Safetydude's Safety Tip of the Week
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Public Safety Reminder from the Chief Coroner for Ontario
Getting to and from School Safely
- Plan a walking route to school or the bus stop. Choose the most direct way with the:
- Fewest street crossings
- Intersections that have crossing guards.
- Most sidewalks
- Walk the route with your child beforehand.
- Tell him or her to stay away from parks, vacant lots, fields and other places where there aren't many people around.
- Teach your child never to talk to strangers or accept rides or gifts from strangers. Remember, a stranger is anyone you or your children don't know well or don't trust.
- Be sure your child walks to and from school with a sibling, friend, or neighbour.
- Be sure that your child knows his or her home phone number and address, your work number, the number of another trusted adult and how to call 911 for emergencies.
- Children can be seen best by drivers when they wear bright colours or reflective clothing
- Teach your kids -- whether walking, biking, or riding the bus to school -- to obey all traffic signals, signs and traffic officers. Remind them to be extra careful in bad weather.
When crossing intersections without signals or crossing guards, children should:
- Stop before stepping into the road
- Increase your visibility and indicate your crossing intention to motorists
- Look in all directions before crossing
- Stop, Look and Listen for traffic
- Cross safely when the road is clear
- Walk, don’t run, across the road
- Where possible, use the buddy system
When crossing intersections with signals, children should:
- Push the pedestrian button (where they exist)
- Wait for the pedestrian walk sign
- Increase visibility and indicate your cross intention to motorists
- Stop, Look and Listen for traffic
- Watch for turning cars or trucks
- Cross safely when the road is clear
- Walk, don’t run across the road
When crossing intersections with a crossing guard, children should:
- Cross only as directed to by the guard.
When driving kids,:
- Deliver and pick them up as close to the school as possible.
- Don't leave until they are in the schoolyard or building.
If your child bikes to school,
- Make sure he wears a helmet that meets one of the safety standards
- Review with them the above listed safety guidelines for crossing intersections.
- Walk don't ride bikes through an intersection
- Don't ride bikes in the dark
- Put a safety flag on the bike
- Ride single file when in a group of bikes
When children are taking a bus to and from school:
- Teach children to arrive at the bus stop early, stay out of the street,
- Wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before approaching the street,
- Watch for cars and avoid the driver's blind spot
- Use the handrail when boarding or exiting the bus
- Remind your children to stay seated at all times
- Keep their heads and arms inside the bus while riding.
- Do not eat while on the bus
- When exiting the bus, children should wait until the bus comes to a complete stop,
- Exit from the front using the handrail to avoid falls and cross the street at least 10 feet (or 10 giant steps) in front of the bus
- Tell your child not to bend down in front of the bus to tie shoes or pick up objects, as the driver may not see him before starting to move.
From the Courts (via Ontario Newsroom)
Kone Inc., an international corporation that installs and maintains elevators and escalators, was fined $55,000 for a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act after a worker was injured.
On July 2, 2009, two crews of Kone Inc. employees were working in adjacent elevator shafts at 181-183 Wellington St. in Toronto. An upper crew worked at taking apart a temporary platform in one shaft while a lower crew cleaned the bottom of the other shaft. Part of a support post was dropped by a member of the upper crew and it struck a worker from the lower crew, causing arm injuries.
Kone Inc. pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that materials were moved in a manner that did not endanger a worker.
Picture of the Week
