Seeing through the Mud

I recently completed my first 5K Mud Run.  For those of you who are not familiar with Mud Runs, they are basically obstacle courses with ropes, 10 feet high pallet walls, and 30 feet tall slides all suspended over pits of mud and stagnate water.  Now doesn’t that sound like a safe thing to do?  Well as a participant you eagerly dive head first into all of these hazardous obstacles without knowing whats on the other side.  How deep is the water at the end of this 30 foot slide? Were these towers engineered to hold multiple people?  Should I have gotten a tetanus shot before crawling under this barbwire?  OK, well those were at least the thoughts running through my mind as I was completing each obstacle.  I also noticed how I had this feeling of such a rush of excitement and sense of accomplishment.  I had just leapt off of a ten foot high wall and actually stuck the landing.  I kind of forgot that I wasn't immune to injury or illness, because during those times when I was completing each obstacle I found that I was concentrating so hard on the task at hand.  I was 100 percent focused on overcoming what was in front of me that I left very little room for mistakes.  So that made me think, just imagine if every day we treated every task as an obstacle to overcome and we began to actually focus all of our energy on each task instead of trying to multitask.  I noticed a lot of things on the obstacle course that day, but some of the things I didn’t see were people texting and running, or taking a selfie while suspended 10 feet in the air, or searching through Pinterest while belly crawling in the mud.  So I challenge you to go one day, with focusing all of your energy on one activity at a time.  Whether that be playing with your kids, mowing the yard, driving your car, or cooking dinner, just focus on one thing at a time and notice how productive you can be.

Starting a new job, ask these questions first!

With the first day of school starting for millions of students nationwide this week you can feel the excitement and anticipation, I am sure that most parents are feeling much of the same way.  We want to make sure that our kids have good teachers, are in great schools, make friends, and are safe.  The first day of school can also be a lot like a teens first day on the job, as a parent you want to make sure your teens have good employers, work for a great company, make friends, and are safe. There are hundreds of new and exciting challenges, different people, new rules and tons of questions that need answers.  So before your teen tackles their first day at a new job, make sure that they ask these questions.

The Real World

If I asked, what do you consider the “real world” what would you say?  Would it be when you got your first job, bought your first house, became a mom?  Or is it when you first start having responsibilities outside of the home, when you are held accountable for your decisions by someone other than a parent, when your actions can affect others? 

                                                                                                       

When I was a teen my mother used to always tell me wait till you get to the real world. I remember thinking this is the real world, I have school, sports, clubs, and responsibilities. Then, I got my first job and it really was a wake-up call.  The responsibilities that I had, used to consist of mowing the grass and doing dishes, now all of a sudden I was responsible for keeping a cash register, making sure I didn’t contaminate the food and keeping the restrooms clean.  Now these aren’t huge responsibilities, but they all had an effect on everyone around me.  If the restrooms weren’t clean then the customers would be upset, if the cash register didn’t add up then I was responsible to management, and if we were serving contaminated food then people could get sick.  So at 17 I was working part-time at a movie theater, taking tickets, introducing the movie, selling concessions, and of course cleaning up bathrooms.   I remember my first day, I had been there for only 30 minutes when someone got sick in the ladies room, I was handed a stack of paper towels and told to clean it up. I wasn’t given gloves, a bucket or a broom.  So I did what any other 17 year old would do and used my shoe and paper towels to help scoop it up.  Looking back on that now I laugh, but I also realize I never went through training, was never instructed on how to do things safely and definitely did not know I had rights. So I ask you, do your teens know what their rights are, and are they ready for the real world?

Top 10 Things your Teens Should Know before going to Work!

1. Make sure they know and understand their rights and responsibilities, and how they apply to safety and health where they work. They can ask their supervisor or coworkers, they should also read the OSHA poster that every employer must display.
2. Have them ask their supervisor for safety training and a list of the hazards or dangers before they start a job or a new task.
3.  Make sure that they report any health and safety hazards to their supervisor.
4. They need to understand what to do if they get hurt at work, who they tell, and how they report it.
5.  Make sure that they know and follow all safety rules and instructions and take them seriously.
6. They need to be trained on proper usage of safety equipment and protective clothing and wear it when it’s needed.
7. Tell them to stay alert, work safely, don’t take shortcuts, or joke around, because that’s when accidents happen.
8. Have them watch out for fellow co- workers, and make sure they receive the proper training as well; an accident for them could cause a fatality for your teen.
9. Have them find out what to do in an emergency, where to go, who to call, what the processes are.
10. Make sure they respect the people they work with. Never harass or bully anyone, workplace violence is the third highest cause of death for teen workers.

The Beginning

Hi, my name is Andrea.  This is my first post and attempt at a blog, so I will share a little about myself so we can be acquainted!  First and foremost I am a mom to two amazing kids :)  They truly are the best thing I have ever done!  I have a wonderful and supportive husband and extended family who have constantly encouraged me to be my best and reach beyond what I ever thought was possible.  I have been involved in the world of safety for 9 years as of today.  I have been blessed with the chance to work for a program and organization that I believe in and know is making a difference Nationwide.  I am the Director of Outreach for the CareerSafe Online Federal OSHA Training Program, I am also the Authorized OSHA Trainer and a CSHO (Certified Safety and Health Official).  When I first started working with the CareerSafe program, I dove head first, I treated it like it was my baby and 6 years I lived and breathed OSHA training and trying to save teens lives in the workplace. Then I had my son and everything changed, I knew what I was doing had an important impact and made a difference, but now as a mother I was able to see everything in a new light.  The thought of anything ever happening to my children keeps me up at night, causes nightmares, and makes me insanely overprotective.  I started wondering will this constant fear of the unknown ever go away?  I thought surely when they get older it will diminish some and maybe I can go back to normal sleeping patterns and not cringe every second of the day.  Then I realized it actually gets worse, they will be teenagers, driving cars, going to public schools, and getting part-time jobs..... That is when it hit me, that in 12 years my son or daughter could end up being one of the statistics that I am trying to prevent.  So late last night as I lay awake yet again, I wondered what do other parents do?  Parents who haven't spent countless hours in safety training, ones who don't know the laws, and don't know how to help there kids be safe? How can I help them, help their children come home every night, the same way they left that morning? So in essence that is what this Blog is all about, its my way to give back, beyond what we are doing in High Schools and Colleges Nationwide, because really everything should start at home!