Known for great online deals, Cyber Monday is the last big bang of special deals and limited offers for the Holidays.

Break out your list, see what you did and didn't accomplish in the stores this past 3 days, and get it all finished off tomorrow!

When the temperatures fall, many people use fireplaces, wood stoves and other fuel-fired appliances to heat their homes. Heating is the second leading cause of residential fires in the U.S. Fires confined to chimneys, flues or fuel burners account for 87 percent of these tragedies and are often due to creosote buildup in chimneys and stovepipes. The U.S. Fire Administration encourages these steps and more to keep your home fires burning safely:

EVACUATION & FIRE ESCAPE EQUIPMENT, SYSTEMS & SUPPLIES

• Have your chimney or wood stove inspected and cleaned yearly by a certified chimney specialist;
• Keep a glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace opening to prevent embers or sparks from jumping out;
• Do not use flammable liquids to start or accelerate any fire; and
• Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heating sources.

Home fires occur more often in the winter months than any other time of the year. Learn how to properly build and maintain a fire to heat your home with this video series hosted by the National Fire Academy Deputy Superintendent. The series includes an overview on inspecting your fireplace, appropriate materials to burn, and how to control the fire to prevent unwanted accidents.

READ MORE:

• Do you know how to use fire-extinguisher?
• Winter Fire Safety

Whether you are lazy, concerned about safety at the shopping malls, or just want to stay home to enjoy the game and family today... never fear, your Black Friday Deals are here at your fingertips!

SHOPPING IN PUBLIC ON BLACK FRIDAY CAN BE A DISASTER!
SAVE BIG and be safe with our Safety Gift Ideas and Stocking Stuffers at 50% up to 90% off!
Our Black Disaster Friday-Cyber Monday Sale begins now so…
Shop early as we have very limited quantities on many of these uber-low blowout deals!

Thanks for a great year - we value each and every one of our readers, clients, and customers!

Season’s Gr-Eatings!

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, Thanksgiving is the peak day for home fires involving cooking equipment. By making safety part of the Thanksgiving dinner menu, you can avoid preventable cooking fires. Here are some steps to follow when preparing your holiday feast:

• Test your smoke alarms to make sure they are working;
  Fire & Evacuation Essentials
• Keep children at least 3 feet away from the stove; and
• Keep an eye on what you are cooking.

In recent years, deep-frying turkeys has become a popular cooking method. While fried turkey may be a tasty addition to your meal, cooking with deep-fat turkey fryers can be a recipe for disaster! They have a high risk of tipping over, overheating or spilling hot oil - which can lead to fires, burns and other injuries.

For a safer alternative to deep-frying your bird, the National Fire Protection Association encourages the use of an outdoor turkey cooking appliance that does not use oil.

Are you stocked up on Burn First Aid Products?

Crowd Management Safety Guidelines for the Holiday Season

A retail worker was trampled to death on Black Friday in 2008 when shoppers rushed through the store to take advantage of holiday sales. "During the hectic shopping season, retail workers should not be put at risk of injury or death," said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. On Nov. 13, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent letters to major retailers to remind employers about the potential hazards involved with managing large crowds at retail stores during the holiday season when sales events attract a higher number of shoppers. OSHA encourages retailers to use the agency's crowd management safety guidelines to prevent injuries.

READ BLACK FRIDAY BLOGS AND SAFETY TIPS

SHOPPING IN PUBLIC ON BLACK FRIDAY CAN BE A DISASTER!
SAVE BIG and be safe with our Safety Gift Ideas and Stocking Stuffers at 50% up to 90% off!
Our Black Disaster Friday-Cyber Monday Sale begins now so…
Shop early as we have very limited quantities on many of these uber-low blowout deals!

Tragic consequences and risk to workers can occur if the proper safety procedures are ignored. In 2008, a retail worker was trampled to death when shoppers rushed through the store to take advantage of holiday sales.

"During the hectic shopping season, retail workers should not be put at risk of injury or death," said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. "OSHA urges retailers to take the time to adopt a crowd management plan and follow a few simple guidelines to prevent unnecessary harm to retail employees."

OSHA sent letters to major retailers to remind employers about the potential hazards involved with managing large crowds at retail stores during the holiday season when sales events attract a higher number of shoppers. Retailers are encouraged to use the safety guidelines, Crowd Management Safety Guidelines for Retailers, provided in the OSHA fact sheet they received.

Crowd Management Safety Guidelines (November 2014)
Letters to Retailers | Retail Trade Associations | Fire Marshals

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance.

Voice Your Input on Future Research, Practice and Policy for Worker Safety, Health and Well-being!

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Office for Total Worker Health™ has proposed a National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) meant to stimulate innovative research, practical applications, policy guidance, and capacity-building of health protection and health promotion practitioners across the Nation. We invite you to provide input on the top priority research, practice, and policy issues to include in the proposed National Total Worker Health^TM Agenda to help improve integrated workplace practices, prevent worker injury and illness, and advance worker safety, health, and well-being. The draft agenda is available for public comment, until closing of the federal docket on December 22, 2014, 11:59 pm EST.

“A growing body of science supports the effectiveness of integrating health protection programs with health promotion programs in efforts to create workplace interventions that advance worker safety, health and well-being,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “A National Agenda with stakeholder input and support is imperative in moving forward with the Total Worker Health strategy.”

The NIOSH Total Worker Health program is guided by the vision that both work-related factors and health factors beyond the workplace jointly contribute to many safety and health problems that confront today’s workers and their families. The Total Worker Health perspective is a broad-based, integrated approach and includes issues related to protecting the safety and health of workers in the work environment, preserving human resources through employment practices, and promoting health and well-being for individual workers.

The Proposed National Total Worker Health Agenda includes four strategic goals:

1. Advance and conduct etiologic, surveillance, and intervention research that builds the evidence base for effectively integrating health protection and health promotion activities in the workplace.
2. Increase the awareness and adoption of effective, integrated occupational safety and health protection and health promotion activities in the workplace.
3. Create guidance for policies that promote integration of occupational safety and health protection and health promotion activities in the workplace.
4. Build professional capacity to strengthen the Total Worker Health workforce and Total Worker Health field to support the development, growth, and maintenance of integrated occupational safety and health protection and health promotion activities in the workplace.

The NIOSH Office for Total Worker Health encourages all comments, and specifically seeks to address the following questions:

• Do you see your own organization's goals reflected in the Proposed National Total Worker Health Agenda?
• What are the bridges between your own work and the Proposed National Total Worker Health Agenda?
• Are there any missing components or gaps in the Proposed National Total Worker Health Agenda?

To view the draft National Total Worker Health Agenda and to learn more, visit www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket and search for NIOSH Docket 275.

Official written comments, identified by CDC-2014-0014 and docket number NIOSH-275, may be submitted by any of the following methods by 11:59 p.m. EST on December 22, 2014.

• Internet via Federal rulemaking portal: All submissions received must include the agency name and docket number. All relevant comments, including any personal information provided, will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov
• Mail: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
  NIOSH Docket Office
  1090 Tusculum Avenue, MS C-34
  Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998

Need a little inspiration? Read the recently released Institute of Medicine Workshop Summary Report on Promising the Best Practices in Total Worker Health.

Please consider sharing this opportunity to provide public comment on future research and practice for Total Worker Health with your colleagues.

That;s right - National Geographic recently showed us that the average child born today may have a life expectancy of 120 years... and now we learn that pregnancy terms are lasting longer on average... are the two related?

As scientists unlock genetic answers to a long life, the Jewish blessing "May you live to be 120" could become reality, according to NatGeo.

Kids & Fun / Novelty Bandages

Trends in Fetal and Perinatal Mortality in the United States, 2006–2012

Kids First Aid Kits, Emergency & Child IDs

According t an NCHS (National Center for Health Statistics) report - Changes in outcomes among live births were seen during 2006–2012. For example, the percentage of births delivered at 39 weeks of gestation or more rose and preterm birth and infant mortality rates declined. Limited recent data, however, have been available on fetal mortality. This information is essential for a more complete understanding of pregnancy health in the United States. This report focuses on fetal deaths (spontaneous intrauterine deaths) at 20 weeks of gestation or more, sometimes referred to as stillbirths, using recently released national data. Trends are examined for fetal mortality for 2000–2012, focusing on the period 2006–2012, and for perinatal mortality by race and Hispanic origin for 2006–2011 (the latest year available) and by state for combined years 2005–2006 and 2010–2011.

Unlike the 1944 movie with Cary Grant (Arsenic and Old Lace) this story is not a comedy.

What is arsenic?

Arsenic is an element that occurs naturally in rocks and soil and is used for a variety of purposes within industry and agriculture. It is also a byproduct of copper smelting, mining, and coal burning. Arsenic can combine with other elements to make chemicals used to preserve wood and to kill insects on cotton and other agricultural crops.

Arsenic is found in groundwater, many chemicals, and foods. If arsenic is in the organic form, it is likely nontoxic or weakly toxic to humans, but inorganic arsenic can also be found in similar locations and materials and in high concentrations in industrial processes. In 2013, the FDA made recommendations that less than 10 parts per billion of arsenic was acceptable for levels in apple juice. Levels for arsenic have yet to be FDA approved for rice (still under study), although groundwater levels that provide arsenic to rice are FDA set at less than 10 parts per billion.

Arsenic poisoning typically occurs through industrial exposure, from contaminated wine or homemade alcohol (moonshine) or due to malicious intent. It may also occur through heavy metal contamination of herbal preparations and nutritional supplements. A resurgence of interest in arsenic as a medicinal agent for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemias, multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, and assorted resistant solid tumors may potentially contribute to arsenic toxicity.

Where and how does arsenic get into drinking water?

Arsenic can enter the water supply from natural deposits in the earth or from industrial and agricultural pollution. It is widely believed that naturally occurring arsenic dissolves out of certain rock formations when ground water levels drop significantly. Some industries in the United States release thousands of pounds of arsenic into the environment every year. Once released, arsenic remains in the environment for a long time. Arsenic is removed from the air by rain, snow, and gradual settling. Once on the ground or in surface water, arsenic can slowly enter ground water. High arsenic levels in private wells may come from certain arsenic containing fertilizers used in the past or industrial waste. It may also indicate improper well construction or overuse of chemical fertilizers or herbicides in the past.

How do I remove arsenic from my drinking water?

Heating or boiling your water will not remove arsenic. Because some of the water evaporates during the boiling process, the arsenic concentrations can actually increase slightly as the water is boiled. Additionally, chlorine (bleach) disinfection will not remove arsenic.

Is my private well at risk?

Exposure to arsenic in drinking water has been identified as a health concern in regions of the United States where bedrock contains unusu­ally high levels of arsenic, such as areas of New Hampshire, Maine, Michigan, and regions in the Southwest and the Rockies. Your state’s Department of Natural Resources or Geological Survey Office may have information on any areas of your state that may be prone to the presence of high levels of arsenic.

Private well water should be tested annually for bacteria, nitrates, and anything else of concern to the well owner, such as arsenic. Test­ing should be conducted by a certified drinking water laboratory. Visit http://water.epa.gov/scitech/drinkingwater/labcert/statecertification.cfm to find your state drinking water testing laboratory certification officer who can provide a list of certified labs in your area, or call the Private Well Owner Hotline at (855) 420-9355.

If you do have an arsenic level in your water that is higher than you would like, there are water treatment technologies available to address the problem.

Arsenic is widely distributed throughout the earth’s crust, and is found in groundwater supplies in a number of countries.

Long-term human exposure, through drinking of contaminated water, is an important public health problem in some regions and countries, and is associated with cancer of the skin, lungs, bladder and kidney. Acute arsenic poisoning produces vomiting, esophageal and abdominal pain, and bloody “rice water” diarrhea.

Arsenic contaminates the groundwater in many parts across the United States, Arsenic in groundwater is largely the result of minerals dissolving from weathered rocks and soils. Several types of cancer have been linked to arsenic in water.

The USGS has developed maps that show where and to what extent arsenic occurs in groundwater across the country. The current maps are based on samples from 31,350 wells. Widespread high concentrations were found in the West, the Midwest, parts of Texas, and the Northeast. Check out your area

Drinking water that contains arsenic can raise one’s risk for cancer and other health problems

You can share arsenic resources from CDC and the National Ground Water Association to help protect private well owners in your area

• Arsenic and Old Lace: Writer and notorious marriage detractor Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) falls for girl-next-door Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane), and they tie the knot on Halloween. When the newlyweds return to their respective family homes to deliver the news, Brewster finds a corpse hidden in a window seat. With his eccentric aunts (Josephine Hull, Jean Adair), disturbed uncle (John Alexander), and homicidal brother (Raymond Massey), he starts to realize that his family is even crazier than he thought.

Many people find that multi station home gyms offer a way to weight train at home by themselves and in safety. These operate via simple systems of cables and pulleys that link all of the components to a solid weight stack on the back of the gym; if you feel that the weight is too heavy, all you need to do is release the equipment and it will drop back into place. When choosing a station for use at home, however, it is essential that you have taken safety into account.

What should I avoid?
There are a number of things that you should look out for in multi station workout equipment, as they will severely impair the equipment’s safety. These include:

• Whether pursuing an indoor workout, or participating in outdoor sports and exercise, be sure you have the appropriate sports medicine and safety supplies at hand - click here to view!

  Jerky Motions, – If, whilst exercising, you feel an unnatural motion (so that the exercise doesn’t feel smooth) this is an indication that something is not quite right with the equipment.

• Cheap Parts – Determine whether the equipment utilises plastic or steel pulleys, whether it has brushes or ball bearings, whether the end caps are plastic or rubber, whether the cables are thin, and whether poor quality upholstery (which is likely to quickly wear out) is present.
• Thin Seats – Press your fingers into the seats and seatbacks of the machine; if you can feel the wooden seat board, you should really keep looking. This is a sign of poor quality upholstery.
• Wiggly Machines – If you find that the station is shaking or its bolts are moving, this should immediately cause alarm in your mind – equipment that is of quality construction will feel absolutely solid and stable. It’s a good idea to try hanging off it, as it shouldn’t move at all.
• Uncovered Handgrips – Whilst this is quite rare, you might come across them if you’re looking at the really low-end machines. If the frames or handgrips are uncovered, make sure you keep looking.

What should I look for?
There are also a number of things that you should be looking for in a home gym, as they will ensure your safety whilst exercising. These include:

• Resistance – There are a number of systems to choose from, such as weight plates in a stack, plastic/rubber bows and rods, free weight plates. You need to determine which of these systems will be right for you before purchasing, as they are all relatively costly.
• Fixed-Movement – Newer equipment has fixed arms, which you hold and push when they need to be moved. Earlier versions, however, have arms that are movable or rotate freely; this is quite difficult to master.
• Maintenance – When purchasing a station, you should be provided with full instructions for tightening bolts, lubricating rods, checking cables and so on. You should perform the recommended maintenance regularly to ensure that the equipment remains in good condition.

At the end of the day, a multi station home gym represents a significant investment, so care should be taken to ensure that you aren’t wasting your money or compromising on safety. We hope that the above tips of what to avoid and what to look for in the equipment will help you in making the right decision, otherwise we recommend speaking with a professional. After all, you want to ensure the safety of anyone using the machine.