From the CEO
Happy Fourth of July!
As we begin to return to more robust community celebrations, I look forward to seeing Americans being able to gather together again. Human interaction is critical to our wellbeing and over the past year, many of us have been missing that quick conversation at the store or on the baseball field. As reported last month, I attended my first in-person conference in over a year. It was so wonderful to actually be able to sit in a room with my colleagues and see their faces! That being said, the conference venue was still filled with hand sanitizer, masking requirements were in place for unvaccinated folks and social distancing was practiced when we were together for presentations.
No matter if COVID eventually becomes a thing of the past, we learned one very important lesson about protecting ourselves from a virus. The bottom line is this: HAND WASHING. Germs are germs, no matter which ones they are. We can knock down all kinds of communicable bugs by washing our hands. Just do that, as many times during the day as possible!
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Business. Hopefully, you and yours are on the upswing. We all have experienced some tough times of late, requiring some thoughtful strategies for going forward. I’ll say this: That's history. I am going to look forward and be focused on continued growth. We need to learn from history, but we don’t live there. Some businesses will acquire others, some have changed their entire model and others have or will close, due to circumstance or choice. Regardless of what stage your business is in, taking care of your team and customers, must remain a focus.
When I talk about safety, that includes so many things. Protections from physical dangers like fires and floods, but also mental health and workplace violence and so much in between. Are you monitoring your business safety protocols and policies annually? If not, now is the time to begin reviewing how well your company is protected. I’ve put together a checklist of basic business safety practices for download to help you get started.
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Personally, I want to say THANK YOU to all of you who subscribe to this newsletter. I hope you share it with your customers, family and friends. I so appreciate your business and look forward to serving you in the future. Looking back to our roots, the entire mission was to be of service and improve the safety of the communities in which we live, work and play. I am honored to be invited to partner with you in your industry. Thank you for allowing the TSS team to share in this journey of business with you. |
Speaking of service, I am also honored to be part of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Over the last three weeks I have had the the pleasure of serving with the Coast Guard Auxiliary's food services program in Hawaii. Beautiful weather and surroundings, a great crew, rewarding work and a well-stocked galley for preparing healthy and delicious meals…Who could ask for more?!
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Best regards,
Renee Schofield
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All the experts seem to agree that this year’s 4th of July celebrations will be even more exuberant than usual. After 16 months of COVID precautions and restrictions, with almost two-thirds of adults vaccinated, it is predicted that a record number of Americans will be traveling, vacationing, gathering and spending time with family and friends.
With that, we may also see more accidents, injuries and illnesses that are commonly associated with this holiday.
Here are some tips for avoiding hazards of the 4th and staying safe over the long weekend:
TRAVEL
- Do not drive a car or boat under the influence of alcohol or other substances. Every year, nearly half of all crash deaths during this holiday involve alcohol.
- Have a designated driver if you are planning on drinking.
- Put distractions away. Focus on the road.
- Drive defensively and take your time.
- It is best to always leave at least a three-second following distance from the car in front of you.
- Prepare in advance. Know where you are going and how long it should take to get there.
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July is National Vehicle Theft Prevention Month.
As you take to the road this summer, avoid returning to your parking spot and discovering your vehicle is gone.
Travelers are especially at risk because they often aren’t familiar with their surroundings, may be distracted and don’t secure their car adequately or unintentionally make the vehicle a target because it’s packed with their belongings.
According to the Traffic Safety Marketing website, in 2019, 721,885 motor vehicles in the United States were stolen. Of those, 56.1 percent were recovered. Of all vehicles stolen, 74.5 percent were passenger vehicles.
What can you do to prevent auto theft?
While there are many commercially available devices out today that claim to prevent theft, such as steering wheel and brake pedal locks, it really boils down to the basics:
- Choose your parking spot wisely
- Park in well-lit areas or areas with foot traffic.
- If you don’t know the area, consider a parking garage.
- Do not leave valuables in your vehicle. Nothing of value should be in view to anyone looking into your vehicle. If you must leave items in your car, stop somewhere before you park and move them into the trunk. Lock the trunk.
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With record temperatures in much of the country this summer, we want to remind you how critical the risk is to children when they are forgotten or left in a vehicle.
To be clear, it is never safe, to leave a young child alone in a car for any length of time.
According to the National Safety Council, in both 2018 and 2019, 53 children died in hot cars. These are the deadliest years on record in the past 20 years. Since 1998, almost 900 children have died from vehicular heatstroke; 24 percent of these incidents occurred while a parent or caregiver was at a place of work.
How can we stop this tragedy from happening?
First, why does it happen?
- Cars are hot! Every 10 minutes the heat can rise by 20 degrees. This can make your body temperature rise and cause heat stroke. Heat stroke is when a body’s temperature exceeds a normal 98.6F and reaches 104F or above. Heat stroke can cause your organs to shut down and become a true medical emergency very quickly.
- People get distracted and sometimes forget a child is in the car. Cell phones are the number one cause of distractions. Another distraction is change of routine, or disruption of everyday activities. If you usually don’t drop your child off at daycare, you are probably not accustomed to having your child in the car, making it easier to forget.
- Kids often think cars are a great place to play. They climb in, and then are unable to out or fall asleep.
To prevent some of these things from happening we can:
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TSS TRAINING
Webinar, online, blended
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These include DOT mandated and OSHA-recommended safety trainings as well as courses about home safety or those geared to keeping you secure behind the wheel.
If you don't see a course you need on our website, our team of safety specialists are more than happy to customize a training, or series of trainings, for you. Just let us know how we can help.
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All webinars are
10 a.m. AK Time
1 p.m. CS Time
Check our calendar later in the month for upcoming webinars.
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View our featured online courses on TSS's revamped website homepage. Make sure to keep checking back for new content!
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Blended Learning First Aid & CPR
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COST: $85
2-Year Certification
During COVID-19 , TSS will not be offering standard CPR & First Aid courses. Instead, consider taking our Blended Learning course.
- Take the classroom portion of the course online.
- Then, schedule a hands-on evaluation at your convenience.
Same skills. Same certification. In the safest way.
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Schedule Your Drug
Screen at
(877) 225-1431
or
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To those of you who drink and drive. STOP. Just stop.
The danger associated with drinking and driving is astronomical. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2019, 28 percent of traffic fatalities were due to drunk drivers.This is something we CAN CONTROL. Those deaths leave behind kids, parents, spouses, siblings and friends. It cuts short innocent lives that were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It may not always cause death, but permanent disability and lifelong medical costs. Please ... think about this over the upcoming holiday weekend. Get a cab, stay home, have a DD. Whatever you do, please don't drink and drive. #StayAliveDontDrinkAndDrive
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