Spring Risks & Safety Tips

Picture from http://www.bambooandtikis.com

With spring right around the corner and outdoor activities on the rise, it is important that homeowners be aware of the potential for backyard accidents to occur.  Keeping in mind the millions of people that are injured annually in household mishaps, below is a list of recommendations pertaining to equipment utilized daily by all of us. Keep these tips in mind when enjoying the warmer weather:

1. Ladders:  Whether cleaning the gutters or doing some painting touch-ups, make sure the ladder base is not too close to the supporting object; the ladder’s stability will be compromised.  Most ladder injuries occur from overreaching or standing on a rung that’s too high, so if it’s out of reach, reposition the ladder and try again. 
2. Grills: Although it seems unlikely that anything unpleasant could come from a device that gives us hot dogs, remember that a grill is a fire hazard that should be kept at least 3 feet from the house. Smokey the Bear, a fire and woodland damage consultant for A. G. Gordon, would also suggest that you NEVER leave your grill unattended. 
3. Lawn Mowers:  Before you begin the time-honored battle of nature vs. machine known to most as “mowing the lawn”, take a walk around your yard and clear any debris. Lawn ornaments deep in the recesses of unkempt grass are a lot less cute when they are ejected from a lawnmower at dangerous speeds. Some other good practices include: shutting the lawnmower off when reaching down anywhere near the ground and keeping children away while mowing.
4. Playground Sets:  Monitor children at all times.  Make sure equipment is not too high for their ages.  The rule of thumb: no higher than 6 feet for ages under 5, 8 feet for school age children.
5.  Trampolines:  Do not let the trampoline become overcrowded. Trampolines have weight limits, and any activity where one has to avoid the flying bodies of others is generally a hazardous environment for kids. Somersaults and tricks should be discouraged, especially with other children on the trampoline. 

1. Pools:  If you have a gate, make sure it’s locked when the pool isn’t in use.  NEVER let young kids go in the pool unattended. 
2. Pets (not equipment, but still important):  Watch out for dangers from the pesticides and fertilizers used in yards and gardens as well as being poisoned by eating certain plants, such as oleander, azaleas, and lilies.

 

Enjoy the great weather and be safe!

Donna B.

G. Gordon, Inc.
Insurance & Risk Management

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• Choosing The Right Type Of Mower For Your Lawn (allhome-improve.com)

School Bus Safety

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For twenty three million students nationwide, the school day beings and ends with a trip on the school bus. The greatest risk is not riding the bus, but approaching or leaving the bus. Before children go back to school or start school for the first time, it is essential that adults and children know traffic safety rules. 

Drivers: 

• When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch out for children walking or bicycling to school.
• When driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch out for young people who may be thinking about getting to school, but may not be thinking of getting there safely.
• Slow. Down. Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood.
• Slow. Down. Watch for children playing or congregating near bus stops.
• Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street with or without looking out for traffic.
• Learn and obey the school bus laws in your state. Learn the “Flashing signal light system” that school bus drivers use to alert motorists of pending actions:
  • Yellow flashing lights indicate that the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles.
  • Red Flashing Lights and extended stop arms indicate that the bus has stopped, and that children are getting on or off. Motorists must stop their cars and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop sign is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before they can start driving again.

Children: 

• Get to the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. When the bus approaches, stand at least three giant steps (6 feet) away from the curb, and line up away from the street.
• Wait until the bus stops, the door opens, and the driver says that it’s ok before stepping onto the bus.
• If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the sidewalk or along the side of the road to a point at least five saint steps (10 feet) ahead of the bus before you cross. Be sure that the bus driver can see you, and you can see the bus driver.
• Use the handrails to avoid falls. When exiting the bus, be careful that clothing with drawstrings and book bags with straps don’t get caught in the handrails or doors.
• Never walk behind the bus.
• Walk at least three giant steps away from the side of the bus.
• If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver. Never try to pick it up because the driver may not be able to see you.

Parents: 

• Teach children to follow these common sense practices to make school bus transportation safer.

  

And for more relevant insurance information, as well as insurance resources, visit the Gordon Insurance website, or click to get a quote from us now. 

Related Articles

• School Bus Safety – Get The Facts (homesecuritysource.com)
• Five School Bus Safety Tips to Teach Kids This Year (prweb.com)
• Watch Out for Buses as a New School Year Begins, Elmira Injury Attorney Warns (zifflaw.com)

Adding Fuel to the Fire

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Did you know that the #1 cause of house fires is COOKING? With the transition into the fall, which inevitably means grilling less and cooking more, we think a kitchen fire awareness post is due. After all, Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner, two holidays notorious for their food. The National Fire Protection Association provides the following information for dealing with cooking fires; use them to make sure you cook without too warm a welcome from your kitchen. 

Microwave Fire:  Keep the door closed!  And unplug it. Be sure to have it serviced before you use it again. (Personal experience has taught me to watch anything cooked in the microwave.  Overcooked microwave popcorn can fill your home with an acrid smoke that is impossible to breathe in). 

Oven Fire:  Again, KEEP THE DOOR CLOSED and turn off the heat. If the fire doesn’t go out immediately, call the Fire Department! 

Grease Fire:  Nothing smells better on a Sunday morning than bacon cooking and coffee perking, but the potential for a grease fire is high.  The best way to handle a grease fire is to carefully slide a lid over the pan.  Turn off the burner, DON’T MOVE THE PAN, and keep the lid on until the pan cools completely. (Baking soda can also be used to suffocate the fire.) NEVER put water on a grease fire – water causes the grease to splatter and the fire to spread.  

This all having been said, here’s a tasty recipe for your next brunch or cookout: 

Cut Italian Sausages (mild or hot, whichever you prefer) into 1” pieces.  Put the sausage pieces into a one gallon ziplock bag, along with green pepper and onion slices.  Drizzle generously with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and let sit for an hour or two. When ready to cook, put the mixture in a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the sausage pieces are cooked through.  Delicious! 

Related Articles

• Why You Generally Shouldn’t Put Metals in the Microwave (todayifoundout.com)
• 9 Uses for a Microwave – That Don’t Involve Cooking (apartmenttherapy.com)
• Be Careful in the Kitchen: Thanksgiving Fire Prevention Tips (homesecuritysource.com)

Summer Safety

As an insurance provider, safety constitutes a large part of our day-to-day priorities and concerns, and the arrival of summer brings new considerations along with enjoyable weather and relaxation. When the right information about summer safety falls into people’s hands, our jobs become much easier.

Some of the most pertinent Summer Safety issues include:

Inclement weather- The summer warmth sometimes comes free with a thunderstorm or hurricane
Pool Safety- Get that perfect tan along with a peaceful state of mind
Backup Power- How to handle the nastiest power outages and failures

Fortunately, Narragansett Bay Insurance Company has released some wonderful literature on how to address summer safety issues that might be on your mind this summer.

To read more, click here
And for risk mitigation and insurance solutions, look to www.agordon.com for topical and relevant resources.