000 deaths were caused by driver distraction. Combine a distracted driver with hazardous weather and you have got a huge problem on your hands.
4. Never drink and drive.
There is really isn’t much need to elaborate. Everyone knows that driving while intoxicated impairs your judgement and reaction time. Just don’t do it.
5. Drive as much as possible when the sun is shining.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Safety Council (NSC), driving deaths are 3 times more likely to occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Try to travel during the day as much as possible.
No matter what your opinion is on the right to bear arms one thing is for certain – as long as gun ownership exists, gun safety is necessary. Gun safety is a valid concern for everyone because it can affect everyone. Individuals with high risk jobs (such as convenience store clerks and security guards), as well as people who simply own guns for either protection or a hobby, knowing the proper way to handle and care for a firearm is only being responsible.
Accidental shootings have been a long-standing issue and taking proper safety measures with any weapon is extremely important to avoid injury or death. Taking SafetySkills™ new and free Gun Safety course will help prevent accidental shootings, like the ones that have been making headlines.
Just last month, John Tabutt of Winter Springs, Florida accidentally shot and killed his fiancee, Nancy Dinsmore, when he mistook her for an intruder on the eve of their wedding. Tabutt said that he thought that she was laying next to him in bed at the time.
This summer another accidental domestic shooting occurred in San Miguel, California. On July 9, 2009, John Aaron Norris tripped on the stairs while emptying his gun when his dog ran under his feet causing the gun to go off. Norris’ wife, Tasha Dawn Norris, was fatally shot while sitting on the couch.
These two incidents alone prove that more gun safety courses need to be taken by those with guns, not to mention the added concern of what could happen with children in the home. According to the National Safety Council, 8 children die each year in an accidental shooting.
“I think that much of the fear about guns in the general public comes from misunderstandings and the lack of education on the subject,” said Melissa Kaupke, mother and gun owner. “The more familiar one is with how they work and how to handle them, the less chance of any accident.”
I think this video says it all – provide forklift training for your staff! Oh, and if you’re company sells alcohol, make sure that the workers aren’t keeping the party going while on the clock.
This video won’t teach anyone to park a car, but it definitely lets us know that we are surrounded by dummies who need to take a driver safety course or two. This driver, a 62 year-old woman, was arrested after completing this stellar parking job and leaving the scene of the crime. This video reminds us all that driver safety is extremely important because this could have been a tragic situation if the owners of those cars were inside.
According to a poll done by Harvard, only 4 out of 10 adults are definitely getting the H1N1 virus vaccine when it becomes available this year. This number rises slightly, 6 out of 10, when asked if they would get the vaccination in the event that their community members were sick or dying from the virus.
Some might find these results shocking, but when the 1976 national influenza campaign gone wrong is put in perspective it makes complete sense. This campaign ended with blood on the hands of the government. The disease never spread as expected and 500 of those who were vaccinated developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, resulting in the 25 deaths. Knowing this and the effects that have been linked to countless other vaccinations, it’s only natural that people, especially parents, would be concerned about vaccinating themselves and their children.
But with all that said, there is still a great risk being expressed by experts about the dangers of swine flu. It is still expected to become a major problem and everyone should decide how they want to handle the situation. For those who would like the vaccination, contact your medical professional about the vaccine and when it will be available to you. For those who choose not to be vaccinated, be extremely aware of the other prevention methods you can take to avoid getting swine flu.
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year because it gives everyone an excuse to dress up, act like a kid and my favorite part – I don’t have to cook! That being said it is also a very dangerous holiday. I mean, one of the goals is to get scared, but not to get hurt. Luckily there are some things that parents and childcare professionals can do to help train children to have a safe Halloween.
Do candy checks
Wear costumes that are easy to see and move in
Know pedestrian safety
Only adults should cut jack-o-lanterns
Beware of stranger danger
Only trick-or-treat in well-lit and safe neighborhoods or trick-or-treat venues
Create an route for trick-or-treating and stick to it in case of an emergency
Children under 10 should probably NOT trick-or-treat without adult supervision
Bring a flashlight
Make a specific route for your child to trick-or-treat on if doing so alone. Set a curfew and if your child is late you know where exactly to look.
SafetySkills™ is starting off November with showcasing another free course of the month. This month’s free course is Hazardous Materials Transportation, Introduction. This free course is available to individuals or companies looking for online safety training. To view the course, you must create an account. The account is free and the course is free and the certificate of completion is also free. Why do we offer free training? Because we hope you find SafetySkills™ so effective and easy to use that you choose us for all of your compliance training needs.
