June Promotions
Play It Safe: Prevent Summertime Injuries
Summer is here, and children and adults are spending a lot of time outdoors. But whether you’re outside for work or for fun, remember to play it safe. Approximately 28, 140 people visited the emergency room at Wilkes Regional Medical Center in 2004 – many times because of accidents that could have been prevented.
Across the country each year, about 400,000 people end up in the emergency room because of injuries involving lawn and garden tools. Most cases involve minor cuts or scratches, but some can be severe. Lawnmower injuries, for example, account for a large percentage of accidental amputations. Follow these safety precautions when working with mowers, trimmers, or other garden equipment:
- Wear protective eyewear, such as glasses or goggles, and protective clothing including gloves, long pants, long-sleeved shirts and slip-resistant shoes.
- Don’t walk on slippery or uneven surfaces while operating equipment.
- Never work with lawn and garden equipment in damp or wet conditions.
- Before mowing, remove debris from the lawn such as rocks, metal, glass, sticks and branches.
Playground injuries account for about 200,000 emergency room visits across the country each year. Parents should always supervise children on playground equipment, and make sure the equipment is age-appropriate, safely anchored in the ground and properly maintained. Other safety tips include:
- Make sure the playground is on a cushioned surface such as sand, shredded mulch, or a soft, synthetic surface. Improper surfacing accounts for 70 percent of injuries involving children who fall at playgrounds.
- Look out for loose strings or ties on children’s clothing. They can cause strangulation.
- Teach safe play rules, such as take turns, share and don’t push. Be prepared to step in if necessary.
- Watch for moving swings, the most likely moving equipment to cause injury.
An average of nine people drown every day in the United States, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. These simple safety precautions can help keep your family safe around the water this summer:
- Never leave a child alone near water. Drowning is one of the leading causes of accidentals death in children ages 1 to 14. Drowning can happen very quickly and in very little water.
- Teach children how to swim at an early age. Knowing how to swim is the best defense against drowning.
- Never swim alone. If a lifeguard isn’t around, make sure you bring a buddy who can help if there is an emergency.
- Be aware of what you are diving into. Check the depth of the water before diving. Each year, swimmers suffer serious head and neck injuries after diving headfirst into unfamiliar water and striking the bottom.
- Don’t drink and swim. Alcohol can reduce body temperature and impair swimming ability, as well as judgment.
Men's Top Ten Health Threats
The week of June 12- 18th has been declared National Men's Health Week. This week is designed to provide men and their families with useful information regarding the health risks that face men, and how to prevent them. The following is a list of top ten male health risks provided by the Mayo Clinic www.mayoclinic.com and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov. Each of the top ten on this list is linked to a cooresponding page on prevention. Click on the health risk in question to go to the cooresponding prevention information page.
- Heart Disease
- Cancer
- Unintentional Injuries
- Stoke
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
- Diabetes
- Influenza and Pneumonia
- Suicide
- Kidney Disease
- Chronic Liver Disease and Cirrhosis
Fireworks Safety
The fourth of July is almost here, and with it - FIREWORKS. To help protect your family from the dangers of fire works and provide a safe and fun environment fallow these safety rules:
The fallowing information is provided by Consumer Product Safety Commission at www.cpsc.gov.
- Do not allow young children to play with fireworks under any circumstances. Sparklers, considered by many the ideal "safe" firework for the young, burn at very high temperatures and can easily ignite clothing. Children cannot understand the danger involved and cannot act appropriately in case of emergency.
- Older children should only be permitted to use fireworks under close adult supervision. Do not allow any running or horseplay.
- Light fireworks outdoors in a clear area away from houses, dry leaves or grass and flammable materials.
- Keep a bucket of water nearby for emergencies and for pouring on fireworks that don't go off.
- Do not try to relight or handle malfunctioning fireworks. Douse and soak them with water and throw them away.
- Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks.
- Never ignite fireworks in a container, especially a glass or metal container.
- Keep unused fireworks away from firing areas.
- Store fireworks in a dry, cool place. Check instructions for special storage directions.
- Observe local laws.
- Never have any portion of your body directly over a firework while lighting.
- Don't experiment with homemade fireworks.
PARENTS SHOULD SUPERVISE THE ORDERING AND USE OF MAIL-ORDER "MAKE YOUR OWN" FIREWORK KITS AND COMPONENTS. MAIL-ORDER KITS AND COMPONENTS DESIGNED TO BUILD BANNED FIREWORKS ARE ALSO PROHIBITED.
