Most criminals who are looking to steal items from a vehicle are looking for the easy targets.  Most commonly known as a ‘smash and grab’, the burglars are looking for high value items that are in plain sight which can be easily and quickly taken after finding an unlocked door or smashing a window.  Imagine the costs and inconvenience of not only having to replace a smashed window, but also having to replace your driver’s license, credit/debit cards, laptop, cell phone, etc.  Here are some great tips to help prevent being a victim of a vehicle burglary.

ALWAYS lock your vehicle when left unattended.

1. Never leave your wallet or purse in your vehicle and in plain view when leaving your vehicle unattended.
2. If you use a portable GPS, remove it from the dash or windshield and place it in your glovebox or trunk when leaving your vehicle unattended.
3. Never leave any high value items (laptops, cell phones, jewelry, tools) inside your vehicle in plain view while unattended.  If you cannot carry those items with you, secure them in the trunk.
4. Use a sunscreen in your windshield, even at night or when parked in a parking structure.  This makes it much harder for a burglar to look into your vehicle.
5. Remember:  Vehicle burglars usually will not break into a vehicle with the intention of ‘searching’ it in hopes of finding something of value.  This takes too long and the burglar risks being seen.  If there is no easy opportunity that is readily available for a ‘smash and grab’ thief, they will more than likely pass your vehicle and look for a better target.

Entanglement hazards receive the greatest publicity in the agricultural industry, where nearly 4 in 10 injuries are entanglement related. However, employees operating or working around equipment in industrial settings are also at risk.

Machines and equipment can pose an entanglement hazard if they have:

• Pinch points, where two or more parts move together, and one of them is moving in a circle (pulley and belt systems, including conveyors and the escalator that killed Michael Smith fall into this category).
• Crush points, where two components move toward each other, as happens in three-point hitches and hydraulic cylinders.
• Wrap points, created by exposed rotating components

  Preventing Entanglements

  Safeguards that can prevent these kinds of deadly accidents include:

• Guarding. Moving parts on machinery should be guarded to prevent any part of the worker’s body from contacting the machine’s moving parts.
• Dress codes. Workers should not wear loose-fitting clothing, chains, or other loose jewelry around equipment that poses an entanglement hazard. Long hair should be tied back to keep it safely out of danger.
• Safe work practices. Workers should not work alone with potentially entangling machinery. Before performing adjustments or maintenance operations, qualified workers should shut down and lockout equipment.
• Emergency shutoffs. Workers who work with or around machinery should know where to find and how to operate emergency shutoffs. When a worker becomes entangled, a quick response may save a life.

Elements of a workplace violence prevention program

Risk factors can be related to patients, clients, and settings and include the following:

• Working directly with people who have a history of violence, abuse drugs or alcohol, are gang members, and are relatives of patients or clients;
• Transporting patients and clients;
• Working alone in a facility or in patients’ homes;
• Poor workplace design that may block employees’ vision or interfere with their escape from a violent incident;
• Poorly lit corridors, rooms, parking lots, and other areas;
• Absence of emergency communication methods;
• Prevalence of firearms, knives, and other weapons; and
• Working in neighborhoods with high crime rates.

Other risks are related to the organization, such as:

• Lack of policies and employee training for recognizing and managing hostile and assaultive behaviors from patients, clients, visitors, or staff;
• Understaffing and high turnover;
• Inadequate security and mental health personnel on site;
• Long waits for patients or clients and overcrowded, uncomfortable waiting rooms;
• Unrestricted movement of the public in clinics and hospitals; and
• A perception that violence is tolerated and victims will not be able to report the incident.

Machinery Hazard Training

Here’s what workers need to know before they begin working with any piece of dangerous machinery:

Make sure that the machine is operating properly before you begin work:

• Inspect equipment before use to be sure it’s in good working order.
• Check that all scheduled maintenance has been performed.Keep the machine lubricated and clean, or alert the proper person when it’s time for those tasks.

Operate machines correctly and safely:

• Follow instructions provided by training and the manufacturer’s manual.
• Never skip steps.
• Make sure you have enough lighting to see controls clearly.
• Keep your hands and other body parts away from moving machine parts.
• Use tools, not your hands, to feed materials into (and remove materials from) machines.
• Don’t try to operate machinery when under the influence of alcohol or drugs—or prescribed medications.

• Wear assigned personal protective equipment (e.g., safety glasses, hearing protection).
• Avoid clothing, long hair, or jewelry that could get caught in the machine.
• Give the job your full attention, no matter how often you’ve done it.
• Know how to turn off the equipment safely if there’s a problem.
• Turn off and report any machine that moves, makes unusual noises, or is not functioning properly.

The World Health Organization has called stress “the health epidemic of the 21st century.” According to the annual StressPulse Survey conducted by employee assistance program (EAP) provider ComPsych Corporation, stress and personal relationship issues are the most common reasons for employee absence, accounting for nearly half (47%) of employee absences—handily beating out medical issues. Given that the holidays often force people into close contact with relationships they may find stressful, it makes sense to give workers some additional coping strategies this holiday season.
Here are some tips you can use—and share with your employees—that will help you and them identify and self-manage stress.
• Know yourself. Be aware of your stress level and the things that stress you out. Learn your own signals and pay attention to them. For example, if you’re always late for work and feel stressed and anxious, change your pattern and find a way to leave more time.
• Recognize how you deal with stress. Do you turn to unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking, or eating poorly? Do you lose patience with coworkers or family members when you feel overwhelmed at work?
• Set rules for devices. Consider rules like turning off the cell phone when you get home or establishing certain times for returning calls. Be sure to communicate these rules with others so you can manage expectations.
• Keep a to-do list. It’s stressful to constantly think of things that you should be doing. Clear your head by putting those thoughts on paper or on an electronic list. Divide out “work” and “non-work” tasks and indicate those with the highest priority.
• Take responsibility. Acknowledging that you are responsible for your own stress levels can be an important step. No matter what the sources of stress (bad boss, too much work, too little time, etc.), the issue comes down to how you react to them.
• Take a break. It may not seem like much, but a short (1- or 2-minute) break several times a day can help you stay energized and productive. Stand up, stretch, breathe deeply, and clear your head. Every few hours, pause for 10 minutes to recharge. Avoid the temptation to work through lunch.
• Take care. You’ve heard it before, but it really does help—eat right, get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, and exercise regularly. No matter how hectic life gets at work or at home, you have to make time for yourself. If a vacation isn’t in the offing, carve out time for a hobby or a good book.
• Change your head. If negative thinking is causing stress, work to break the pattern. If trying to do everything to perfection is the problem, try to modify your expectations, realizing that unrealistic goals are going to set you up for failure—and undue stress.
• Learn to manage conflict. It’s easier said than done, but resolving conflict in a healthy, constructive way can help relieve work stress. Focus on the present, avoid the temptation to dive into old resentments, and listen to what the other person is really saying.
• Ask for help. Accepting help from supportive friends and family members can help you better manage your stress. Take advantage of employer-based services like an EAP, counseling, work/life balance programs, or referrals to mental health professionals.

Holiday Hazards: Highway Safety
According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year’s holiday periods are among the busiest long-distance travel periods of the year. During the Christmas/New Year’s holiday period, the number of long-distance trips (to and from a destination 50 miles or more away) increases by 23 percent, compared to the average number for the remainder of the year. Most long-distance holiday travel, about 91 percent, is by personal vehicle, such as by car. With the uptick in motor vehicle traffic comes an accompanying uptick in motor vehicle injuries and fatalities. To stay safe, your workers need to avoid dangerous driving behaviors, and avoid driving while they’re impaired.
Dangerous Driving Behaviors
Motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of accidental injury and death in the United States, and accident rates always increase with holiday travel. Make sure workers are aware of and avoid these four dangerous driving behaviors:
• Speeding. This includes exceeding the speed limit and driving too fast for conditions. Anytime visibility is reduced or road conditions are slick, workers need to slow down.
• Aggressive driving. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) labels using excessive speed, tailgating, failing to signal lane changes, running red lights, and passing on the right as examples of aggressive driving. Advise drivers to pay attention to their own driving habits and not to do anything to provoke other drivers.
• Inattention. OSHA reports that distracted driving is a factor in more than 4,000 vehicle accidents a day. Emphasize to employees that they can’t make safe decisions if their minds and eyes are not completely focused on the road when they drive.
• Drowsiness. OSHA reports that fatigued or drowsy driving may be a factor in more than 100,000 crashes each year. Remind workers to be especially careful during the late night, early morning, and midafternoon hours, when drowsy driving crashes are most likely to occur, and to take periodic breaks to nap, stretch, or otherwise maintain their alertness.
Driving Under the Influence
The other dangerous driving behavior, of course, is impaired driving—driving under the influence of alcohol or other substances that can alter alertness, awareness, and reaction time. According to OSHA, alcohol use is involved in 40 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes. It is estimated that 3 in every 10 Americans will be involved in an impaired-driving-related crash some time in their life. Alcohol involvement in vehicle crashes is highest at night, on weekends, and on holidays.
Remind your workers of these sobering facts from the National Commission Against Drunk Driving:
• Three critical skills for safe driving are judgment, vision, and reflexes. Alcohol and drugs impair all three.
• Driving skills can become impaired well before you reach the legal blood alcohol limit.
• Alcohol can have a different effect each time you drink, depending on whether you’ve eaten, what you’ve eaten, your mood, your metabolism, how tired you are, and other factors.
• A 12-ounce can of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, and a 11/2-ounce shot of liquor all have about the same amount of alcohol.
• The body eliminates alcohol at a rate of about one drink per hour.
• If you drink or take drugs and drive, you could be arrested for DWI. If convicted, you could lose your license. Worse, you could kill someone.

Forklifts are designed to lift and move heavy loads. The forklifts themselves must be heavy to prevent them from falling forward when the load is lifted. Forklifts also tend to be small and narrow to navigate tight workspaces.
Being small, narrow, and heavier than they look can be a recipe for tipping if workers are not careful.
Tip-over accidents are more likely in certain situations and circumstances. Train your workers to know their specific truck, terrain, and load, and to take precautions to prevent tip overs. Here are six situations that can lead to tip overs.
1. Inadequately secured loads. A load that is not secured can shift, tipping the lift. Workers must be trained:
• Not to move the truck until the load is secure. The load-engaging device must be placed in a manner that securely holds or supports the load.
• Not to tilt the load-engaging means forward while the forks are elevated, unless they are picking up a load. An elevated load also must not be tilted forward unless it’s being deposited.
• How to use attachments. If the truck is equipped with attachments, special precautions may be required for securing loads and for operating the truck after the load has been removed.
2. Overloaded forklifts. Loading a forklift beyond its rated capacity can cause the lift to tip. Train workers to never exceed the forklift’s rated capacity. The rated capacity of all industrial forklifts must be prominently displayed on the vehicle at all times, in a location where the operator can easily see it.
Besides observing the forklift’s rated capacity, operators should heed the rated capacity of the work surface (floor, ramp, dockplate, or other operating surface).
3. Poorly selected forklifts. Using the wrong truck for the terrain can cause a lift to tip. Train workers, for example, not to use a forklift designed for use on smooth concrete in areas with rough terrain.
4. Traveling or parking on a grade. A forklift is more likely to tip on a grade than on a flat surface. Train workers to understand that:
• On grades greater than 10 percent, loaded trucks must be driven with the load upgrade, except for motorized hand and hand/rider trucks, which should be operated on all grades with the load downgrade.
• On all grades, they should raise the load only as far as necessary to clear the road surface and should tilt the load-engaging means back if possible.
• They should avoid turning on a grade.
5. Alterations to the forklift. Alterations to a forklift can change the lift’s capacity and handling characteristics, including its susceptibility to tip over. Train workers not to make alterations to a truck that will:
• Change the relative positions of the various parts from the manufacturer’s original positions;
• Add parts not provided by the manufacturer;
• Eliminate parts provided by the manufacturer; or
• Add counterweighting, unless approved by the manufacturer.
6. Poorly marked aisles. Forklifts often tip or roll over the side of a ramp, dockplate, or loading dock.
Make sure markings are present and clearly visible at edges of loading docks and other areas where forklifts could roll off, along with other precautions such as guardrails and chains.
Operators must also take special care when moving from bright to dim light, which can blind them just long enough for them to miss visual cues.

Contrary to public perception, earthquake preparedness is not just an issue in California. All Pacific coast states; the inland western states; the New Madrid region along the Mississippi and Ohio valleys; the Charleston, South Carolina area; the New England region; Alaska; Hawaii and many others have exposure to earthquake damage. California has a greater frequency and severity, but California companies are generally better prepared. Is your facility prepared?
Protection and preparation
Avoid fault zones and unstable soils when choosing sites.
• Ensure that the building(s) meet or exceed current building code requirements for seismic resistance. Have a professional engineer with seismic-structural expertise evaluate the buildings, equipment and storage systems. Act on the recommendations.
• Check for existing wall, beam and foundation cracks, and slumping, heaving or other building faults that will cause quick failure in an earthquake. Note that these may be signs of past quake damage.
• Check the suitability of the vertical support and sway bracing of all tall and roof-mounted equipment. Anchor and brace floor-mounted equipment to prevent sliding. Make similar checks of rack and shelf storage systems’ bracing and anchors.
• Provide barriers on shelves to prevent stock slippage. Keep heavy materials on lower shelves.
• Ensure all sprinkler piping meets the seismic requirements of NFPA 13, Standard for Installation of Automatic Sprinkler Systems. Locate sprinkler control valves outside. Use diesel drivers for fire pumps; place the fire pump in a separate seismic-resistant pump house. For additional information, refer to the Travelers Risk Control document Earthquake Protection for Sprinkler Systems.
• Install flexible connections and seismic shut-off valves on all chemical, flammable liquid, and gas lines. Provide diking around flammable liquid tanks. Ensure all liquid petroleum gas tanks are strapped to their saddles.
• Use flexible couplings and braces for pipe protrusions through walls and floors.
• Use safety film on windows and glass doors.
• Train and drill employees on earthquake survival techniques, such as where to stay, where not to go, and “duck, cover and hold.”
Response
• Earthquakes do not typically give any warning. If you are inside, you should stay there. It is best to take cover under a sturdy object and hold on. If you are outside, drop to the ground and stay clear of buildings, trees and power lines.
• Wait until the shaking stops, then evacuate.
• If you are inside a vehicle, pull over and stop. Do not stop on or under any bridge or overpass. Also keep away from trees, street lights, power lines and traffic signals.
Recovery
• Account for all employees; comply with evacuation orders.
• Survey the site for any damage. If structural damage has occurred, bring in a structural engineer to evaluate before entering the building.
• Attend to hazardous material spills and other leaks and report to the appropriate agencies as required.
• Check for downed power lines.
• Shut down any leaking sprinkler systems; post a fire watch.
• Activate business continuity plan.
• Be prepared for aftershocks.
• Restore fire protection systems.
• Start salvage operations.
• Cover and secure openings in roofs and walls.
• Use hot work permit system for repairs involving cutting and welding.

There is a direct correlation between a clean, neat, and orderly workplace and a safe, successful organization. Poor housekeeping, on the other hand, creates hazards and invites accidents.
Why “Good Housekeeping” Matters
• Eliminates accident and fire hazards;
• Maintains safe, healthy work conditions;
• Saves time, money, materials, space, and effort;
• Improves productivity and quality;
• Boosts morale; and
• Reflects an image of a well-run, successful organization.
Key Points
• Keep aisles, passage ways, stairways, and floors clear of tools, materials, boxes, cords, cables, air hoses, and trash.
• Close drawers.
• Put tools and materials away when you’re not using them.
• Cover sharp edges of tools.
• Stack materials carefully, so they won’t fall or block sprinkler access.
• Clean up all spills immediately and properly—or call someone who can.
• Report any loose or broken flooring or other broken equipment.
• Avoid keeping food and beverages in the work area.
• Place all trash in proper containers—closed metal containers for combustible waste.
• Don’t let paper or other combustibles come in contact with lights or electrical equipment.
• Prevent dirt or grease buildup on machinery and equipment.
• Smoke only where permitted, and put out smoking materials in ashtrays.
• Keep flammable liquid containers closed when not in use.
• Don’t place tools or equipment on the edges of shelves or tables.
• A good housekeeping program must include careful planning, a cleanup schedule or policy, effective inspection, and continuous enforcement of housekeeping rules.
• Inspect your area for unnecessary tools, equipment, parts, materials, and supplies; items that are not needed should be sent to the storage room or used for salvage.
• Reorganize the storage area in your workplace. Establish one or more storage areas for holding finished products and daily quantities or raw materials and supplies; storage areas should not obstruct aisles and work areas.
• Create a daily cleanup policy and program. Periodically review housekeeping rules, cleanup policies, and procedures.

Training can help you ensure that your workers don’t become a part of these shocking statistics: According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics compiled by the Electrical Safety Foundation International, from 2003 to 2010, more than 1,600 people died and more than 20,000 were injured because of work-related electrical accidents.
What are the top three causes of occupational electrical fatalities?
1. Contact with overhead power lines
2. Contact with wiring, transformers, or other electrical components
3. Contact with electric current of machine, tool, appliance, or light fixture
How much electricity is dangerous?
Exposure to just 50 milliamps of electrical current can cause death: That’s about the amount of current that would power a small radio.

What are the four primary types of electrical injuries?
1. Electrocution (death from electric shock)
2. Electric shock
3. Burns
4. Falls (from the impact of an electric shock)
What are the top five occupations with the most fatal electrical injuries?
1. Electricians
2. Construction laborers
3. Electrical power line installers and repairers
4. Tree trimmers and pruners
5. Industrial machinery installation, repair, and maintenance workers
This is a great time to give your workers this handy reminder of electric safety best practices.
Electrical Safety Do’s and Don’ts Checklist
DO:
• Check wiring to make sure it’s properly insulated and the right choice for the job (e.g., labeled for use outdoors or in work areas with hazardous substances).
• Check that electrical connections are tight.
• Match plugs and outlets (three-pronged plugs go in three-pronged outlets only).
• Read and follow manufacturer’s instructions for electrical equipment.
• Leave work on energized equipment to qualified workers.
• Obey warnings to stay away from electrical circuits and locked-out equipment.
• Wear rubber gloves and any other assigned protective clothing and equipment.
• Keep machines and tools lubricated.
• Keep the work area clean, and promptly and properly dispose of oily rags, paper, sawdust, or anything else that could burn.
• Use extension cords only when authorized—and of the right capacity.
• Keep electrical equipment clean.
• Inspect electrical tools before each use.
• Report any electrical tool, equipment, or wire problems immediately.
DON’T:
• Overload motors, circuits, or outlets.
• Run cords along the floor.
• Use temporary wiring.
• Put anything but a plug into an electrical outlet.
• Touch anything electric with wet hands.
• Leave machinery or heating equipment running unattended after working hours.
• Let cords get twisted or tangled.
• Get closer than 10 feet to a power line (if you’re an unqualified employee).
• Reach blindly into a space that may contain energized equipment.
• Wear metal jewelry when working with electrical appliances.
• Use a power tool that smokes, sparks, smells, or shocks.
Make sure your employees are grounded in safe practices when working with or around electricity this month—by training and following up with regular reminders like handouts to keep electrical safety a high priority.