Hello There Safety Stuff Subscriber,

Here's another shot of safety and health fun--just for you.

I'm home this week. Today I gave my first Web Conference for CTN Energy entitled "Chill Out: Minimize Accidents by Reducing Stress in your Workplace." It was a bit surreal but I enjoyed it. Thanks Natalie.

Last week my talks at the VPPPA Region 10 Convention and Minnesota Safety Council's Conference were exciting for me. Thank you, Chris and Bonnie, it was great to see you again. (Special thanks to Bowen for working the puppet!)

Way to go Kris Nelson, from Lexington, NE. You are this week's safety & 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

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.

Here's Kris's scary idea:

ROOM OF HORRORS

Hi Richard,

I work in a hospital--and while the things I did for my idea would not all work in an industrial setting--with some creativity--the room I describe could be set up where everything would.

For National Safety Month last year, one of the activities I used was to turn a patient room into a "Room of Horrors." I staged safety hazards, infection control hazards and facility hazards throughout the room. The room stayed open 24/7 for three days so all the staff had a chance to walk through and find all the hazards as part of a contest.

We had 40 hazards set up such as an unknown spill in the shower, full sharps container, unlabeled specimen bottle, sharp on the bed, stain on nurses uniform, hairdryer in the sink, bed in high position with all rails up, no call light plugged in, etc.

The person who was able to identify the most items won a prize. It was not only fun but really made everyone more aware of the hazards.

TIDBITS

Odds that one of your party guests will peek into your medicine cabinet: 40%

In an average year, 311 New York City residents report being bitten by a rat.

Tsunami waves can move from one shore of the Pacific to the other in less than a day.

A policeman watches as a car careens all over the road before crashing into a rail. He runs over to help and asks the driver, who was obviously intoxicated, what happened.

"It was a nightmare," says the driver. "I swerved to miss a tree then another one swung in front of me so I swerved to avoid it when another one came into view. There were trees everywhere. I couldn't get away from them!"

The policeman looks in the car and says, "Those weren't trees, that was your air freshener."

GOOD IDEAS TO PASS ON TO OUR EMPLOYEES

A bit more feedback from the "Chill Out" talk I gave at the Iowa-Illinois Safety Council's Conference in April:

• Wonderful presentation.
• Kept my attention and informative.
• Some scary facts, but very relevant for all of us.
• Great message on stress issues/relief. Very good choice on keynote!
• One of the best speakers I've heard on this topic-- good ideas to pass on to our employees.

If you'd like to get the same type 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.

10 THINGS TO DO IF YOU'VE BEEN SKUNKED

When I read the list below I was surprised to learn a couple things I didn't realize about being skunked (I always thought you should get a tomato bath to take away the odor) so I thought I'd include it as a stinky ending to this week's issue:

Skunks have it pretty rough. Their small size makes them prey for scores of large predators. They're scavengers, which means lunch is literally garbage, and many of them end up as roadkill. Read on to learn about how to avoid the path of a disgruntled skunk and what to do if you do tangle with one.

1. Stay Away. The best way to avoid getting skunked is to stay away from them. Skunks only spray when they're threatened, so don't threaten them and you shouldn't have a problem.

2. Speak Softly and Walk with a Big Stomp. If you must approach a skunk, do so with caution. Speak in a low voice and stomp your feet. Skunks have poor vision and often spray in defense because they don't know what's going on.

3. Freeze! Another tactic for avoiding a skunking is to stand perfectly still and wait for the skunk to go away. Passive, but effective.

4. Run...or Shut Your Eyes and Hang on Tight. Right before a skunk lets loose its spray of stinkiness, it stomps its feet and turns around, as the spray glands are located near the anus. If you see a skunk doing this little dance, run away or hang on tight, because you're about to get skunked.

5. Flush It Out. If you get sprayed in the face, immediately flush your face and eyes with water. The sulfur-alcohol compound that skunks emit can cause temporary blindness, which could lead to bigger problems.

6. Take It Outside. Now that you've been skunked, anything you come into contact with is going to smell like you do. You smell like skunk, if you hadn't already noticed. So try to stay outside, if at all possible.

7. Skip the V8, Air Freshener, and Lemon Juice. No matter what Grandma said, tomato juice does not take the smell of skunk off of you, your dog, or your clothes. And unless you like "fresh morning dew" skunk, vanilla skunk, or lemony skunk, don't even bother with air fresheners or lemon juice. These products don't eliminate skunk smell, they only make it worse by coating it with another cloying scent.

8. Mix Up a Peroxide Bath. To get rid of the skunk smell, you must neutralize the chemicals in the spray. This home remedy seems to work well on animals or humans: Mix one quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, one teaspoon mild dishwashing detergent, and 1/4 cup baking soda in a bucket. Lather, rinse, repeat.

9. Buy Deodorizing Spray. These special sprays are available at pet stores and some home and garden stores, too. They work well because they're specially formulated to neutralize the intense odor of skunk.

10. Call the Public Health Department or Your Doctor... ...if you've been bitten. Skunks have been known to carry rabies, even though they rarely resort to biting. The same goes for your pet---get it to the vet quickly if the skunk did more than spray. Also, notify the public health department within 24 hours.

Source: The Extraordinary Book of Lists, 2007