After spending the weekend checking off tasks that were on my list, my wife and I went out for a nice afternoon drive.  There were quite a few bikes on the road with users of all ages.  I even saw one with training wheels attached on a side street.  I went to a web site, link included, to see what everyone should already know.  Besides all the facts I found, one must realize that bikes are considered a non-motorized vehicle and must obey all traffic signals.  Vehicle drivers must also be aware of their presence and the bike lanes throughout the city.  

Bike

There are so many great reasons to ride your bike: It offers fun, freedom and exercise, and it's good for the environment. We want kids and families to ride their bikes as much as possible. Here are a few tips so that you'll be safe while you do so.

The Hard Facts

More children ages 5 to 14 are seen in emergency rooms for injuries related to biking than any other sport. Helmets can reduce the risk of severe brain injuries by 88 percent – yet only 45 percent of children 14 and under usually wear a bike helmet.

Top Tips

• We have a simple saying: "Use your head, wear a helmet." It is the single most effective safety device available to reduce head injury and death from bicycle crashes.
• Tell your kids to ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, not against it. Stay as far to the right as possible. Use appropriate hand signals and respect traffic signals, stopping at all stop signs and stoplights.
• Teach your kids to make eye contact with drivers. Bikers should make sure drivers are paying attention and are going to stop before they cross the street.
• When riding at dusk, dawn or in the evening, be bright and use lights – and make sure your bike has reflectors as well. It's also smart to wear clothes and accessories that have retro-reflective materials to improve biker visibility to motorists.
• Actively supervise children until you're comfortable that they are responsible to ride on their own.

- See more at: http://www.safekids.org/bike#sthash.lAJTgg9z.dpuf

Motorcycles

Last weekend I noticed a lot more motorcycle riders on our streets. We need to take the time to notice motorcycles and their limitations when we are driving full sized vehicles. Did you know the following:

This is a list of numbers of motorcycle deaths in U.S. by year from 1994 to 2010. United States motorcycle fatalities increased every year for 11 years since reaching a historic low of 2,116 fatalities in 1997, until a decline in 2009. In nine years motorcycle deaths more than doubled.

From 1980 motorcycle ownership among riders aged 40 and over increased dramatically, from 15.1 percent of all riders in 1980 to 43.7 percent in 1998. The mean engine displacement of the motorcycles involved in fatal crashes also increased, from an average engine size of 769 cc (46.9 cu in) in 1990, to 959 cc (58.5 cu in) in 2001, an increase of 24.7 percent. It has been suggested that the combination of older riders on higher-powered motorcycles might have been partially responsible for the increase in motorcycle deaths from the late 1990s until 2004.

Half of motorcycle fatalities in single vehicle crashes relate to problems negotiating a curve prior to a crash—almost 60 percent of motorcyclist fatalities in single-vehicle crashes occur at night.

In 2009 motorcycle fatalities in the US declined for the first time in 11 years. The yearly total dropped from 5,312 to 4,469. Automobile fatalities continued to decline for the seventh straight year. A decline in recreational motorcycling due to the late-2000s recession might account for the decrease in accidents, according to the authors of a report by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), but a state motorcyclists' rights organization, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, said motorcycle use appeared to have increased, influenced by motorcycles' better fuel economy. A preliminary report by the GHSA estimated that the number of motorcyclist deaths in 2012 was more than 5,000, a 9% increase over 2011.

Annual U.S. motorcycle deaths

Year	Deaths
1994	2,320
1995	2,227
1996	2,161
1997	2,116
1998	2,294
1999	2,483
2000	2,897
2001	3,197†
2002	3,244
2003	3,661‡
2004	4,028
2005	4,576
2006	4,837
2007	5,174
2008	5,312
2009	4,462
2010	4,502
2011	4,612
† some NHTSA lists show 3,181 ‡ some NHTSA lists show 3,714

 Motorcycle riders need to have the following:

Items of Personal Protection Equipment

A full-face helmet credited for saving its user.

Half helmets or "skid lids" meet minimum legal requirements.

• Helmet — A full-face helmet provides the most protection. Thirty-five percent of all crashes show major impact on the chin-bar area. However, 3/4- and 1/2-helmets also are available. Some motorcycle training sites have banned the use of half-helmets because of avoidable injuries sustained by riders wearing them.
• Gloves — Commonly made of leather, cordura, or Kevlar, or some combination. Some include carbon fiber knuckle protection or other forms of rigid padding. Gloves designed specifically for motorcycle use have slightly curved fingers and the seams are on the outer surfaces to allow the motorcyclist to maintain his grip and control on the handlebars and clutch/brake levers. Some gloves also provide protection to the wrist.
• Jackets — Generally made from leather, ballistic nylon, cordura, Kevlar or other synthetics. Most jackets include special padding on elbows, spine and shoulders. Airbag system technology is now available fitted to jackets and vests for accident protection and impact protection for both riders and pillions. Competition-approved hard armor is superior to soft padding. Competition-approved back and chest protectors can be worn underneath jackets. Inflatable airbag jackets can offer an additional airbag for neck support.
• Pants — Made of the same material as jackets, usually including special protection for the knees and hips.
• Boots — Especially those for sport riding, include reinforcement and plastic caps on the ankles, and toe area. Boots designed for cruiser-style riders often have steel-reinforced toes (However this reduces sensitivity of the foot when changing gear). Boots should always have a rubber sole (as opposed to leather or other less flexible materials). Despite their toughness and protection, most boots are very lightweight. Some even include titanium plating.
• Goggles or Helmet Visor — Eye protection is of utmost importance - an insect or a kicked-up pebble in the eye at speed has enough momentum to cause significant damage. Such an event could easily cause the rider to lose control and crash. Besides this danger, squinting into the wind is unpleasant at best and watering eyes are quite distracting.
• Ear plugs — Most riders experience substantial wind noise at speeds above 40 to 50 mph (64 to 80 km/h). Ear plugs help protect against hearing damage, and reduce fatigue during long rides.
• Vests — Made with high-visibility colors and retroreflective materials, vests can be worn over jackets to increase the chance of being seen and allow drivers to better judge the speed and position of riders, especially in adverse conditions of dark and wet.
• Other PPE — Dirt bike riders wear a range of plastic armor to protect against injury from falling and hitting other riders and bikes, running into track barriers, and being hit by flying debris kicked up by the tires of other riders' bikes. This type of armor typically covers the back, chest, and sometimes the extremities.

It is increasingly common for gloves, jackets, pants, and boots to be outfitted with hard plastics on probable contact areas in an effort to ensure that when a motorcyclist contacts the ground, his clothing will permit him to slide relatively easily as opposed to "crumpling", risking injury to body parts being stressed in abnormal directions.

Since the first line of protection in crash contact is the outer shell of clothing, designers have moved that further from the body. The ultimate protective shell so far is an airbag that stays with the driver as he flies off the bike. However, increasing use of "exoskeleton" plastic shields attached to clothing points toward design of a complete roll bar belted to the driver. A near-stage design is a plastic or light alloy double "wheel" perimeter rim around the driver, over his head and in front and behind him. When the driver unbelts himself and gets off the bike, he leaves the wheel roll bar with the bike. But when the driver flies off the bike, the roll bar flies with him and makes contact with hard surfaces. The driver is relatively safe from contact, belted within a contact rim extending out around him.

Riders sometimes use the acronyms MOTGMOTT and ATGATT, which stand for "Most Of The Gear Most Of The Time" and "All The Gear All The Time", when describing their personal gear preferences.

COMPUTER SECURITY - HACKERS - ALL THE ABOVE, SOME THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW. 

FROM:   Rafe Needleman can be reached at rafeneedleman@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @rafe. 

Everybody panic! On Tuesday, April 8, Microsoft will stop “supporting” Windows XP. If you’re still using a computer that’s running this old operating system, you do have options. I covered them very recently: Still on Windows XP? Here’s Some Bad Advice. 

But what if none of the options work for you? What if, for a perfectly good reason (like the fact that upgrading from XP will cost you either money or time, and you have neither), you’re stuck with a computer using XP? What’s going to happen to you and your computer on April 9?

Nothing you’ll notice, at least not right away. Windows XP will continue to work. But your risk of a security breach into your computer increases over time. Microsoft is adamant that Windows XP can no longer be considered a safe place to store your digital assets.

Even though the operating system has been repaired (“patched”) literally over 1,000 times, it’s got an old foundation, and it can’t stand up to modern security threats. Unless you want your data stolen, your home network hacked, or your computer taken over to be used as a slave to send spam, you need to get off this creaky platform. That’s what Microsoft says.

But if you have to keep using an old XP machine, you can decrease your exposure in a few ways:
1. Get the last version.
Make sure you have the final version of Windows XP. Connect your computer to the Internet and let it update itself. Or find Windows Update on your computer and let it run. Make your version of XP as secure as possible, because it’s not going to get any better after this.

The author digs out his old IBM laptop to give it one final update.

 2. Update your antivirus software.
Microsoft will continue to support its own Security Essentials add-on app for Windows until July 2015. Make sure it’s updated (it should handle this itself, or you can force it by opening the app and asking it to update). Security software is a strong line of defense, but it can’t protect you from everything.

3. Make sure your browser is up to date.
Since the most common threats your machine is likely to see will probably come through websites you visit, be sure you’re running a modern and up-to-date browser. All the current versions of the major browsers offer better security than that other giant Microsoft product that people still use, Internet Explorer 6. Get off that thing right now. 

4. Be extra careful with email.
Do not open attachments on your XP computer: PDFs, Word files, attached programs, and so on. Even those that appear to be from people you know. The “from” line in an email message can be forged, and happy-looking emails from friends are great vectors for infection. 

5. The same goes for Facebook.

It’s fine to read updates, but you’re at risk if you click on links to stories or sites that show up in your feed, even if they appear to be from people you know.

6. Be extra, extra careful with USB sticks, CDs, and DVDs.

These can carry malware. Your security software might catch it, but it might not. Best bet is to not use any kind of external media with this computer, especially USB sticks. 

7. For the ultimate in safety, disconnect from the Internet. 
Not a joke. And it’s actually a workable idea for people who are using their XP computers for dedicated functions, like cash registers. If it doesn’t need to be connected to the world, disconnect it. Do your email and web browsing on a modern device, like your smartphone or tablet, if you can.

All things end
Microsoft has a public document stating when it will stop supporting various versions of Windows. Today may be the end for XP, but its newer products have termination dates, too. If you’re on Windows Vista (which hopefully you’re not; it’s terrible), you have until April 11, 2017. Windows 7 users will be abandoned on Jan. 14, 2020. The clock is even ticking on Windows 8.1: Microsoft is planning to end support for today’s operating system on Jan. 10, 2023.

EASTER EGG SAFETY TIPS

It's that time of year again and above all we want our children to be safe. I have attached a few thoughts to ponder before the "Easter Egg Hunt".  

CANDY

To prevent choking and exposure to choking hazards, children under the age of 5 should not be given small candy. Be sure to give out age-appropriate candy and be watchful of little ones at all times.

TOYS

Toys with small pieces are also choking hazards so be mindful of any toys handed out to young children.

EGGS

Decorating eggs is one of the most fun Easter traditions for children. However, remember that eggs can be hazardous and quickly spoil if not refrigerated properly before and after you decorate them. Hard-boiled eggs left out for several hours as part of a hunt or centerpiece should not be eaten.

CLEANLINESS

When preparing eggs for the hunt, wash hands before and after working with raw eggs, as well as any utensils or dishes used. Do not use eggs that have been cracked or broken.

SUNSCREEN

If you are going to be outside for long periods for an Easter egg hunt or other outdoor games, remember to apply sunscreen.

NUT ALLERGIES

Remember that some kids have nut allergies that are very serious. Check with parents before offering any chocolate bunnies or other candies that might have nuts.

BOUNDARIES

Set up a boundary for an outdoor Easter egg hunt so kids are not wandering off or into places that aren't safe or supervised.

NO RUNNING

Separate age groups so that the large kids are not running off for their eggs and knocking over smaller children. Or enforce a no running rule.

INDOOR SAFETY

For indoor egg hunts, do not hide eggs near outlets, hard to reach areas, near glass or other breakables or dangerous spots.

SUPERVISION

Designate only certain rooms of the house for indoor egg hunts so children aren't running around the house unsupervised.

Back in the late 80s' and early 90s' I was working for the Norfolk Southern Railway Police Department.  A lot of people are not aware that major railroads have their own police department with agents that are commissioned through the Federal Government to enforce state and federal law that pertains to railroads and their property.  I was one of those agents and we lived in Columbus, Ohio.  My territory was Windsor, Canada, North, to Kansas City, Kansas, West, to Roanoke, Virginia, East and to Lexington, Kentucky, South.  Needless to say we covered a lot of territory.  I investigated a lot of accidents, employee and citizen.  Sad to say some were fatal and the rest involved injuries.  

With that said, as the weather improves so does the opportunity to use the rail system for travel and entertainment.  I thought I would include a few safety tips:

SIX THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LIGHT RAIL AND COMMUTER TRAIN SAFETY

1. STAY ALERT.
Trains can come from either direction at any time and can be very quiet.  They now have what is called "ribbon rail" which is a type of welded rail sections. You don't hear the noise of the wheel on the rail anymore.  Around train tracks or in stations, obey all warning signs and signals and use caution when using headsets or cell phones.

2. WATCH THE OVERHANG.
Trains are wider than the tracks; never sit on the edge of a station platform.

3. STAND AWAY FROM THE PLATFORM EDGE.
Pay attention to painted or raised markings at the platform edge, and stay at least three feet from the train while it is coming in or out of the station.

4. WHEN ON BOARD, HOLD ON.
Hold on tight to poles or seats, and listen carefully to directions from the train operator or conductor.

5. WATCH YOUR STEP.
Be careful getting on and off the train - there may be a gap between the train and platform or steps.

6. DON'T TAKE SHORTCUTS WITH YOUR LIFE!
Follow directional signs and markings that let you know where it is safe to cross the tracks. Crossing the tracks anywhere else is dangerous and illegal. Never use any rail road track as a short cut or drive around the railway crossing arms.  Trains are not like cars, they cannot stop on a dime.  Depending on weight and length, it could take a train over a mile to completely stop after they apply the brakes.
       

No one is ever a winner when they take shortcuts to safety, especially with a train. 

Spring is here and I don't know about your family but we’re getting ready to clean up inside our home and to work outside in our lawn and garden. But all that lifting, climbing, trimming and other spring-cleaning activities heighten the risk for home injuries. According to the Home Safety Council, there are over 10 million unintentional home injuries in the U.S. per year that result in visits to hospital emergency rooms. These injuries result in over 20,000 deaths per year. Falls and poisonings cause over half of home deaths.

Your safety at home is as important as your safety at work!  

Make Your Home Safe from Fires 
• Smoke/carbon monoxide detectors- Install UL approved smoke detectors on every level of your home.
Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms monthly to make sure they are working. Change the batteries at least once per year.
• Fire Extinguisher- Place a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and other areas of your home. Check the gauge on the extinguisher to make sure that it is fully charged.
• Develop a fire escape plan for your home. Identify two escape routes from each room and have a place to meet outside your home. Practice the fire escape plan with your family.

Prevent Falls 
• Walkways

• Keep stairs, steps, landings and floors clear of toys and clutter. 
• Carry loads so that you can see over them and use the handrail. 
• Safely tuck telephone and electric cords out of walkways. 
• Make sure that area rugs are secured with non-skid pads. 

 • Ladders- If you need to climb, use a ladder (not a chair, table or box):

• Place stepladders on level ground and open them completely, making sure all locks are engaged. 
• Before using a ladder outdoors, choose a location that is at least 10 feet away from all power lines. Coming in contact with live wires can be fatal. 
• Use the 4-to-1 rule for extension ladders: for each 4 feet of distance between the ground and the upper point of contact (such as the wall or roof), move the base of the ladder out 1 foot from the wall. 
• Always face the ladder when climbing and wear slip-resistant shoes (e.g. those with rubber soles). 
• Keep your body centered on the ladder and gauge your safety by your belly button. If your belly button passes beyond the side rail of the ladder, you are overreaching and at risk for falling. 
• Make sure rungs are dry before using the ladder. 
• Stand at or below the highest safe standing level on a ladder. For a stepladder, the safe standing level is the second rung from the top, and for an extension ladder, it's the fourth rung from the top. 

 Be Kind to your Back 
Following these lifting techniques can help prevent most back injuries:
• Plan your lift, don’t be in a hurry. Look at both the starting and ending point.
• Bend at the knees, not at the waist and keep your back straight. Lift with your strong leg and thigh muscles.
• Keep the object you are lifting close to your body.
• Do not twist at the waist. Move your feet to turn your body when moving objects.
• Get help when lifting very heavy objects (e.g. over 50 pounds)

Lawn and Garden Safety 
• Service lawnmowers and power tools every spring before using them. Make sure that they are in good
repair. This includes having the blades sharpened and tightened on the mower. Make sure that all guards are in place.
• Before mowing, walk the lawn and pick up sticks, stones, toys and other debris that could shoot out from the mower or damage the blade.

• Don't let people stand or sit anywhere near where you are mowing. Be especially careful to keep small children away. Do not allow children to ride on lawn tractors/ mowers. The safest place for children while the grass is being cut in inside the The safest place for children while the grass is being cut in inside the home.
• Wear proper clothing and protective equipment
• Closed-toe shoes with non-slip soles when mowing
• Wear eye protection when mowing, using week wackers/powered equipment
• Don't wear any loose clothing that could be caught in moving parts.
• Wear ear plugs/muffs when using noisy power equipment
• Never reach under the mower unless it is turned off and the blade had completely stopped turning
• Store gasoline only in approved containers.  Refuel mowers outside when the engine is cool.
• Use fertilizers, insect and weed killers according to the container labels.  Keep pets and children off of newly treated areas.  Choose integrated pest management or non-toxic products when possible. Check the direction of the wind so that the mist or spray is not forced back onto you.

Use Chemicals Safely

• Properly discard out of date medicines.  The Mt. Juliet Police Department has a drop box in their lobby especially dedicated to this service.
• Consider using non-toxic cleaners.  For example, vinegar and water is an effective window cleaner. Toothpaste works well for polishing silver.  Lemon juice is a natural bleach.  Baking soda works well on tile and sinks.  Add vinegar and it's great for cleaning out drains.
• Consumer Reports has a good list of less toxic cleaners to consider on their web site, search "spring cleaning.  
• Read chemical labels and instructions before using cleaning products.
• Wear protective clothing and plastic/rubber gloves when using chemicals.  Wear eye protection when working with corrosive chemicals.
• Never mix cleaning products. Combination of certain cleaning chemicals can produce toxic gases - such as Mustard Gas, which was used in WWI.
• Store household and garden chemicals safely in closed containers out of the reach of children and pets.  Use child-proof locks on cabinets.  Chemicals with labels using the words "Caution, Danger, Poison, or Keep out of Reach of Children", should be stored safely and securely away from children.
• Keep medicines and cleaning products in their original containers with their original labels.  Always label containers if you must remove chemicals from their original containers.
• Discard hazardous and flammable chemicals that you no longer need.  Contact the Wilson County Solid Waste at 444-8360 to find out what can be disposed of and when.

OLDER ADULTS FALLING 

My wife and I were out and about during the weekend and I noticed a large group of seniors in several stores, sharing each others' company and generally having a good time.  There were also those that were with family members on a day out.  I naturally thought, what would I do if there was a medical emergency and did a quick check list in my mind.  A lot came from years of training and experience with my parents and now my mother-in-law.  

What I came to realize is that their generation was independent, proud and had a great "do it yourself" attitude that they have kept all these years.  We need to ask them often, how they are doing, any aches or pains, what can I do for you, so forth.  They may not volunteer the information but they might answer your questions.  I know that my mom would say that she was alright and that she would take an aspirin if needed, even though we knew she was hurting from various ailments.  It wasn't until we specifically asked that we got a direct answer.  One of the last things she said to me and my two sisters was that she had hoped she had not been a burden on us.  

With that said, I did some research and came up with the following information.  I am passing this on to our community so that they will have the knowledge to create a safer environment that will support the can do "attitude" of our seniors.

(From the National Safety Council)

Each year, one in every three adults age 65 and older falls. Falls can lead to moderate to severe injuries, such as hip fractures and head traumas, and are the leading cause of injury death among those age 65 and older. In 2007, 18,334 adults age 65 and older died from fall-related injuries—four times as many as all other age groups.

As adults grow older, their risk of being injured in a fall increases exponentially. There is a slightly higher than average risk for 65-year-olds, but this risk rises significantly in 75-year-olds and rises once again for those that age 80 and older. Older adult falls lead to reduced functions and premature loss of independence, and oftentimes a fall may indicate a more serious underlying health problem. 

(Click on the link and then click on the pop up)

Older Adult Falls Fact Sheet

Older Adult Fall Prevention Tips
Falls are largely preventable, and as our population ages, more and more individuals will see their risk of falling increase. People of all ages, but especially older adults, will benefit from fall-proofing their homes and making lifestyle changes to decrease their risk of a fall leading to injury or even death.

Older Adult Fall Prevention Checklist

Fall-Proofing Your Home

For more information contact:

Tennessee Safety and Health Council
6719 Heritage Business Court, Ste. 604
Chattanooga, TN 37421
Phone: (423) 553-1945 or Alt. Phone:
Fax: (423) 553-1944E-mail: tshc@tnsafetycouncil.org

REMEMBER - SAFETY IS EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY