Are you prepared for winter driving?

Wintertime in Minnesota leads to the most crashes and poses safety risks and hazards. The League is pleased to offer additional Winter Driving courses for our members through NEOGOV Safety Training:

• Winter Driving Safety
• Winter Driving: Braking and Special Considerations
• Winter Driving: Comprehensive
• Winter Driving: Trapped or Stranded Vehicles
• Winter Driving: Travel Planning and Techniques
• Winter Driving: Weather Conditions & Preparations

NEOGOV Safety Training offers over 200 online training courses covering a wide variety of safety topics that is affordable, convenient, and engaging safety training for your employees. If you’re already a registered user with NEOGOV, you can access the web-based training courses. The League has a page with additional information and how to get started.

Slow down, stay alert, and keep calm.

Submitted by: Julie Jelen, Loss Control Consultant

Beware of Unsafe Ice on Retention Ponds and Rivers

As the Minnesota winter begins to set in with residents and municipal workers out on the ice, there is the renewed concern of falling through into the water. Retention ponds and rivers are especially concerning and are untrustworthy no matter how safe the ice may look. Bringing awareness to this for city employees and citizens should be a point of emphasis each winter.

The strength of ice on retention ponds and rivers is questionable because of several factors, including constant water level changes, daily temperature changes, and water flowing under ice. Agitation pumps placed in ponds can weaken the ice above as well. Snow on top of these bodies of water will cover up any obvious signs of weak ice and create a false sense of security. The recommendation is that any ice less than 4 inches thick should not be walked on.

An unkept retention pond is designed to fail, so regular inspections and removal of debris or sediment is a must. These bodies of water also bring liability concerns such as drowning, require continuous maintenance and planning, and can be very expensive to maintain. Swimming, fishing, skating or other activities on or in the pond should not be allowed under any circumstances.

Prevent severe accidents by reminding citizens and workers of these hazards. Posting signage that warns everyone to stay off the body of water due to unsafe ice and including reminders of who to contact in emergency could potentially save a life. In November, a nine-year-old boy in Illinois fell through the ice while retrieving a football. A woman who saw the accident entered the pond in attempt to save him, and they both almost drowned before police were able to rescue them. If it weren’t for a witness who called police, there easily could have been a different outcome to this story.

Other References:

Valley News Live - Residents reminded to stay off iced over retention ponds and Sheyenne River

Spectrum Association Management - What is a retention pond?

City of Jacksonville, FL - Retention Pond Safety

Submitted by: Michael Neff, Loss Control Consultant

Now is the time to make sure your home heating system is working properly

Minnesota Department of Public Safety

It’s winter in Minnesota, and that means stay inside to stay safe and warm. But are you sure you’ll be safe or warm? It depends on the condition of your home’s heating system. 

If you heat with any carbon-based fuel, natural gas, LP gas, heating oil, wood or other, your system generates carbon monoxide (CO). CO is part of the normal operation of burning fossil fuels, but it can also be deadly.  

CO has no odor, is invisible, and is slightly lighter than air, so it floats. It is dangerous because it displaces oxygen in the air and is more easily absorbed by red blood cells than oxygen. Even low levels of CO can cause serious health effects over time. High or low levels of CO can even lead to death.

But CO is not the only hazard in home heating. According to the National Safety Council and the National Fire Protection Association, each year there are around 50,000 fires involving heating equipment in the U.S. These fires result in approximately 500 deaths and 1,300 injuries. Heating equipment causes about 14% of all home fires each year, and about half of all home heating fires occur in December, January, and February.

What does this mean for you? It means you might want to contact a qualified, insured home heating specialist to inspect and test your furnace, wood burner and chimney, or other heating systems (including your hot water heater). Landlords, consider the same for your tenants. 

Along with a safety inspection of the heating appliances in your home or apartment complex, here are some other tips for home heating safety:

·         Install smoke detectors:

o   On each floor of a dwelling

o   In hallways or corridors that provide access to bedrooms

o   Inside bedrooms

·         Install carbon monoxide detectors (when carbon-based heating devices are installed):

o   On each floor of a dwelling

o   Within 10 feet of each sleeping room

·         Avoid space heaters, if possible

·         If space heaters must be used, be sure they are:

o   UL listed

o   In good working order

o   Equipped with an automatic shut off for tip-over safety

o   Turned off while sleeping or when you leave the room

o   At least 3 feet away from any flammable items such as clothing, bedding, or paper

·         Never use kerosene or LP gas space heaters indoors

·         Test the batteries in your smoke detectors and CO detectors every month

·         Teach everyone in your home how to properly use a fire extinguisher

·         Practice fire drills and know your escape route and reunification area (drills are not just for   school kids!)

Be safe this winter! Whether in your own home or in city-owned rentals and apartments, follow these safety precautions to save lives and property.

I encourage you to reach out to your League of Minnesota Cities loss control consultant if you have any questions about fire prevention and safety or if you would like additional resources.

Here are a few resources to get you started:

·         National Fire Protection Association Fire Safety Toolkit

·         U.S. Fire Administration FEMA Heating Fire Safety

·         CenterPoint Energy Natural Gas Appliance Safety

·         First Alert

 Stay safe — and help someone else stay safe, too!

 

Submitted by Marc Dunker, Loss Control Consultant