Getting Ready for Summer Camp Season - Believe or not, summer is right around the corner. Leaders need to be planning for their successful and safe summer season. Gary Forster Camp Solutions is a great resource for camp professionals. Visit his Website to find more on preparing for camp including: monthly camp newsletter, information on effective staff hiring practices, evaluating facilities, and more. Gary also suggests that camps have a copy of the new the Basics of Camp Nursing available from the Association of Camp Nurses. Check out next month’s issue of Safety Insights for our Summer Program Safety issue.

 

The National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW), coordinated by the US Department of Justice, is a cooperative effort between Jurisdictions hosting public sex offender registries and the federal government. These Jurisdictions include the 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam, the District of Columbia, and participating tribes. This Website is a search tool allowing a user to submit a single national query to obtain information about sex offenders through a number of search options. The criteria for searching are limited to what each individual Jurisdiction may provide. Also, because information is hosted by each Jurisdiction and not by the federal government, search results should be verified by the user in the Jurisdiction where the information is posted. Users are advised to visit the corresponding Jurisdiction Websites for further information and/or guidance, as appropriate.

 

Considerations for the use of Emergency Oxygen - Serious and life-threatening medical emergencies often cause oxygen to be depleted in the body leaving the victim at risk for cardiac arrest or brain damage. While there is currently no empirical data that supports (or discourages) the use of emergency oxygen in emergency situations, medical oxygen has been used for years by EMS and physicians. Many national organizations (see “authorities” below) in the emergency services field suggest that the use of emergency oxygen is a critical step in treating a severe or life-threatening illness or injury. Safe-Wise has a created a resource to help organizations prepare themselves for the use of this life-saving equipment.

 

YMCA Indoor Air Quality is a webinar being offered by Y-USA Property Development on February 19, 2010. James Hogan, Product Development Engineer for Dectron, will explore sources of poor indoor air quality and potential solutions. The registration information is available Here

 

New requirements for transportation are currently being considered by Congress. These pieces of legislation may have an effect on your organization; leaders should become aware of the possible impact if these pieces are passed. Some key features of the bills include; requiring a CDL for all drivers of 9-15 passenger vans, requiring all drivers of vehicles to be involved in the vehicle inspection process and requiring the installation of electronic incident monitors (black boxes) in all passenger vans designated as commercial vehicles. For more information contact your representative and refer to bill numbers S 554 (Senate), HR 1396 (Congress) and HR 1396 (Congress).

 

Recreational Water Illnesses (RWIs) continue to be a health problem at aquatic facilities. According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 4,412 incidents of RWIs — including 116 hospitalizations and five deaths — were reported between January 2005 and December 2006. Sensible and informed pool-water chlorination is the most cost-effective and user-friendly way to mitigate the potential for recreational water illnesses. A recent article in Athletic Business Magazine offers some insight into this topic. More information is also available from the CDC.

 

Y-USA recently issued a reminder about “Racing Starts”: swimmers should never perform racing dives, in practice or in competition, in pools with less than 5 feet of water at the end of the pool where dive starts will be performed. If the water depth at the starting end is less than 5 feet, all swimmers must start their races in the water, performing a push start. In addition, long shallow dives should be taught in water no less than 9 feet. Once swimmers are proficient in such dives, they must be made aware that they are only allowed to perform these dives in water at least 5 feet deep during a practice or competition and only under the supervision of a coach. There protocols are required for many YMCA events and are good practices for all competitive swimming activities.

 

OSHA is reminding workers that they are entitled to a safe and healthful workplace. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, employers are responsible for protecting their workers on the job. OSHA's It's the Law - Job Safety and Health poster (English*/Spanish*) outlines worker and employer rights and responsibilities. Employers must provide workers a workplace free from recognized hazards and comply with the occupational safety and health standards issued under the OSH Act.

 

 

Learn more about these and other topics in the Online Resource Library

 

Note: Printable copies of each article are available in Adobe PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them.