Bed bugs, those small, brownish insects that like to set up home in people’s beds and suck on their blood, are becoming a problem in the workplace, according to University of Kentucky extension entomologist Michael Potter.
He says bed bugs, which are about 3/16ths of an inch long, are showing up in increasing numbers in homes, apartments, healthcare facilities, hotels/motels, office buildings, dormitories, schools, movie theaters and other places where people live, work, play and study.
A recent National Pest Management Association survey found that nearly 20 percent of pest exterminators reported finding bed bugs in US office buildings, as compared to just one percent in 2007.
Potter says the prevalence of bed bugs is probably due to increased immigration and world travel and less effective modern bed bug pesticides.
Someone who has been bitten, most often while asleep, is usually left with itchy, red welts or localized swelling. Bed bug bites are often mistaken for mosquito bites.
“It often seems that bed bugs arise from nowhere. The bugs are efficient hitch-hikers and are usually transported in on luggage, clothing, beds, furniture and other items,” says Potter. “This is a particular problem for hotels, motels and apartments, where turnover of occupants is constant.”
Acquiring used furniture such as couches, chairs or beds is another route for an unintended bed bug infestation at home or work. And workers can and do unknowingly take them to work on their clothing and shoes.
“Once bed bugs are introduced, they often spread throughout a building,” he says. “The bugs can travel from room to room or floor to floor by crawling or via a person.”
A building’s level of cleanliness has little to do with the likelihood of an infestation.
Bed bugs, as their name suggests, are most commonly found in beds. A thorough inspection requires dismantling the bed and standing the pieces on edge. Look for the bugs themselves or dark spots of dried bed bug excrement, especially along mattress seams or along the undersides of box springs.
Furniture such as couches or chairs should also be examined for evidence of bed bugs, including seams, tufts, skirts and crevices. Potter says treating bed bug-contaminated surfaces is difficult and beds or furniture may need to be thrown out. He suggests contacting a reputable exterminator to decide what items are treatable and which require disposal.
“In extreme cases, entire buildings have been fumigated for bed bugs,” says Potter.
Following are some tips for avoiding bed bug infestations:
Home is where the heart is. Home is where you hang your hat. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home. Clichés about home often suggest that it’s a loving, carefree sanctuary, a place where we can shed all our worries. And after a hard day’s work, it’s where you rush to be. But before you hang up your hat this evening, take a look around your home and consider this statistic: You were actually 10 times safer back at work.
According to the National Safety Council, in 2006 there were 179,065 deaths from unintentional injuries in the United States. Four percent of those deaths resulted from workplace injuries; 41 percent of those deaths resulted from injuries that occurred at home. It seems there really is no place like home!
After you examine your own home for hazards, remind your workers to look at their homes with a critical safety eye. Share with them these 10 quick ways to improve safety where they live:
More than 130 Saskatchewan business and community leaders recently declared their commitment to the health and safety of their employees and communities by signing the province’s first Health & Safety Leadership Charter.
“For years, Saskatchewan has had the dubious distinction of having the second worst injury rate in Canada and the highest rate in Canada for injuries that occur outside of the workplace, says Gord Moker, CEO of Safe Saskatchewan.
Moker says there’s an attitude that injuries are inevitable and, “We as leaders felt it was time to stand together to create a cultural change in our own organizations and in the wider community. This charter is about publicly committing to that change.”
A joint initiative between WorkSafe Saskatchewan and Safe Saskatchewan, the charter aims to adopt safety as a core value and result in positive changes in attitudes and behaviors. The principles of the charter were adopted from the Conference Board of Canada’s CEO Health & Safety Leadership Charter.
Read MoreA Global Positioning System (GPS) device certainly takes some of the pressure off for drivers trying to find their way, but a fatality in New Brunswick, Canada, shows that drivers shouldn’t put all their faith in them.
A couple returning from a trip to Florida drove into the back of a semi-trailer at an intersection near St. Andrews, NB. The driver’s 78-year-old wife died at the scene.
Police say the intersection had been reconfigured and the GPS unit in the couple’s car had relayed outdated information. Poor signage at the intersection also likely contributed to the driver’s lack of awareness that a stop sign had been set up there.
The GPS unit indicated that the driver was already on the highway, so he probably wasn’t expecting a stop sign. A warning sign or rumble strip on the road might have prevented the collision.
The fatality shows the importance of not relying too heavily on what the GPS is telling a driver to do, police said. If your company has drivers who depend upon GPS systems as part of their jobs, share this story with them.
Read MoreSeveral provinces have banned drivers from using hand-held cell phones while moving in traffic, but Alberta is proposing even tougher legislation.
Bill 16, introduced in the Alberta legislature in April and expected to be debated in fall 2010, would ban a range of driving distractions including personal grooming, reading, writing, talking on a hand-held cell phone and texting.
The law would not ban drivers from smoking, eating or drinking coffee or other non-alcoholic beverages.
“This legislation is a practical, effective and enforceable approach to the issue of distracted driving,” says Minister of Transportation Luke Ouellette. “We are sending a strong safety message to Albertans: When you are in your vehicle, your focus must be on driving.”
Under the proposed legislation, fines for distracted driving would start at $172. Additional fines could be levied for driving errors associated with distraction, such as running a stop sign or red light.
Info to go: Read more about distracted driving by clicking on the Info to Go safety links at www.SafeSupervisor.com
Read MoreEditor’s Note: Share this safety talk with your workers.
Road work zones continue to have far too many traffic fatalities. The victims are construction workers and occupants of the vehicles trying to rush past them. For example, a produce truck had stopped in response to a flagger at a construction zone. A speeding semitrailer unit crashed into the rear of the produce truck, which in turn struck the flagger. The driver of the semi-unit was seriously injured. The flagger died.
A work zone is a designated area on a street or highway where construction is taking place. It can be recognized by distinctive orange and black signs, as well as lighted barricades, flaggers and other means of signaling.
Remember that hazards may develop unexpectedly because construction sites are active and continually changing. Watch what’s going on around you. Don’t just blindly follow a pilot truck if it’s leading you into the path of a moving grader. Watch for obstructions extending out into your lane of travel, such as loads on trucks and buckets on backhoes.
Even if you don’t see anyone working, follow all instructions, such as speed limits. Otherwise, you might be going too fast to negotiate narrow lanes, sudden turns and rough road surfaces. Many crashes have occurred when warning signs are placed far from the work zone or left out overnight and impatient drivers speed up. It’s the work zone supervisor’s responsibility to place signs correctly, but it’s your responsibility to heed warnings and drive safely.
Work zone fatalities and injuries have been on the increase in recent years, partly because of more construction projects and partly because of inattentive driving in heavy traffic. Drive with care to make sure you and the people building the roads make it home safely another night.
Read MoreEditor’s Note: Share this safety talk with your workers during Work Zone Awareness Week, April 19th – 23rd.
Road work zones continue to have far too many traffic fatalities. The victims are construction workers and occupants of the vehicles trying to rush past them. For example, a produce truck had stopped in response to a flagger at a construction zone. A speeding semitrailer unit crashed into the rear of the produce truck, which in turn struck the flagger. The driver of the semi-unit was seriously injured. The flagger died.
A work zone is a designated area on a street or highway where construction is taking place. It can be recognized by distinctive orange and black signs, as well as lighted barricades, flaggers and other means of signaling.
Remember that hazards may develop unexpectedly because construction sites are active and continually changing. Watch what’s going on around you. Don’t just blindly follow a pilot truck if it’s leading you into the path of a moving grader. Watch for obstructions extending out into your lane of travel, such as loads on trucks and buckets on backhoes.
Even if you don’t see anyone working, follow all instructions, such as speed limits. Otherwise, you might be going too fast to negotiate narrow lanes, sudden turns and rough road surfaces. Many crashes have occurred when warning signs are placed far from the work zone or left out overnight and impatient drivers speed up. It’s the work zone supervisor’s responsibility to place signs correctly, but it’s your responsibility to heed warnings and drive safely.
Work zone fatalities and injuries have been on the increase in recent years, partly because of more construction projects and partly because of inattentive driving in heavy traffic. Drive with care to make sure you and the people building the roads make it home safely another night.
Read MoreThe theme of National Work Zone Awareness Week, running April 19-23, 2010, is “Work Zones Need Your Undivided Attention.”
According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, actions by construction workers account for 30 percent of the accidents in highway work zones. That leaves motorists responsible for the other 70 percent.
A highway work zone is defined as a traffic-way where construction, maintenance or utility work activities take place. Such zones are identified by signals and signs. In order to maximize safety, both for work zone workers and motorists passing through, it is vital that drivers slow down to the posted speed limit and concentrate fully on what’s happening around them.
In 2008, throughout the US there were 720 fatalities in highway construction/maintenance work zones. Approximately 40 fatalities occur in work zones across Canada each year, according to Transport Canada. The 2010 National Work Zone awareness campaign is being sponsored by the New York City Department of Transportation.
Read MoreAn Ottawa bus driver is being credited with saving four people from a burning apartment building.
OC Transpo driver Peter Paquette, a former volunteer firefighter, spotted smoke pouring from an apartment window, stopped his bus and broke the main doors leading into the three-storey apartment block.
Paquette knocked on several doors to warn people to get out, kicking doors in if there wasn’t any response. He rescued four people and one dog before firefighters arrived on the scene.
The bus driver was taken to hospital for treatment for minor smoke inhalation and a foot injury, while one of the apartment’s residents also required treatment for smoke inhalation.
Read MoreThe federal government has passed the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act to replace the 40-year-old Hazardous Goods Act.
The government says the new act will better protect the health and safety of Canadians by:
The Harper government says the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act is expected to be in force within a few months. The government is communicating with industry to provide information on new obligations and requirements and it will also be launching an awareness campaign to keep consumers informed as to how the legislation will affect them and the products they purchase.
Info to go: Read more about the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act by clicking on the Info to Go safety links at www.SafeSupervisor.com
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