Health Topics

A new study reveals that some American health care workers are not adequately trained for or protected from bloodborne pathogens. 28% of privately owned dental practices did not have a site specific written bloodborne pathogens exposure control plan and half of those had no intention to implement one in the next 12 months.  OSHA's 29 CFR 1910.1030 Bloodborne Pathogens standard was created to safeguard the American health care worker from infectious diseases found in human bodily fluids.  The standard requires an exposure control plan.

While summer is in full swing, families are enjoying their summer break. Before too long however, it will be "back to school time". Summer is the perfect time to plan and prepare for the next upcoming school year.  With this in mind, we wanted to highlight 3 important areas you and your child should plan for and discuss.  Spend a minute and learn about school health, first aid and safety.
 

Did you know that nearly half of all Americans participate in outdoor activities every year? We love to be outdoors!  Walking, boating, hiking, camping and other fun activities are a great way to experience nature and get some physical exercise but they can also create health concerns. This 2 part article will highlight 5 outdoor health & safety tips.  Knowing what they are, how to treat them and even how we can prevent them will help us stay healthy and safe while enjoying our outdoor experience.

This is part 2 of "5 Outdoor Health Tips To Remember".  As we spend time outdoors, we wanted to highlight several important tips to help you enjoy the outdoor experience. In part 1, we talked about heat and sun related illnesses.  This article will cover the last 3 outdoor health & safety tips which include summer allergies, insects and poisonous plants.  The reality is that any one of these can ruin our fun and potentially send us indoors or even worse, the hospital.   Let's take a closer look at how we can treat and prevent these potentially dangerous hazards.

With over 75 million public school & university students enrolled here in the United States, preparing for injuries is a top priority. From playground scrapes to homeland terror incidents, first aid supplies for all types of emergency situations must be available.  Many people have asked "where should a school keep their first aid supplies?".  Let's look at these 5 tips to help determine where to place your school first aid supplies.

OSHA has written advice for workplace first aid.  When it comes to first aid supplies, they get right to the point.  We've summarized these for your quick reading but have also included a link to the complete document.  Get your workplace first aid program moving forward.  Read this relevant article now.

As the weather changes and school comes to an end, summer camps all over the world open their doors.  Camp is a great opportunity for children to continue to learn and grow and we have listed 5 helpful tips you should know before sending your child to camp. 

Taking ownership of your workplace first aid program is critical. Someone has to be in charge. Our experiences has shown us that companies where an employee monitors and maintains the supplies lower their costs. It also builds awareness of the health & safety activity between the employer and employee. We have several different options to help you maintain your supplies. With only a few minutes a month, you can reap the benefits of maintaining first aid supplies yourself. 

Please see this link for the current ANSI 308.1 Workplace First Aid requirements and FAQ.   To ensure workplace first aid practices are maintained, ANSI (The American National Standard Institute) has revised the ANSI 2009 standard regarding the minimum performance requirements for first aid kits and their supplies to the new Z308.1-2015. MFASCO Health & Safety has reviewed the new standard and offers ANSI compliant first aid kits for all types of workplace environments. 

Determining the difference between the common cold and the flu can be difficult.  Because they share many of the same symptoms, they can easily be mistaken for one another.  It is important to know the difference between these two common illnesses so the right treatment can be applied.  Lets take a look at several signs that might help you determine the difference between a cold and the flu.