Blog Archives

Headed to the Lake?

7/20/2020

Summertime generally means water time! Going to the lake for boating, jet-skiing, or kayaking is a great way to spend the hot summer days, but as with most activities boating does bring risk.

According to the data, there were 4,168 boating accidents that resulted in 613 deaths and 2,559 injuries in 2019 in the US. 79% of boating fatalities were drownings while 86% of those were not wearing life jackets. Alcohol was the leading known contributing factor where the primary cause was known at 23% of deaths. Also in 2019 property damage totaled about $55 million! Open motorboats made up 48% of the fatalities, kayaks 14%, and canoes at 8%, you should always be aware of your surroundings and wear a life jacket. Accidents happen for a variety of reasons but the top five are the operator not paying attention or their inexperience, mechanical failure, improper lookout, excessive speeding, and of course the operator being intoxicated.

Be safe and aware when out on boats, jet-skis, and other watercraft. Wear a life jacket and have a sober, experienced operator in control. It is highly suggested that before operating a boat you take a nationally approved boating safety course. And of course make sure to have all watercraft insured as well!

Click here for more boating safety tips.

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National Pet Fire Safety Day

7/15/2020

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National Pet Fire Safety Day is July 15th, while you aren't able to talk to your pets about fire safety there are things you can do to reduce the chance of your pet getting hurt or worse during a house fire.

Pets can unfortunately be the culprit of the fire, on average 1,000 fires a year are started because of a pet. Make sure you keep electrical cords out of reach of pets and remove or cover stove knobs when not home because stove or cook top fires are the most common fires started by pets. You should also consider flameless candles so pets can't accidentally knock them over or start their own tails on fire. Although pets can sometimes be the cause they can also be the fire heroes! There are thousands of stories about the household pet either warning the family or getting the family out during a fire!

Every household should have a fire evacuation plan and should practice it regularly, make sure to include your pets as well! If the pets are small designate someone to carry the pet otherwise have someone set to walk the pet to safety. Have pet carriers or leashes in a convenient location that can be accessed easily in case of an emergency. If you are unable to locate your pet during a fire, exit the house and leave a door open while calling for your pet from a safe area. About 40,000 pets die in fires every year, that number can be reduced if you have a fire plan set out and stick to it.

It's smart to get a Pet Fire Safety Window Cling for your house so firefighters are aware of pets in the house and can look for them to get them to safety. These window clings are especially important if you're not home and can't inform the firefighters of your pets being inside! Update the window clings as you add more four-legged members to your family and if you move be sure to remove the old cling! There are several websites that will send you a free window cling all you have to do is pay shipping and handling. To help firefighters get to your pets when you're not home it's a good idea to keep them in a room or area near an entrance to the house and to leave their collars on them.

To end this on a heartwarming note, several animals that are rescued by the firefighters end up being adopted by either the firefighter who rescued them or even the entire fire house, like the two below! Can't be more of feel good ending than that!

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100 Days of Summer

7/6/2020

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Known as the 100 Deadliest Days for Drivers, the months of June, July, and August, between Memorial Day and Labor Day carry the highest risk of vehicular accidents. So what is it about these weeks as opposed to others that make them so dangerous? It ultimately comes down to the higher number of vehicles on the road and the distances that many drivers are going. Summertime usually means vacation time and to do that many people take to the road. While all age groups from 16 on up are involved in these crashes there is one age group that is involved more than others, TEENS.

More than 8,300 people died in crashes involving teen drivers from 2008-20018 between Memorial Day and Labor Day, that means there were on average 7 deaths each day. 60% of these crashes are due to distracted driving, such as checking a text message or giving passengers in the car their attention instead of the road. Summertime this year may see even more of a spike in crashes as schools and activities are closed and cancelled, summer jobs may not be open, and coronavirus restrictions are lifting, resulting in more teens having free time to hit the road with friends. Now is the best time to talk to your teen about safe driving habits and what behavior to avoid! Parents should also lead by example. Want your teen to always wear their seat belt or obey the speed limits? Well they are more likely to mirror your behavior behind the wheel, so buckle up and slow it down! While a seat belt won't prevent a crash it may prevent a major injury or death because of an accident, make sure your teen understands that!

You can head over to AAA for a guide to help prepare your teen driver and yourself!

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How to Stay Safe While Celebrating the 4th of July

7/1/2020

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Fireworks are fun to watch and of course are a key part to any 4th of July celebration, but they can be dangerous. in 2018 there were more than 9,000 fireworks-related injuries and at least 5 deaths. Most of these injuries are to the hands and fingers, legs, and even eyes. Almost all of these injuries could be prevented with basic firework safety.

Here are some firework safety tips to help you safely celebrate Independence Day!
-Never allow young children to handle fireworks and older children should have adult supervision
-Never light fireworks indoors, use them away from people, houses, and anything flammable
-Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not fully ignited
-Don't point fireworks at people or animals, even as a joke
-Never have any part of your body directly over a firework while lighting
-Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose nearby in case of fire or to put out ones that don't go off
-Dispose of your used fireworks properly, make sure they are not still hot before throwing them away. It's best to douse/soak them in water before discarding them.
-Always observe local laws

Many people love sparklers and think they are safe but they are a lot more dangerous than you think! They burn hot enough to melt some metals and can quickly ignite clothing. Sparklers make up more than 1/4 of firework related injuries in the ER and for children under 5 sparklers account for nearly half the total estimated firework injuries! If you feel the need to use sparklers keep a close eye on children or consider other much safer options such as glow sticks.

Think about keeping your pets safe as well! Animals have sensitive ears and can be easily frightened or stressed because of fireworks. It's best to keep pets indoors to keep them safe from injury or running off.

This isn't just about keeping yourself and others safe from firework injuries, fireworks can also start fires which can cause major damage. Local fire departments respond to more than 50,000 fires caused by fireworks a year!

Have fun celebrating our nation's birth but also remain safe! Have a Happy 4th of July!

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Safety Matters

Our blog will feature posts not only from Agri-City Insurance staff, but also from Wayne State College Students on various topics related to safety, risk management, and loss prevention.

While we take care to ensure that the information provided is accurate and relevant to the topics, we will use many outside resources and therefore can not guarantee the information provided from other sources.

Each business is responsible for ensuring their own compliance with OSHA, State, and local regulations.

The information that is provided by Agri-City is for your use in conjunction with your safety program and is not a replacement for your safety committee, written safety program, or safety training program.

Be sure to create an online account to utilize additional free videos offered by your insurance carrier.

Headed to the Lake?

National Pet Fire Safety Day

100 Days of Summer

How to Stay Safe While Celebrating the 4th of July

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Safety Matters

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