Hello Safety Stuff Subscriber,

Here's more cool safety and health stuff for you.

What an amazing time I had in Montreal, Canada this week! I was speaking at a leadership conference for ExxonMobil on Safety Leadership ("How To Create a Vibrant Safety Culture"). There were leaders from dozens of countries all over the globe and they were a wonderful audience. Thank you so much Keith for choosing me. It was a blast working with you and Gary. (Can't wait to do it again in September!)

Next week, I'm giving a keynote at the NW Ohio Safety & Health Day in Perrysburg, OH.

COME JOIN ME!

I started my BLOG back up. So, come join me. I'll post regularly. And like I do in my e-zines I'll be sure to include unusual thoughts, ideas and tips. Here's a link to the BLOG: www.richardhawkinc.com/blog/

How about a pat on the back (and a prize of course) for Jason Gauthier from ZACHRY. He is this week's safety and health meeting/promotion idea winner.

Safety & health meeting/promotion idea winners get 25 Safety & Health Puzzles on CD which they can copy and give out to their employees. They also get a copy of Spice It Up! 52 Easy Ways to Turn Your Safety Meetings From Bland to Grand! If you'd like to purchase these helpful products just go to: www.makesafetyfun.com or click on the picture of the product on the left.

If I publish your idea on how to use a prop to make a point, or some way to get your audience involved in a safety & health meeting, or an innovative way to promote safety & health on and off the job you'll win the puzzles and booklet.

Send your ideas to me at richard@richardhawkinc.com or click on the link at the bottom of this message.

Okay, let's move on to Jason's idea:

Hello Richard,

First of all, I wanted to tell you how helpful your books and website have been to me. I fell into that rut of conducting boring meeting after boring meeting only because it was required that I give them. Your Spice It Up book and your BOSS books have really energized me and given me many great ideas for future meetings. Now I actually look forward to giving the meetings and our employees appear more interested and engaged as well.

I wanted to share a meeting idea that I gave to one of our safety committees at a chemical plant. I call it, "Do You Know Where Your Safety Shower / Eye Wash Station Is???

I took our Behavioral Based Safety team to one of the units and only told them that we would be doing a safety inspection of the area. When we walked up to the unit I intentionally led them past two safety shower / eye wash stations in the unit without mentioning them. After about 10 minutes of the team members "inspecting" the area I asked them all to congregate next to a valve located near the outside of the unit. They were each given a pair of safety goggles to put on that were totally blacked out.

Then I gave them the scenario that while they were walking past this valve it ruptured, spraying them in the face with hydrochloric acid. I explained to them the importance of time when dealing with chemical burns to the eyes. While wearing the blacked out goggles, they were then asked to point to the nearest safety shower and to tell how far it was from where they were standing.

You will be amazed with the answers that you get. Everyone knows that they should rush to an eye wash station if they are sprayed in the eyes with a chemical; but do they really make a conscious effort to locate the safety shower and eye wash station before an accident happens? This scenario easily leads into excellent discussions about safety, PPE, hazard awareness, etc.

Q: Now, your complaint alleges that you have had some problems with concentration since the accident. Does that condition continue today?

A: No, not really. I take a stool softener now.

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Q: Meaning no disrespect, sir, but you're 80 years old, wear glasses, and don't see as well as you used to. So, tell me, just how far can your see?

A: I can see the moon. How far is that?

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Q. Doctor, did you say he was shot in the woods?

A. No, I said he was shot in the lumbar region.

Richard,

Your presentation was excellent and has motivated me to make safety meetings fun, or let's say, at least different from my old routine.

I have already got a compliment from an employee that he likes my new safety meetings and thinks they are interesting and fun! The crew seems more interested and participation has increased. Many of the ideas and tips I use come from your presentation and book Spice It Up!

Anyway, thank you for a wonderful time and I appreciate the e-mail "Safety Stuff." It's great information to put into safety meetings.

Mike Tomsha
Ragan Mechanical

If you'd like the same kind of results at your next convention or employee day (or are looking for ways to improve your safety & health culture) contact Michele Lucia (972-899-3411 michele@richardhawkinc.com) or click on the link at the end of this email message.

If you'd like to see a video of yours truly go to my safety website www.makesafetyfun.com

"If your eyes hurt after you drink coffee, you have to take the spoon out of the cup."

--Norm Crosby

Here are a few common medical practices from medieval England. I don't advocate trying any of the "cures" but they do let us know how far humans' medical knowledge has advanced --thankfully!

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For deafness, a mixture of a rabbit's gallstone and fox grease was warmed and then poured into the ear.

To treat baldness, dog urine was rubbed into the scalp. If dog urine wasn't available, horse urine could be used instead.

To treat a child's case of whooping cough, milk was fed to a ferret. Whatever milk the ferret didn't drink was given to the sick child.

To eliminate jaundice, nine head lice were drowned in a pint of beer. The mixture had to be drunk every morning for a week.

For arthritis, the skin of a donkey was worn.

Gout could be cured by boiling a red-haired dog in oil, adding worms and pig's bone marrow, and then applying the mixture to the affected area.

To stop an asthma attack, baby frogs or live spiders were coated in butter and swallowed.

To cure leprosy, a sufferer bathed in the blood of a dog.

Fractures, abscesses, paralysis, epilepsy, nausea, sore throats, and ulcers could be cured by eating ancient Egyptian mummies--a medical fad of the time. Wealthy Europeans acquired them via a trade route from Egypt. The fad ended when it was discovered the corpses weren't ancient mummies, but recently murdered slaves.