Tag Archives: prevention

General Safety Issues, Home Safety Products

5 Safety Measures You Can Take to Prevent a Gas Leak

5 Safety Measures You Can Take to  Prevent a Gas Leak

Home safety is achieved when everyone in the household is educated on what to do when there are home emergencies. This is the best assurance you can give to yourself and the people living in your house. Whatever the size of your house and appliances you have, accidents are very unpredictable and can happen when you least expect them. However, it can be prevented by following safety measures. Gas leaks are one of the main causes of fires at home and even explosions. This hazard is life-threatening which is why you should be vigilant when it comes to home safety.
The most obvious sign of a gas leak is the smell of a gas and this is something you need to worry. Leave the area as soon as possible and call emergency services. If you want to prevent this kind of incident, follow these safety measures and let everyone in the house know about these.
1. Make sure it is properly installed
Sometimes the cause of a gas leak at home is poor and faulty installation. Before you use your appliances at home, make sure they are installed properly. Ideally, a Gas Safety Engineer (GSE) or any qualified gas installer should install your appliances to make sure they are properly and securely fitted.
2. Turn off gas appliances after use
Safety starts with you and everyone in the house. Be mindful and careful whenever you use your household appliances because anything careless increases your risk at home. You and your family should know and familiarise where your gas supply can be turned off so anyone can shut if off immediately right after use. Turning off your appliances after using is the best security you can deal at home.
3. Install a carbon monoxide alarm
Gases contain carbon monoxide that’s why a gas leak can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. It is easier to detect a gas leak in your household if you keep a carbon monoxide alarm so that you will be alerted if ever there are leaks. Make sure that is installed properly; otherwise, the alarm might not function properly and leave you prone to the dangers of gas leaks. Lastly, change the batteries every year to ensure optimal performance.
4. Save the national gas emergency number
For safety and emergency purposes, make sure to save the national gas number in your phone book or any area in your house where you can list important numbers. In this case, you can contact the number whenever you have an emergency gas leak at home.
5. Check the appliances on a regular basis
Even if your appliances are installed by a Gas Safe Register Engineer, it doesn’t mean you can just be relaxed when it comes to gas leaks. Remember that you use the appliances regularly and it’s possible that they can be dysfunctional because of continued usage. We highly advise having a professional GSE check your appliances on a constant basis to see if there are any issues.
Let your family members know all these safety measures to protect your household. Gas leaks are a serious matter which is why you should educate the people in your household to ensure no one gets hurt and no property gets severely damaged.
General Safety Issues

APRIL – ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH

CADD Announces 2014 NCADD Alcohol Awareness Month Theme –
“Help for Today. Hope For Tomorrow”
Alcohol Awareness – The Key to Community Change, Personal and Family Recovery
28 Years of Improving and Saving Lives Through Prevention, Treatment and Recovery

Each April since 1987, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) sponsors NCADD Alcohol Awareness Month to increase public awareness and understanding, reduce stigma and encourage local communities to focus on alcoholism and alcohol-related issues. This April, NCADD highlights the important public health issue of underage drinking, a problem with devastating individual, family and community consequences.

With this year’s theme, “Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow,” the month of April will be filled with local, state, and national events directed toward educating people about the prevention and treatment of alcoholism. Local NCADD Affiliates as well as schools, colleges, churches, and countless other community organizations will sponsor a host of activities that create awareness and encourage individuals and families to get help for alcohol-related problems.

Alcohol use by young people is extremely dangerous—both to themselves and to society, and is directly associated with traffic fatalities, violence, suicide, educational failure, alcohol overdose, unsafe sex and other problem behaviors.

This year’s awareness campaign will place a special emphasis on underage drinking, a problem that costs $62 billion every year. The fact remains that alcohol is more likely to kill young people than all illicit drugs combined; even more startling: annually, over 6,500 people under the age of 21 die from alcohol-related accidents and thousands more are injured. 7,000 American kids are taking their first drink every day, all of whom are under the age of 16. One-fourth of children have alcohol-use disorders in their own family.

“Underage drinking is a complex issue,” says Greg Muth, chairperson of the NCADD Board of Directors, “one that can only be solved through a sustained and cooperative effort. As a nation, we need to wake up to the reality that for some, alcoholism and addiction develop at a young age and that intervention, treatment, and recovery support are essential for them and their families,” says Muth. “We can’t afford to wait any longer.” 

Of course, we understand that alcohol abuse is really a systemic problem affecting the entire country, including every demographic. To combat this, we must take strong preventive measures, but also be aware of the signs of alcohol abuse so as to identify and assist those with problems.

The signs are many, and not always apparent. Those that have an alcohol problem often neglect their responsibilities at home, work or school. They also drink while engaging in risky behaviors, such as driving. Abusers also commonly drink as a way to relax and “unwind,” all the while causing more problems because of their alcoholism. This abuse results in a high tolerance, and eventually can lead to physical/psychological addiction.

Alcohol abusers may become dependent on drinking. When they do stop, they often experience short-term withdrawal symptoms including anxiety, delirium, tremors and general difficulty performing tasks. For these abusers, alcohol goes from simply a way to relax, to a necessary activity in order to get through their everyday life. Some addicts become quite skilled at hiding their addiction until the inevitable unraveling takes place.

Whether a person decides to use alcohol or drugs is a choice, influenced by their environment–peers, family, and availability.  But, once a person uses alcohol or drugs, the risk of developing alcoholism or drug dependence is largely influenced by genetics.  Alcoholism and drug dependence are not moral issues, are not a matter of choice or a lack of willpower.  Plain and simple, some people’s bodies respond to the effects of alcohol and drugs differently. 

Research has shown conclusively that family history of alcoholism or drug addiction is in part genetic and not just the result of the family environment.  And, millions of Americans are living proof, based on personal, firsthand experience, that alcoholism and drug addiction run in families, plain and simple.

 Genes provide the information that directs how our bodies respond at the cellular level.  Research indicates that over 99% of our genes are the same and the 1% that are different account for visible differences (hair color, height, etc.) and invisible differences, such as our risk of diabetes, heart disease or addiction to alcohol or drugs.

Therefore, our health is the result of the interaction between genes and environment.  As an example, our risk of developing high blood pressure is influenced by both genetics and environment, including diet, stress, and exercise.   Certain diseases, like sickle cell anemia or cystic fibrosis, are caused by an error in a single gene.  However, most diseases, such as alcoholism and drug dependence, are considered genetically complex and involve variations in a number of different genes.

“Alcohol dependence and dependence on other drugs frequently co-occur, and strong evidence suggests that both disorders are, at least in part, influenced by genetic factors.  In recent years, researchers have identified numerous genes as affecting risk for dependence on alcohol and drugs.  These include genes involved in alcohol metabolism as well as in the transmission of nerve cell signals and modulation of nerve cell activity.”

Drinking alcoholic beverages affects different persons in different ways.  Some become very happy while others may see the “down side” of everthing.  Alcohol is a depressant, and certain genes in ones chemistry may indicate that they should not choose this as a way of relaxing.  Studies show that there are genetics involved, but I have known people who had problems with alcohol that had families that didn’t drink at all.  A physician once explained that some people enjoy drinking beer the same as others would enjoy a glass of tea.  

Many times you can’t get someone to seek help unless they want to get help.  Do what you can to encourage that person to find counseling or other programs; if it’s a young person, try to help them face the fact that they have a problem before they or someone else gets hurt. 

Sources: NCADD;  TheGazette 

 

Eye Protection, First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, Hand Protection, Head Protection, Health Issues, Protective Clothing, Respiratory Safety

THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING CHEMICAL SAFETY

Look around your place of work or your home and you will be surprised by the number of chemicals you will find.  Chemicals that you use at home include gasoline, paints, fertilizers, lawn chemicals, bug spray, paint strippers, kerosene, bleach, other household cleaners, and even hair spray.  We must take care when cleaning to not mix cleaners with bleach, as the combination could cause unsafe fumes. 

Chemicals you may use at work are facility-specific solvents, laboratory chemicals, fuels, paint, office copier chemicals, correction fluid, lubricants and corrosives.  Other examples include toxics, corrosives, and solvents. As long as we understand and practise chemical safety and are provided the proper protection, these substances can be handled safely.

If your work requires you to come into contact with volatile chemicals on a daily basis, it can pose a risk to your long-term health. When new chemicals are approved for use on, in, or by humans, there has usually not been sufficient time allowed to determine whether they pose a long-term health threat. Daily exposure to chemicals has been associated with increased cancer risk, particularly when chemical particles are inhaled or ingested, even in tiny amounts. If your workplace provides on-the-job protection, such as protective suits, goggles, or masks, make sure you use them properly and daily to minimize the risk of chemical exposure.

Regardless of the type of chemicals you are around, there are various ways of being exposed.  (1) Ingestion, such as eating contaminated food; (having lunch in work area with airborne contaminants.)  (2) Inhalation: breathing in dusts, vapors or mists (i.e., mixing bags of concrete, cattle feed or similar chemicals without a respirator, or working in dusty environments. (3) Absorption: skin contact with a chemical affects eyes or can cause dermatitis. (4) Injection: forcing an agent into the body through a needle -needle stick or misuse of drugs.

By all means, protect yourself as much as you can!  Read container labels, material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and safe-work instructions before you handle a chemical; (How many times have you started a project that you didn’t read the instructions until after you failed to figure it out?)  Find eyewash stations before you begin working and know how to use them. 

As mentioned before, use personal protective equipment (PPE) for the task at hand; including chemical-splash goggles, a respirator, safety gloves, apron, steel-toed shoes, safety glasses with side shields, etc. Ensure the PPE fits properly and you are trained in its use.   Look for defects in the PPE such as cracks, missing parts, rips, etc.  Leave your contaminated clothing at work. If you wear the clothes home, you can expose your family to the hazards. (Better yet, wear disposable clothing where applicable.) 

These chemical hazard color codes and numbers on the labels are especially important for you to know: 

  • 1.      Red – Fire Hazard.
  • 2.      Yellow – Reactivity Hazard.
  • 3.      Blue – Health Hazard. 
  • 0 –Minimal Hazard
  • 1 – Slight Hazard
  • 2 – Moderate Hazard
  • 3 – Serious Hazard
  • 4 – Severe Hazard 

Other types of warnings on containers of chemicals include symbols, pictures with words, such as flammable, poisonous, etc.  Information on the white part of the label include National Fire Prevention Association labels – acid, radioactive, corrosive.  Hazardous Materials (HMIS) on the white section of the label recommends the type of personal protective equipment that should be used.  After you have READ labels first, consult the Material Safety Data Sheets if you are still unsure.  Chemical hazards can be very harmful to your body and health, and all those working around you.   If you suspect a chemical spill, call the National Response Center, toll-free, 800-424-8801 and report what you suspect has spilled and approximately how much is spilled.  The NRC also has an online reporting tool on their website.

Last, but not least, washing hands often is of the utmost importance.  Especially while you are working, before and after you eat, and before you leave your work.  Also, keep any chemicals (cleaning products, etc.) out of children’s reach and/or away from your pets.

 

Eye Protection, General Safety Issues, Hand Protection, Hearing Protection

Avoidable Workplace Health and Safety Hazards (Guest Post)

Because prevention is always better than cure…….. 

Any type of work involves risk, whether you are working in a home office or on an oil rig. The risk levels vary of course and some are prominent while others are subtle but this doesn’t change the fact that they exist.

This is why it is important to take precautionary measures in any work environment. Common health and safety hazards in the workplace include; slipping and falling, transmissible diseases, transportation accidents, internal violence, toxic events (chemical and gas exposure), electrocution, ergonomic injuries, eye injuries, and hearing loss.

Of the examples given above, some are direct causes of injury while others slowly and steadily deteriorate our health. In certain professions the hazards are fairly obvious and each working environment is different so firstly, all potential risks in your particular workplace need to be identified.

Here are some tips to avoid a few of the most common health and safety hazards in the workplace:

Slipping and tripping 

This is probably the most obvious and it can happen anywhere! It may be a bit trivial but industrial and commercial industries are at risk here not only for workers but for members of the public as well. General insurance does not cover compensation in the aftermath of an injury sustained by a member of the public so this is slippery ground for business owners (excuse the pun). Rather have things in place to avoid this simple hazard.

If you’re in an office, make sure that the computer, internet and phone cables are covered or take them off the floor completely, mount them against walls or desks. Where liquids are commonly used such as in a kitchen, ensure rubber mats are used and workers are geared in proper uniform.

Transmissible diseases 

In a results driven society, people are encouraged to work even when they’re sick. Enforcing a different sick-day policy may cost the company, but rather have one worker stay home as opposed to having four workers infected with the same virus become bed-ridden. Unfortunately viruses can be incurred anywhere and it has an inordinate effect on an employer especially where deadlines need to be met. A tummy bug or a flu going around in a work place is not an ideal situation at all. Rather put the infected worker in home quarantine!

Hearing loss 

This happens mostly in industrial environments like construction and mining. Correct gear is of utmost importance in environments where there is excessive noise like earplugs and headphones. Where possible, loud machines should be separated from the workforce.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Education and prevention 

Employees should be aware of the risks they face in a particular job. As much as legal regulations guide workplaces in safety precautions, many accidents occur due to negligence or operating equipment incorrectly. Workers should be educated on how to prevent accidents and training should also be provided by the employer to ensure that workers know how to handle all apparatus in the workplace.

Accidents are unforeseen which is why there should be intervention to avoid misfortunes. The simplest of products could make a huge difference. Anything from cable ties to dome mirrors, wheel stops to corner guards can be used to minimise potential hazards. Unfortunately the good old computer-typed sign is hardly effective anymore in today’s bustling workplace. 

Bio

Emily Ford is a writer for the bollard shop, a Perth based supplier of numerous building safety devices including custom designed bollards, parking protectors and traffic barriers.

 Author Bio:  Emily Ford,
Copywriter | Property Institute

 

General Safety Issues, Head Protection

MORE SAFETY INFORMATION REGARDING CONCUSSIONS (GUEST POST)

Last December, we featured an article about safety concerns in sports: http://www.blog4safety.com/2013/12/football-isnt-just-fun-and-games/.  In response to that article, we received a very interesting graphic on head injuries involving children through teens.  Because we are all involved in keeping our youngsters and workers safe from traumatic brain injuries, please see the following graph on the various types of injuries, of both girls and boys.  Our thanks to http://www.bostonheadinjurylawyer.com/youth-head-injury-prevention/ for submitting this guest infographic. 

Consider the head injuries that young boys suffer before they start playing football.  We are seeing more and more professional football players claiming dementia and other disorders as the result of repeated hits to their heads.  It is important that young persons play by the rules, and protect their head at all costs.  Training them on how to do this is very important.  Ensure that their schools provide the safest helmets possible.

General Safety Issues, Hearing Protection

U.K. Hearing Loss Statistics (Guest Post)

Our thanks again to Thomas Fairclough for sending this guest post  from Asons Solicitors. If you would like to learn more about industrial deafness,or the hearing loss claims process information is available at www.asons.co.uk

Hearing-loss-1


An alarming 1/6 of the UK population suffer from some form of hearing loss. Of those suffering from hearing loss around 6.4 million are over the age of 65+ and about 3.7 million are of working age. Surprising about 3.7 million people aged 16 – 65 have hearing loss, and around 135,000 of them are severely or profoundly deaf.

Hearing-loss-2

 

Of the 10 million who suffer from hearing loss, more than 800,000 people are severely or profoundly deaf.

Hearing-loss-3

 

About two million people in the UK need hearing aids, but only 1.4 million decide to use them regularly. Of those who suffer from hearing loss more than six million would benefit from the use of hearing aids.

Hearing-loss-4

 

About 10% of adults in the UK suffer from constant tinnitus. 1% of adults have tinnitus that affects their quality of life. Similar to hearing loss, the risk of developing tinnitus increases with age. Up to 30% of over 70s experience tinnitus, compared to 12% of people in their 60s and just 1% of people aged under 45.

Hearing-loss-5

 

Due to the increasing age of the UK population, there will be an estimated 14.0 million people with hearing loss by 2031. The World Health Organisation predicts that by 2031 adult onset hearing loss will b one of the top ten diseases in the UK, more common than diabetes and cataracts.

On average it takes people ten years to finally address their hearing loss. Even when they do decide to take action, 45% of people with hearing aids say that initially their GP failed to refer them directly to an audiologist when they first mentioned that they felt they were suffering from hearing loss.

Note: Hearing loss can be prevented if those exposed to loud environments will wear earplugs or earmuffs that are designed to protect their hearing.  Once the damage is done, it is permanent.  pb

General Safety Issues

UK Road Traffic Accidents (Guest Post)

Blog4Safety is fortunate to have many guest authors from the United Kingdom.  Matthew Blake shared this infographic with us, highlighting statistics of road accidents in the U.K.  Keep in mind the number of accidents that happen in the U.S. every day; use this information to help you remember that most accidents could be prevented.  At the end of the infographic, there are five safety instructions that apply to drivers in all countries. Drive safely! pb

Road_Traffic_Accidents

Fall Safety, General Safety Issues

FOUR COMMON WORK INJURIES AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM (GUEST POST)

It’s a pretty well-known fact that some industries have naturally higher risks for on-the-job injuries. Things like factory work, construction sites, and building/manual labor present a bigger change for someone to get hurt while they’re at work. Obviously, no one wants to get hurt at work, and for that reason, OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has policies in effect that help to regulate work conditions and help prevent injury. In order to avoid being injured on the job, it’s helpful to know what the most common injuries are and how to prevent them from happening.

1. Overexertion Injuries

In jobs that require hard labor like heavy lifting, carrying, building, or throwing, workers are susceptible to overexertion injuries like pulled muscles, sprains, back injuries, or even heart attack. Employers should have policies in place to prevent injuries like these—employees need proper training for lifting and should report any aches or pains to the job’s supervisors. Encourage employees to take breaks if they are feeling exhausted from a particular task to avoid straining muscles, and hold regular training sessions to reinforce workplace safety.

2. Slipping and Falling, or Falling from Heights

Slips and falls are all too common. They can be caused by:

  •          an employee losing footing
  •          uneven ground
  •          spills

Slippery floors should be cleaned immediately, wet floors should have wet floor signs, and if floors are uneven, there should be caution signs posted until the floor is fixed—or better yet, that part of the building should be off limits until it is safe.  If an employee slips and falls, an incident report should be filed, and that employee should seek medical care to prevent further injury. As for falling from heights, such as off of ladders or roofs, these are difficult accidents to prevent, but employees can use proper protection gear if it is available, like harnesses when working on roofs or windows on the sides of buildings. These can be slip-and-fall incidents, or they can be due to faulty equipment, like a ladder breaking.

Equipment should always be in excellent condition to provide optimal safety. When equipment is not maintained, the employer may be held liable for any workplace injuries, but in those cases, the employee will have to get a workers’ compensation lawyer involved for additional help.

3. Repetitive Motion Injuries

Repetitive motion injuries can be similar to overexertion injuries, but they also include things like office workers who experience pain and injury from things like typing, or mail carriers who frequently have to lift heavy boxes. These can be prevented by employers making sure that their employees have proper break schedules and aren’t overextending their abilities. For example, if a person can only lift 50 pounds, they shouldn’t be made to lift 75 pound boxes all day long—that is bound to cause injury sooner rather than later. Likewise, ergonomic solutions can help prevent office-related injuries.

4. Machine Entanglement

Machine entanglement, as you might imagine, is a rather gruesome work injury, but unfortunately, lax safety procedures mean that these types of injuries aren’t uncommon. Clothing, shoes, fingers, and hair are often left unprotected and can be quickly swept into the inner-workings of a machine, which can very swiftly cause severe injury or death.

Prevent these and other accidents by taking measures such as:

  •    wearing hairnets and close-fitting clothing
  •    being alert about your surroundings
  •    paying close attention to the task at hand

Taking these steps helps ensure that work injuries don’t occur, keeping responsible employees safe while simultaneously protecting their coworkers.

Bio: Steven J. Malman is the founder and President of Malman Law, a personal injury law firm in Chicago, Illinois. Steven has experience representing victims in personal injury, nursing home abuse and neglect, medical malpractice, workers’ compensation and premises liability cases.

General Safety Issues

MAKE EVERY MONTH MOTORCYCLE SAFETY MONTH (GUEST POST)

It’s not only bikers who need a reminder to drive with caution during Motorcycle Safety Month. Each May, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration promotes the event, a special observance that resonates with the families of riders across the country. Motorcyclists still suffer injuries at an alarming rate and are 35 times more likely to die from their crash-related injuries than car accident victims, Live Free Ride Alive reported. Motorcycle collision injuries have been on the rise in recent years (from 120,000 injuries in 2001 to a whopping 175,000 in 2008), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The number of motorcycles currently in use in the U.S. has continued to climb, but the number of appropriately-trained riders has not – and that means a greater potential for accidents to happen every single day.

 

Branded Nemesis Website - motorcyclePhoto Credit: Flickr.

Safety on a motorcycle requires everyone to share the road. Unfortunately, as many riders would confirm, other motorists on the road often don’t drive cautiously enough around motorcycles. In the case of many collisions, drivers report that they didn’t even see the motorcyclist until the accident occurred. They may tailgate, with or without realizing it, or they may intentionally or accidentally cut off motorcyclists. Sadly, no biker can predict what another driver may do, especially if that driver does not even notice them.

So many variables that can lead to an accident are beyond a motorcyclist’s control. That’s why it’s imperative that bikers take control of the situation as much as possible – and it all starts with the right training.

Training Matters – Before You Ever Get on a Bike

More people than ever are showing interest in motorcycle safety courses – and not a moment too soon. In the past several years, motorcycle injuries and fatalities have increased significantly across the United States. In the cases of both fatal and non-fatal injuries, young riders have historically been the most at-risk, with the 20- to 24-year-old group sustaining the most injuries, the CDC reported. The next youngest age group, 25- to 29-year-olds, comes in second in terms of likelihood of suffering injuries.

What’s startling is that so many of these injured victims were not qualified to be riding these bikes at all. As many as 21 percent of motorcycle operators involved in collisions have no license to drive a motorcycle, according to the infographic “How Dangerous Are Motorcycles, Really?” “All bikers… should have either a motorcycle endorsement on their driver’s licenses or separate motorcycle licenses,” reported NorthJersey.com, but “of New Jersey’s 6 million licensees who ride big bikes, roughly 5 percent have such credentials.” Though most of us probably wouldn’t get behind the wheel of a car without being appropriately licensed, motorcycles are seen as such a recreational vehicle that many regard it as perfectly sensible to take a joyride, even knowing that it’s a class of vehicles associated with collisions and death.

Branded Nemesis Website - motorcycle accidentPhoto Credit: Flickr.

This is where training programs come into play. From learning the basics to honing existing skills and developing new abilities, these classes strengthen an individual’s capabilities to allow for a safer ride. Working with qualified instructors helps riders retrain themselves to avoid bad habits and offers a chance to connect with fellow bikers of a similar skill level. Training programs are both hands-on and informative, and the confidence these courses instill in riders and their families is priceless. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation offers classes beginning with Learning-to-Ride and going all the way up.

Teaching an Old Hog New Tricks

Don’t think it’s just fresh-faced kids who need to worry about motorcycle safety. Even experienced riders could stand to drive a little more safely – in fact, seasoned bikers may be especially vulnerable to suffering fatal injuries in a collision. “There has been a dramatic jump in the number of deaths among motorcycle riders age 40 and older in recent years, reported TrafficSafety.org. Older motorcycle riders, who account for an increasingly larger proportion of all motorcyclists, now account for about half of all motorcycle rider fatalities.”

Perhaps this change is due to the physical aging process, with eyesight and reaction time often decreasing and physical resiliency becoming ever more difficult to find. Perhaps it’s a case of believing that experience alone is in some measure protective, when in fact neither skills nor sheer experience is enough to prevent an accident from occurring when hazardous circumstances occur. Regardless, research published in journal Injury Prevention shows that, “older adults involved in motorcycle crashes are prone to more severe injuries than younger adults” – and that means it is even more important for these experienced riders to prevent accidents from occurring.

“We all know that our motorcycles run best with an occasional tune-up,” wrote the American Motorcyclist Association. “Well, the same is true for riders. Whether you’ve been riding two years or more than 20, it doesn’t hurt to get some safety training so you’re prepared to handle hazards.” The organization encourages even the most proficient bikers to refresh their skills during a single-day class through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Experienced RiderCourse for advanced riders.

Easiest Way to Stay Safe on a Motorcycle

Learning to ride a motorcycle can be a challenge. Navigating the streets safely from your bike isn’t always easy, especially when you’re surrounded by vehicles that far outweigh yours. The one easy part is wearing the proper safety gear, especially on your head.

Branded Nemesis Website - motorcycle helmetWho says motorcycle helmets can’t look cool? They can be almost as individual as you are. Just make sure your helmet is approved by the Department of Transportation. Photo Credit: Flickr.

Helmets are probably the most important piece of safety gear you can wear. Protecting your head is of the utmost importance. A helmet can make the difference between dying from head trauma and surviving a brain injury and recovering to continue living your life. Modern helmets do not limit a rider’s vision or hearing, according to the NHTSA, and some states require their use while riding. Wearing helmets can save lives.

Safety Is Everyone’s Business – and Everyone’s Responsibility

Why do (or should) motorists care if bikers wear helmets? Why should states be allowed to pass laws mandating protective headgear? Because at the core, safety on the road is everyone’s responsibility.

Approximately 80 percent of all motorcycle accidents result in injuries, according to TrafficSafety.org. That’s a scary statistic, especially when you consider that the rate of injuries in car accidents is only one-quarter of that number, at 20 percent. Anyone involved in a motorcycle crash has a significantly higher likelihood of being injured or killed than they do of walking away unscathed – and that very possibility may be enough to give riders and their spouses, parents, children, siblings, and best friends nightmares. A motorcycle accident is nothing short of a trauma for everyone involved.

Whether or not cyclists wear helmets isn’t a personal choice that impacts an individual alone, but instead a larger concern that can create loss within a community and drain taxpayers’ bank accounts. Each year, the financial cost of motorcycle collisions reaches an average $12,000,000,000, the CDC reported. When a victim doesn’t have sufficient insurance to cover the cost of treating the type of acute injuries that are unfortunately all too common in motorcycle accidents, that emergency care to save (or attempt to save) the victim’s life must still be paid for – and the cost often comes out of public funds, at least in part. Helmets decrease the severity of brain injuries, which are among the most expensive injuries to care for, and by this virtue alone, they have the potential to save every taxpayer from spending additional, hard-earned money.

Economic costs are not, of course, the primary concern. Over the duration of a nearly 20 year career, I’ve seen the damage accident victims sustain and the life-changing effects these injuries have on my clients’ futures. I know how serious the consequences of an accident can be for individuals, families, and communities. It doesn’t matter if one motorcyclist says that he or she knows the risks of riding without a helmet, or riding while intoxicated, or riding without proper training and licensure – no individual reserves the right to create unnecessary dangers on the roadways.

This May, make it a point to drive a little more cautiously out of awareness for Motorcycle Safety Month and respect for those who have lost their lives in a motorcycle collision. Whether you drive a motorcycle, a passenger car, or a truck, you have the opportunity to make your community a safer place to drive. Wear your safety gear, whether that means a helmet or a seat belt. Share the road. Give other vehicles plenty of space, and stay alert. It doesn’t matter what seat you’re sitting in – you have the opportunity to “look twice, save a life.” 

As a beloved international pastime, motorcycles have a special place in our history, our media, and – for those who ride or love someone who rides – our lives. Sadly, it’s not all about the feel of the wind in your hair (especially since you’re supposed to wear a helmet). Motorcycle riding can be a hazardous mode of transportation and exceptionally dangerous hobby, but by reminding both motorcyclists and operators of other motor vehicles how important it is to drive with caution, organizations and agencies hope that they can reduce the number of injuries and fatalities not only during Motorcycle Safety Month, but all year long. If you have been hurt in a motorcycle accident, call (800) 813-7033 today for help securing the compensation you deserve and getting your life back on track.

A motorcycle collision can cause some of the most serious injuries possible, from head trauma to spinal cord damage, severed limbs to internal organ injuries. If you or a loved one has suffered in a motorcycle crash and you believe someone else’s careless behavior contributed to the collision, get the help you deserve. Call Console & Hollawell’s motorcycle accident attorneys today at (800) 455-2746 for a free consultation.

Sent by Nina Nowalkowski