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Archive: Oct 2018

Why You Shouldn’t Leave Your Baby Sleeping in a Car Seat

The Journal of Pediatrics found that “sitting devices,” like car seats, swings, and bouncers can lead to injury and even death if babies are allowed to sleep in them.

Researchers examined the deaths of 47 young children under the age of 2, all of which occurred while in a device made for sitting or carrying. Two-thirds of the deaths occurred in car seats, while the rest occurred in slings, swings, bouncers, and strollers. About half the deaths in car seats were due to strangulation by the straps, while the other half were caused by suffocation due to positioning.

Sleep related deaths are the number one cause of death in kids under 12 months old. To avoid injury or death, experts urge parenst to never, under any circumstances, leave infants and young children unsupervised – sleeping or awake – while in these devices. Because babies don’t lie flat in car seats, they can suffocate when their heads (which are heavy compared to the rest of their bodies), tip forward, blocking their airway. Strap strangulation usually happens when the restraints are not fastened as directed.

If people leave an older infant or young toddler in a car seat and undo the straps thinking that it makes them more comfortable, that’s a significant hazard. Whenever a child is in a cart seat, the harness should be secured.

These products are not made for babies to sleep in and are dangerous because babies are not sleeping flat on their backs. The best place for a baby to sleep is on their back, in a crib that has a firm mattress and is free from any loose bedding.

To read more about safe sleep practices, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics website here

National Teen Driver Safety Week

This week is National Teen Driver Safety Week, a time to have a talk with your children about being responsible on the roads. The problem: too many teens are dying on the roads. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens (15 to 18 years old) in the United States. There were 1,972 teen drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes in 2015. An estimated 99,000 teen passenger vehicle drivers were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes.

From Drivers Ed classes to conversations at home, it is important to discuss topics like wearing a seat belt, cell phone distractions, and driving under the influence should be brought to new drivers attention now and all the time.

Teens buckle up less frequently than adults do. In 2013, over half of teens (ages 15-19) killed in crashes weren’t wearing a seat belt. They need to know that wearing a seat belt can make the difference between life and death. This week and every week, parents should have conversations with their teens about the important rules they need to follow to stay safe behind the wheel of a passenger car, truck, or SUV.

Need help in having this conversation with your teen or new driver? Kuhl Insurance has developed a program for teen drivers called DRIVE16. The program provides an outside voice in educating new drivers about the important aspects such as safe driving, how auto insurance works, and what to do if they are in an accident. For more information on scheduling this program for your teen driver, please call our office!

Top Ten Mistakes When Completing an OSHA Log

The OSHA law requires most employers with 10 or more full-time employees to keep a yearly log of all work-related injuries and illnesses.

Which employees are covered by the recordkeeping requirements?

The employer is required to record on the OSHA 300 Log the recordable injuries and illness for all employees on its payroll, including hourly, salaried, executive, part-time, seasonal, or migrant workers. The employer must also record injuries and illnesses that occur to workers who are not on the employer’s payroll if the employer supervises these workers on a day-to-day basis (including employees of temporary help services, employee leasing services, personnel supply services and contractors).

How long must the forms be kept?

Employers must save the OSHA 300 Log, the Form 300-A (annual summary), privacy case lists, and the Form 301 (or equivalent) incident report forms for five years. The stored OSHA 300 Logs must be updated by the employer to include any newly discovered recordable injuries or illnesses.

Other things to consider?

Beginning February 1 until April 30 of each year, employers are required to post their annual OSHA Summary Form 300A for the previous calendar year. This annual summary needs to be displayed in a location accessible to all employees.

Maintaining and completing a log can be challenging and confusing, so here is a list of the most common mistakes made by employers:

  1. Failure to maintain the Log – there are some exclusions to this recordkeeping requirement, but it is required for most companies with more than 10 employees. Not sure if you need to be maintaining an OSHA log, here is a way to help you determine here.
  2. Not using unique case numbers (item A) – this unique number will help keep the cases straight.
  3. Failure to provide a detailed description (items E and F) – OSHA requires the injury type, location and source. Putting “cut finger,” won’t satisfy this requirement. A better entry would be, “employee cut tip of left index finger while using a utility knife in the stockroom.”
  4. Too many columns checked for classifying the case (items G-J) – OSHA wants only the most severe information about the case. So if an employee has both days away from work and restricted days, you would only need to check the column indicated days away from work.
  5. Incorrect lost days count (item K) – the day of the injury is not counted as a lost time day.
  6. Over-counting for restricted and lost workdays (items K and L) – OSHA puts a 180-day cap for each case in each of these columns. Stop at 180 days,even if the worker has lost more time.
  7. Incorrect addition – double-check page totals for each column, and add the correct numbers to the 300A log. The log and summary must match at the time of the annual posting. If you choose to use the excel version of the log, the totals will transpose automatically. Note: any changes in lost or restricted days after the summary is posted must be maintained on the log, but not reported again on the summary. If questioned, any difference between the two postings can be explained.
  8. Incorrect certifying person – the 300A summary must be signed by the highest-ranking person at the site, not necessarily the person filling out the form
  9. Confusing OSHA recordable injuries with workers compensation claims – workers comp and OSHA recordkeeping are two different systems, with different definitions! If you WC insurance denies a claim, it doesn’t mean the injury can be removed from the log. And if an injury is accepted by WC as work-related, it doesn’t necessarily mean it must go on the OSHA log. Usually the two are the same, but not always! Know the difference.
  10. Recording every injury or illness – Know what to and what not to record. Not sure on what OSHA considers recordable? Here is a sheet to help you determine that, here.

 

Halloween Safety

For young children, Halloween night is one of the best of the year. But trick-or-treating can be dangerous if kids and parents aren’t careful. On average, twice as many child pedestrians are killed while walking on Halloween compared to any other day of the year, and more than 70% of accidents occur away form an intersection or crosswalk.

To help ensure adults and children have a safe holiday, here are some Halloween safety tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

  • A responsible adult should accompany young children on the neighborhood rounds
  • If your older children are going alone, plan and review a route acceptable to you
  • Agree on a specific time children should return home
  • Teach your children never to enter a stranger’s home or car
  • Instruct children to travel only in familiar, well-lit areas and stick with their friends
  • Tell your children not to eat any treats until they return home
  • All costume, wigs and accessories should be fire-resistant
  • Avoid masks, which can obstruct vision while walking/crossing streets
  • If children are allowed out after dark, fasten reflective tape to their costumes and bags, or give them glow sticks
  • When buying Halloween makeup, make sure it is nontoxic and always test it in a small area first
  • Remove all makeup before children go to bed to prevent skin and eye irritation

Children and adults are reminded to put electronic devices down, keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.

Safety Tips for Motorists

  • Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs
  • Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully
  • At twilight and later in the evening, watch for children in dark clothing
  • Discourage new, inexperienced drivers from driving on Halloween
  • Avoid using handheld electronic devices
  • Slow down in areas where pedestrians are likely to be or where sight distances are limited. Keep your windshield clean.

Safety Tips for Pedestrians

  • Walk on a sidewalk if one is available. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic, as far to the side as possible so you can move quickly out of the road.
  • Drivers do not expect pedestrians to come out from between parked cars or behind shrubbery, expect that drivers will not see you and wait for them to pass.
  • Follow the rules of the road at driveways and intersections. Cross with a traffic signal if there is one and even if you have the right of way, make sure traffic has stopped or passed before you step into the street.
  • Make yourself as visible to motorists as possible, especially at night and in low light by carrying a flashlight, wearing a small flashing strobe light, and wearing reflective clothing. Bright colored clothing is not enough.
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