Proforma Safety Blog

Traffic and Your Heart

Posted by proforma on September 22, 2010  |  No Comments

This news item in the University of Texas Health Science Center Health Leader offers such useful information that we repeat it in its entirety to avoid any problems with clicking through to their e-newsletter.

Traffic and Your Heart

City traffic is tough on the nerves. It could also be hard on the heart.

In a recent study, nearly 1,500 heart attack survivors were asked about what they had been doing in the four days before their heart attacks. About 8% said they had been stuck in traffic a few hours prior to the attack. The lingering effects of traffic seemed to be worse in women and those with the chest pain known as angina (American Heart Association epidemiology meeting, March 2009).

So what’s the connection between heart attacks and traffic?  Researchers have developed two leading theories involve anger or stress, and air pollution. Navigating through heavy traffic makes some people mad, especially if they are surrounded by drivers cutting in and weaving out (think I-45 North at 4:30 p.m.) Others get stressed. Anger and stress have been linked to spasms of coronary arteries, the sudden disruption of cholesterol-filled plaque, and the initiation of unstable heart rhythms, any of which can trigger a heart attack.

Air pollution is the other primary suspect. Billions of tiny exhaust particles spew from car and truck tailpipes every day. In heavy traffic we breathe in these microscopic motes by the million. Once we do, they can cause inflammation, promote the formation of blood clots, destabilize cholesterol-filled plaques, and contribute to heart-rhythm abnormalities.

In Houston, traffic is an inevitable part of travel. But the odds that being stuck on the Southwest Freeway at 5 p.m. will provoke a heart attack are really quite low, so this study shouldn’t be cause for alarm. But it does suggest that playing relaxing music while in heavy traffic might not be a bad idea, and that it’s wise to pay attention to chest pain if you’ve recently done battle on Houston’s highways at rush hour.

Replace Not Only the Batteries, But the Device

Posted by proforma on September 9, 2010  |  No Comments

We’re all aware that we need to replace batteries in smoke detectors and CO alarms in our homes periodically. But what many people don’t know is that the alarms themselves need to be replaced.

CO alarms should be replaced after five years. Stand-alone smoke detectors should be replaced after 10. The date of manufacture should be on the back of the alarm.

Cost of these alarms is not significant; a highly rated smoke alarm ranges in the $25; a CO alarm, $40. Consumer Reports recommends dual-sensor models that use both ionization and photoelectric smoke sensors.

No Training, No Life Jacket Can Ruin Your Boating Fun

Posted by proforma on September 4, 2010  |  No Comments

The United States Coast Guard has just released its report for the year 2009 on recreational boating accidents, injuries and fatalities in the U.S. The findings may not surprise you:

– Only 2 percent of the boating accidents resulted from mechanical malfunctioning or engine failure.
– Topping the list of causes: operator inexperience, inattention, speeding, alcohol use and improper lookout.
– 86 percent of those operating the boat when an accident occurred had no training.
– 84 percent of those who died were not wearing a life jacket.

The full report can be downloaded here.

Hearing Loss Among Teens Has Risen in Past 15 Years

Posted by proforma on August 30, 2010  |  No Comments

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports that the number of U.S. teenagers that have a slight hearing loss has increased by 30 percent in the past 15 years. Those with hearing loss described as “mild or worse” increased by 77 percent during the same period of time. Males were more likely than females to suffer hearing loss; lower income more likely than higher income.

Researchers included Doctor Joseph Shargorodsky at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, who investigated two editions of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 1994 and 2005-06. They were able to eliminate causes such as multiple ear infections or exposure to massive noise in the environment. The main culprit in causing hearing loss was attributed to use of headphones and personal music systems.

Fireworks Eye Injury Safety Quiz

Posted by proforma on June 30, 2010  |  No Comments

Fireworks will be part of many local July 4 celebrations, so you should know what to do if someone suffers a resulting eye injury. Prevent Blindness America offers this Safety Quiz and guidance, which actually is useful information for any type of eye injury caused by flying objects.

It Just Takes Seconds

Posted by proforma on June 30, 2010  |  No Comments

On Saturday night, July 3, accessible here.

Checking Your Blood Pressure?

Posted by proforma on February 25, 2010  |  No Comments

Whether you already have high blood pressure or just want to monitor for it, you should know some basics about home monitoring devices or drugstore monitoring machines. Cardiologist Samuel W. Casscells, the John Edward Tyson Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the UT Medical School, offers the following advice in the recent issue of Health Leader.

Checking your own pressure at home with a monitor can give you a reliable read, but he advises you bring the monitor to your next doctor’s visit and ask the staff to check it against their monitor. If the two align, you’re in good shape to test at home.

If you use monitors in drugstores, malls, grocery stores, he advises the following:

• Sit in the waiting chair for a few moments before you put your arm in the cuff, as your pressure may have a higher reading from walking or pushing a shopping cart.
• Machines in public areas may not be serviced and recalibrated regularly, so take two readings several minutes apart. If they are wildly different, the machine may need calibration.
• The monitor—especially the digital variety—is very sensitive, so you must remain completely still while you are checking your pressure. Avoid moving, sneezing, laughing or talking, or your reading will register higher.

Don’t Let a Fall Shatter a Life

Posted by proforma on February 17, 2010  |  No Comments

Whether you’re looking for ideas for how to design the safety section of your website, or ideas for safety moments on falls, HSE.gov.uk’s site does a great job of presenting essential information in an engaging format.

Guideline for How to Cope with Sudden Unintended Acceleration

Posted by proforma on February 9, 2010  |  No Comments

In light of the current safety issues associated with eight Toyota vehicle models and one Pontiac model that have the potential to experience acceleration problems, Consumer Reports has created a useful illustrated PDF that shows what drivers can do in the event of sudden unintended acceleration. To download the PDF, click here.

Consumer Reports has also created a resource center with extensive information on the recall, available here.

Text This: Get Off the Phone

Posted by proforma on January 12, 2010  |  No Comments

More people in the U.S. have died in ONE year from accidents due to texting than those that have died in the Middle East conflict since 2003.

A study published by The University of Utah, “Text Messaging During Simulated Driving,” based on simulated driving situations, reports that drivers who text are six times more likely to have a vehicle incident than those using a cell phone.