September is National Preparedness Month

Make A Plan

Make sure you have a family emergency plan. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance: how you will contact one another; how you will get back together; and what you will do in different situations.

Family Emergency Plan:

• It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.
• Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has coins or a prepaid phone card to call the emergency contact.
• You may have trouble getting through, or the telephone system may be down altogether, but be patient.

Emergency Information:

Find out what kinds of disasters, both natural and man-made, are most likely to occur in your area and how you will be notified. Methods of getting your attention vary from community to community. One common method is to broadcast via emergency radio and TV broadcasts. You might hear a special siren, or get a telephone call or emergency workers may go door-to-door.

Emergency Plans:

You may also want to inquire about emergency plans at places where your family spends time: work, daycare and school. If no plans exist, consider volunteering to help create one. Talk to your neighbors about how you can work together in the event of an emergency. You will be better prepared to safely reunite your family and loved ones during an emergency if you think ahead and communicate with others in advance
Click here for information, including a family emergency plan template.

9/1 Tip Of The Day - Best Way Out

In an emergency, do you know the best escape routes to get out of your house? Find at least two ways out of each room. Now write them down - you've got the beginning of a plan. To make a complete emergency plan, click on this link: Emergency Plan - 1.26 Mb Adobe Acrobat PDF.

http://www.ready.gov/america/npm08/tips/090108.html

Ridgid Table Saw Recall

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 19, 2009 Release # 09-311

Firm's Recall Hotline: (866) 539-1710 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Ridgid Table Saws Sold Exclusively at Home Depot Recalled by One World Technologies Due to Laceration Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Ridgid 10-inch Table Saws

Units: About 3,000

Distributor: One World Technologies Inc., of Anderson, S.C.

Hazard: The table saw’s arbor shaft can fail when used with a stacked blade set (commonly known as a “stacked dado set”), which is used to cut grooves. The stacked blade set can be ejected from the saw, posing a potential laceration hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: One World Technologies has received three reports of shafts failing when used with a stacked dado set. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves Ridgid 10-inch table saws, model R4511. The recalled saws have manufacturing date codes between CD0829 and CD0837. The model number and manufacturing date code are located on a metal plate on the rear of the cabinet. Products with an “Arbor Inspected” sticker directly above the plate or an orange square on the outside of the package are not included in the recall.

Sold exclusively at: Home Depot stores nationwide from January 2009 through July 2009 for about $600.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled table saw and contact One World Technologies to schedule a free on-site repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact One World Technologies toll-free at (866) 539-1710 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit www.ridgid.com

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

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Send the link for this page to a friend! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

Why You Should Not Run Red Lights

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Eye Injury Prevention

July has been officially recognized as Eye Injury Prevention Month. For this reason, a focus is placed on protecting your eyes in various environments, namely the workplace.

Eye injuries of all types occur at a rate of more than 2,000 per day. In particular, an estimated 1,000 eye injuries occur in American workplaces alone. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that almost 70% of the eye injuries studied occur from falling or flying objects, or sparks striking the eye.

The best ways to prevent injury to the eye is to always wear the appropriate eye protection. Surprisingly, the BLS reports that approximately three out of every five workers injured were either not wearing eye protection at the time of the accident or wearing the wrong kind of eye protection for the job. To be effective, eyewear must fit properly and be designed to effectively protect workers while they work. It is estimated that over 90% of eye injuries are preventable with the use of proper safety eyewear. The Occupational Safety Health Administration, OSHA, has standards that require employers to provide their workers with the appropriate eye protection.

In addition to the proper safety eyewear, early detection and treatment of eye conditions and diseases are essential to maintaining good vision at every stage of life. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, AAO, children with a family history of childhood vision problems should be screened for common childhood eye problems before the age of 5. Although most young adults have healthy vision, if eye problems such as visual changes, pain, flashes of light, seeing spots, excessive tearing, and excessive dryness occur, they should see an eye doctor. Adults between the ages of 40 to 65 should have an eye exam every two to four years. Adults over the age of 65 should have an eye exam at least every one to two years. Ultimately, the key to preventing eye injuries is to take a more proactive approach to sustaining healthy vision.

http://www.foh.dhhs.gov/Public/NYCU/eyeinjury.asp

How to Dispose of Unused Medicines

Is your medicine cabinet filled with expired drugs or medications you no longer use? How should you dispose of them?

Most drugs can be thrown in the household trash, but consumers should take certain precautions before tossing them out, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A few drugs should be flushed down the toilet. And a growing number of community-based "take-back" programs offer another safe disposal alternative.

Here are some guidelines for disposal:

FDA worked with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to develop the first consumer guidance for proper disposal of prescription drugs. Issued by ONDCP in February 2007, the federal guidelines are summarized here:

• Follow any specific disposal instructions on the drug label or patient information that accompanies the medication. Do not flush prescription drugs down the toilet unless this information specifically instructs you to do so.
• If no instructions are given, throw the drugs in the household trash, but first:
  • Take them out of their original containers and mix them with an undesirable substance, such as used coffee grounds or kitty litter. The medication will be less appealing to children and pets, and unrecognizable to people who may intentionally go through your trash.
  • Put them in a sealable bag, empty can, or other container to prevent the medication from leaking or breaking out of a garbage bag.
• Take advantage of community drug take-back programs that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal. Call your city or county government's household trash and recycling service (see blue pages in phone book) to see if a take-back program is available in your community.

FDA's Director of Pharmacy Affairs, Ilisa Bernstein, Pharm.D., J.D., offers some additional tips:

• Before throwing out a medicine container, scratch out all identifying information on the prescription label to make it unreadable. This will help protect your identity and the privacy of your personal health information.
• Do not give medications to friends. Doctors prescribe drugs based on a person's specific symptoms and medical history. A drug that works for you could be dangerous for someone else.
• When in doubt about proper disposal, talk to your pharmacist.

For more information:
http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/drug_disposal062308.html

For Federal Guidelines:
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/SearchResults/SearchResults.asp?qu=Drug+Disposal&x=0&y=0

Dryer Safety

Get a FREE Dryer Vent Check Safety Tool Kit

There are 15,500 fires every year caused by dryer vents. To increase awareness of dryer vent safety, DVW is offering Tips & Tools. Homeowners & community groups are encouraged to download the Tips brochure and the video, "Don’t Let Your Dryer Start a Fire, Keep Your Home Safe and Sound". FREE dryer vent safety check kits that help identify dryer vent problems can also be ordered!
http://www.dryerventwizard.com/fire_prevention.htm