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Tag: Safety

Happy and Safe Holidays

Posted on by djbechard

Ghosts and goblins aren’t the only thing that can be scary now that Halloween has kicked off the fall holiday season. From fire hazards to online scams, following these tips can help you stay safe during the eventful time of year between Halloween and New Year’s Day.

  • Rather than a traditional candle, consider lighting up your décor with a small, battery operated flameless one. If you do choose to use traditional candles, remember to blow it out before going to bed or leaving home.
  • Use only non-flammable indoor decorations.
  • Whether you’re making Thanksgiving turkey or holiday cookies, practice cooking safely to avoid fires at home. Stay alert in the kitchen and turn off the stove when you leave the kitchen.
  • Water your Christmas tree regularly. Dry branches are a fire hazard. Turn off the tree’s lights overnight or when you are not at home.
  • Place your menorah on a sturdy, non-flammable surface out of the reach of small children and pets. Never leave lit candles unattended.
  • When you shop online for holiday gifts, be cautious and avoid scams by shopping with trusted retailers. Be on the look out for emails that seem too good to be true. Don’t click on suspicious links!
  • Learn the weather and climate risks for the area to which you are traveling.
  • Be sure to consider how COVID-19 may affect your holiday plans.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

By: Jamie Rathbun

Safe Kitchen Tips For Food Preservation

Posted on by djbechard

Cooking in the kitchen is a great learning experience for all ages. When it comes to food preservation, there are some potential hazards that can compromise personal safety. Here are some tips to remember:

  • Stoves are hot! Turn pans with long handles away from other burners and small helping hands.
  • Because of a lot of hot, wet food and liquid, keep potholders dry or use silicone rubber potholders for extra safety.
  • When removing lids from hot pans and canners, tilt the lid away from your face so steam doesn’t burn your skin.
  • Match the size of canner to the size of the stove burner to avoid hot burner exposure.
  • Knives are necessary for preparing food to preserve. Keep them sharp for safest use.
  • Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen in case of a fire.

By: Brenda Langdon

Summer Safety

Posted on by djbechard
  • Be a water watcher – Designate an adult to actively watch children when they are in a pool or lake. Take turns sharing the responsibility.
  • Wear a life jacket – Young or inexperienced swimmers should wear a life jacket when in the water. Everyone in a boat should wear a life jacket too.
  • Never let children play with fireworks – Sparklers and other fireworks can be hot enough to melt metal. Fireworks are a cause of life-threatening injuries and burns in children each year.
  • Use window guards – Window screens will not stop someone from falling from a window. Use window guards to ensure that windows open no more than 4 inches.
  • Never leave a child alone in a vehicle – In just 10 minutes, the inside of a vehicle can become so hot that it can be deadly.
  • Slow down when driving – Watch for children on residential streets, and around school buses, ice cream trucks, or other places children play.

By: Brenda Langdon

Top 10 Home Safety Tips

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

Here are ten top tips to keep your home safe:

  1. Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and outside of every sleeping area. Test them monthly. If your smoke alarms are ten years old or more, replace them. If you build or remodel your home, install fire sprinklers.
  2. Develop a fire escape plan for your family. Point out two exits from each room, pick a meeting spot outside, and hold a fire drill at least twice a year.
  3. Always stay in the kitchen while food is cooking on the stove.
  4. Keep all stairways, paths and walkways well lit. Use railings.
  5. Install grab bars in bath and shower stalls, and use a non-slip mat or adhesive safety strips inside bathtubs and showers.
  6. Post the National Poison Control Hotline number (1-800-222-1212) and other emergency numbers next to every phone in the home.
  7. Install child locks on all cabinets used to store dangerous items such as poisons, matches and lighters. Install carbon monoxide alarms.
  8. Keep you water heater setting at 120⁰F or less.
  9. Install four-sided pool fencing with self-locking and self-closing gates. Fencing should completely isolate the pool from the home and be at least five feet high.
  10. Constantly supervise children in or near bodies of water such as pools, ponds, bathtubs, toilets and buckets.

By: Brenda Langdon

Play It Safe Online

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

Being online lets you follow the news, connect with friends and family, shop, manage finances and much more. Here are some tips to protect your personal information while you’re online.

  • Lock the devices just like you lock your front door. Use a passcode, facial recognition or fingerprint to lock your phone or tablet. If you have a computer, use a strong password that’s at least 12 characters long.
  • Know the red flags of scams. If someone contacts you and asks you to pay by wire transfer or gift card, be wary. It’s probably a scam.
  • Share with care. Limit how much personal information you share online. Set your social media profiles to private. If someone asks to connect with you on social media, only accept their request if you know them.

By: Brenda Langdon

January is Kansas Radon Action Month

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

January 2021 is Kansas Radon Action Month.  With all of us spending more time in our homes, now is an excellent time to check for radon.

Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and chemically inert radioactive gas. It is formed by the natural radioactive decay of uranium in the rock, soil and water. Testing for it is the only way of telling how much is present.

Radon enters our homes through cracks in the concrete floors and walls, floor drains and sump pits.

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. The EPA recommends any house that tests 4.0 or over be mitigated to reduce radon levels.

Quick facts about radon:

  • Radon induced lung cancer is the #1 cause of death in homes. 1 in 4 Kansas homes has high levels of radon.
  • If you are buying or selling a home, Kansas law requires that all radon testing be conducted by state-certified radon professionals.
  • The only way to know the radon level anywhere is to test. Radon test kits can be purchased at the Post Rock District extension offices.
  • If your home has elevated radon levels you can have a radon mitigation system installed which will reduce radon to below 4.0.

By: Brenda Langdon

Winter Safety Tips

Posted on by mjsaxton@ksu.edu

As the temperature starts to fall and the winter months are ahead, here are some things to consider before getting on the road.

  • Check what the weather outlook is along your route.
  • Be sure to let someone know where you are going, what route you are taking and what time you’re planning to arrive.
  • You may not be able to get a cell signal should you become stranded, so it’s important to have that backup in place before you get on the road.
  • Get your car ready for the winter by checking the tread on the tires.
  • Top off fluids, switch your windshield fluid from bug removal to something more tolerant of cold temperatures.
  • Check your antifreeze levels so that you have enough for colder conditions.
  • Replace windshield wipers.
  • Build a winter weather emergency kit and put it in an easily accessible part of the car such as the backseat.

By: Brenda Langdon