TSS News – September 2021

SAFETY NEWS

September 2021

From the CEO

It’s my birthday month! I love birthdays and spending time with my family and friends in honor of these special days, no matter whose birthday it is. Not only is September my birthday month but it is a month of important new beginnings with the return to school and a month of plenty as we enjoy the harvest. But it is also a month filled with serious matters. On a national level, we will be commemorating the 20^th anniversary of 9/11 on September 11 mourning the losses and honoring the heroes of that terrible day.

Throughout the month, we’ll also encourage our communities and workplaces to be prepared for an emergency, recognize those in recovery from a substance use disorder and raise awareness about suicide prevention.

I know that suicide and addiction are two topics that weigh heavily on many of us, especially when we are afraid to talk about them. Only, by sharing our experiences can we reduce the stigma often associated with mental illness and addiction. That’s why, this time of year, I like to give a shout-out to Danielle Duckworth of Ketchikan, AK, who took the importance of community and sharing to heart and created the Stomp the Stigma event. Designed to honor those who have died, suffer from or are recovering from substance abuse or mental illness, this march through downtown Ketchikan supports a variety of ways to help our community start the conversation.

Those with resources gather at the mall to help attendees find avenues for making positive change and creating a better lifestyle. The community begins to heal when we recognize that we are not alone. Parents, siblings, husbands, wives and children all are part of the healing process, and it starts with the conversation. I congratulate Danielle on this worthwhile work. If you are local, join her and a couple hundred other folks for a quick walk on September 18, at 11:00 a. m., at The Plaza Mall. It’s a great part of September and a wonderful way to honor my birthday month!

Best regards,

Renee Schofield

Be Prepared for the Unexpected

September is National Preparedness Month and the perfect time for individuals, families and even communities to make plans to deal with an emergency at home, school, work or where we live. Each week of the month has a different focus to raise awareness about the importance and value of being prepared for the unexpected.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve all experienced crises or disasters whether they were medical, financial, personal or natural. We’ve also seen how the impact of being prepared, or not, can make a difference in the outcomes of these events.

Here at TSS, our safety specialists are experts in understanding that a little preparation can go a long way to mitigating risk and avoiding catastrophe, so we encourage you to follow the National Preparedness month guide and take this time to ready yourself for a variety of emergency situations.

Preparedness Schedule 2021

Week 1 – Make a plan. Talk to your family, friends, and co-workers about how you will communicate to each other before, during and after a disaster/emergency. Make sure to update your plan regularly, especially during this time of coronavirus.

Save the Date for Drug Take Back Day

Just about everyone has old antibiotics, pain relievers and other prescription medications gathering dust in their medicine cabinet.

While these drugs are intended to support your health, they may be dangerous or even deadly when they end up in the wrong hands. So clearing out your medicine cabinet regularly should be part of your routine.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, nearly 20 million people in the United States misuse prescription drugs with most coming from family and friends. Between 1999 and 2019, 841,000 people died from drug overdoses. Of those, 247,000 people died from overdoses involving prescription drugs.

Getting unused or expired medications out of your home is one way to prevent prescription misuse among those with access to your medicine cabinet. But you should also consider the safety of the wider community when you get rid of them.

The best way to safely dispose of prescription medicines is to participate in a drug take back program. The Drug Enforcement Administration places secure dropboxes in locations throughout the country during its National Drug Take Back Days in April and October. The next date is October 23, 2021. Check with local police departments, hospitals and clinics to see if they have a dropbox. Or visit takebackday.dea.gov to find a location near you.

Harvest Safety

Fall is almost here and it’s harvest time for America’s farmers. Those who do not live and work in rural areas may imagine farming to be a physically demanding, but relatively safe occupation. In fact, agriculture is one of the most hazardous jobs you can have. Statistically, farming is two times as deadly as serving in law enforcement, and five times more deadly than serving as a firefighter.

Out of the more than 4 million people who work in farming either full or part-time, approximately 100 agricultural workers are injured daily. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), estimates a fatality rate of 20.4 deaths per 100,000 farm workers annually.

The most common causes of farming accidents and injuries include overturning tractors and accidents with agricultural machinery, falls, exposure to toxic chemicals and pesticides, suffocation (in grain silos and bins) and animal-related incidents.

During the harvest, there is a lot to achieve in a short time so advanced preparation goes a long way to avoiding accidents and mitigating hazards. Some safety precautions to implement before the harvest include maintaining the equipment and work areas, training those who will be using the equipment, reading equipment manuals to refresh your familiarity with the machinery, developing an emergency plan for accidents and communicating clearly with family members, especially children, about staying a safe distance from hazards.

Visit our website

Paint the Town Purple!

National Recovery Month is here! Recovery Month is a national observance to educate Americans that substance abuse treatment and mental health services can and do work to help people live a healthy and rewarding life.

There have been great strides made in the recovery environment, many of which go unnoticed. The primary message for the month is that recovery is real. It’s not some myth. It can be obtained with family and community support.

Unfortunately, the pandemic has brought out many of the triggers for substance abuse. Anxiety, depression, isolation and loneliness have contributed to an uptick in overdoses, suicides and relapse over the last 20 months. This makes it more important than ever to celebrate those who have achieved recovery and the individuals and organizations who support them. When we honor the process and the people involved, we can raise more awareness and hope for those still struggling.

The 2021 theme is “Recovery is for Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community.” It highlights how important it is to remember that no one is alone, we are all in this together, although everyone’s recovery is different.

To learn more and to find materials to host a Recovery Month event in your community, visit facesandvoicesofrecovery.org.

TSS TRAINING

Webinar, online, blended

Through webinars and

interactive online training courses, TSS offers a wide range of options that can help you reach your professional development or safety learning goals.

These include DOT mandated and OSHA-recommended safety trainings as well as courses about home safety or those geared to keeping you secure behind the wheel.

If you don't see a course you need on our website, our team of safety specialists are more than happy to customize a training, or series of trainings, for you. Just let us know how we can help.