Require that accidents be reported, evaluated, and discussed at safety meetings

Since accidents happen relatively infrequently, particularly in smaller organizations, keep track of the incidents and close calls/nearmisses as well. These are the events where matters of inches or seconds were the difference between nothing happening, a minor mishap, and a major disaster. The rule of thumb is that there are three hundred minor incidents for each major one. Think of all you could learn from having a chance to review the close calls. When organizations provide an easy way for employees to self-report and share accounts of close calls and near-misses, the frequency of accident invariably goes down.
The safety committee should get copies of each accident or incident report and review it carefully. They should conduct an investigation of the event so that it can be correctly evaluated and the proper corrective action taken to prevent a reoccurrence. Don't go around looking for someone to blame. Looking to place blame is the quickest way to convince people that they shouldn't talk about what happened, to avoid telling the truth, or to have a loss of memory.
Then, the event should be brought to the attention of the rest of the people in your organization at a departmental safety meeting or by other means so that they too can learn from the experience. Photographs of injuries and property damage are graphic reminders of the consequences of carelessness, unsafe work conditions, and unsafe work practices.
At Cornell University, a review of the lab accidents for the prior several years revealed a pattern. There was one particular undergraduate lab experiment that was responsible for a disproportionate number of accidents. Changing the experiment helped to reduce the accident frequency.
Consider having an accident/incident report form for your employees and students to fill out. In the case of students, it will help them to develop an appreciation for this recordkeeping aspect of safety.
Source: Kaufman, James A., Laboratory Safety Guidelines - Expanded Edition, The Laboratory Safety Institute

 
A 25-year-old woman and her six-month-old baby miraculously escaped nature’s fury as they were rescued a good nine hours after the tragedy.
The baby and her mother were trapped in their house built of thatched roofs. “They were under the roof… The mother was tightly holding the baby in her arms. We found them while removing the mud with the earth mover. Their entire house was wrapped in thick layer of mud,” said Baban Kokane who was operating the earth mover.
Kokane said the woman and the baby were safely removed. “We removed the two around 4 pm — that is about nine hours after the tragedy. The doctors then administered them the first aid,” he said.
Kokane said the woman was in a state of shock, but said she was “lucky” as her husband had also gone out of the house before tragedy struck. “The woman could not say how old she was, but she looked to be around 25 years. But she said her child was six-months-old.”
Kokane said a former sarpanch of the village, who identified himself as Lemhe, also survived along with this daughter. “He had gone out early morning to drop his daughter at a school which is in a nearby village. He returned and was speechless after finding his village having completely disappeared,” he said, adding that he reached the spot around noon.
Kokane said there are 12 JCBs trying to remove the debris. “The debris were all mud in which the people were stuck. By 7.15 pm, at least 20 bodies had been recovered. I don’t think anybody has survived. We were told that there were at least 200 villagers present in their houses when the tragedy struck,” he said.
Kokane said the relief measures were affected as “too many” earth movers, ambulances and other vehicles landed on the road leading to the village.
Other rescue workers said they found several bodies together, apparently they belonged to one family. Several dead cattle were also found.
Bus driver first to reach village, alert others 
After the landslide in Malin village, the first to reach it from outside was a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus driver. He reached the reached village around 8 am Wednesday. The driver, Rajendra Kale, reported the incident to his depot and later the local police and district administration were informed.
The bus from the Narayangaon Depot makes the trip from Manchar town to Ahupe village in Bhimashankar wildlife sanctuary. The bus has a stop at Malin village.
According to police, when the bus came to Malin village, Kale could see the approach road to the village was blocked by debris from the landslide. The entire western side of the village could not be seen.
Kale first called the bus depot and told them about the calamity. By 9 am, the local police and

Gallery An underground gas pipe explosion event at Taiwan

12,000 evacuees return after Taiwan gas explosions

By GLADYS TSAI and RALPH JENNINGS, Associated Press | July 31, 2014 | Updated: August 1, 2014 8:08am

July 28, 2014

Irony Alert: A Delaware Oil Company Feels Threatened by Sea Level Rise

Of course it took an immediate threat to its business for the Delaware City Refining Company to confront the problem. Nevertheless, this is yet another example of climate coming home -- in this case to an oil company exposed to the very threat it poses to others.

And this is not just any oil company.  The Delaware City Refinery is one of the first refineries to shift its crude oil supply to rail and is refining tar sands -- one of the most carbon-intensive fuels known to man.

To add insult to injury, the sea level rise preparations the Delaware City Refining Company is proposing could negatively affect the community by directing more storm surge toward the town of Delaware City, the small coastal community near where the refinery is located. But who could be surprised by an oil company with such a poor sense of irony acting with no regard for the people around it?

The Delaware City Refining Company is now in a wait period, after it issued a draft proposal in May 2014 that considers different solutions to address its new climate-induced problem. The Sierra Club’s Delaware chapter submitted comments on the plan, but there’s more to be done.

Our solution? Stop helping create climate-induced problems in the first place. Climate disruption has proven to be indiscriminate in the destruction it causes -- as this refinery and millions and millions around the globe are learning first hand. Denying climate disruption only exacerbates the problem -- we need to start working to move beyond dirty fuels.

Hindu Death Rituals and Beliefs.
There is one thing that is certain in this lifetime: eventually we all must die. A belief in the cyclical reincarnation of the soul is one of the foundations of the Hindu religion. Death is viewed as a natural aspect of life, and there are numerous epic tales, sacred scriptures, and vedic guidance that describe the reason for death's existence, the rituals that should be performed surrounding it, and the many possible destinations of the soul after departure from its earthly existence. While the ultimate goal is to transcend the need to return to life on earth, all Hindus believe they will be reborn into a future that is based primarily on their past thoughts and actions.
The first mortal to meet his fate with Death was named Yama. This dubious honor makes him uniquely qualified to lead the way for others after death. The sacred scriptures of the Rig Veda, which call him King Yama, promise that all who have been good will receive "admission to Yama's paradise and the everlasting enjoyment of all the heavenly pleasures, include the restoration of a sick body, the maintaining of family relations and the highly desired apotheosis". Yama is aided by two killer guide dogs that are described as the "four-eyed keepers of the path, who watch over men." These "two dark messengers of Yama with flaring nostrils wander among men, thirsting for the breath of life". Yet, once they have secured their prey, they lead them back to their heavenly realm, where Yama directs them to their destiny.
Cremation is a ritual designed to do much more than dispose of the body; it is intended to release the soul from its earthly existence. "Hindus believe that cremation (compared to burial or outside disintegration) is most spiritually beneficial to the departed soul." This is based on the belief that the "astral body" will linger "as long as the physical body remains visible." If the body is not cremated, "the soul remains nearby for days or months"The only bodies that are not generally burned are unnamed babies and the lowliest of castes, who are returned to the earth.
The standard cremation ceremony begins with the ritual cleansing, dressing and adorning of the body. The body is then carried to the cremation ground as prayers are chanted to Yama, invoking his aid.
It is the chief mourner, usually the eldest son, who takes the twigs of holy kusha grass, flaming, from the Doms' (the untouchable caste who tend funeral pyres) eternal fire to the pyre upon which the dead has been laid. He circumambulates the pyre counterclockwise– for everything is backward at the time of death. As he walks round the pyre, his sacred thread, which usually hangs from the left shoulder, has been reversed to hang from the right. He lights the pyre. The dead, now, is an offering to Agni, the fire. Here, as in the most ancient Vedic times, the fire conveys the offering to heaven.
After the corpse is almost completely burned, the chief mourner performs the rite called kapälakriyä, the 'rite of the skull,' cracking the skull with a long bamboo stick, thus releasing the soul from entrapment in the body. After the cremation, the ashes are thrown into a river, ideally the Ganges river, and the mourners walk away without looking back.
The death ritual does not end with the elimination of the body. There is still the safety of the soul to look after. To ensure the passage during its voyage to the Otherworld, an eleven-day ritual called shraddha is performed. It "consist(s) of daily offerings of rice balls, called pindas, which provide a symbolic, transitional body for the dead. During these days, the dead person makes the journey to the heavens, or the world of the ancestors, or the 'far shore.'"�"On the twelfth day, the departed soul is said to reach its destination and be joined with its ancestors, a fact expressed symbolically by joining a small pinda to a much larger one"�Without these rites, the soul may never find it way to Yama's realm.
Those who have been "meritorious," but have not quite attained liberation through Self-knowledge, are sent to a heavenly realm to await their fate. "There the Gandharvas (demigods of fertility) sing to them and the bevies of celestial nymphs dance for them." Since there is no need for punishment, "they go forth immediately on very high divine carriages. And when they get down from those carriages, they are born in the families of kings and other noble people." There they "maintain and protect their good conduct" and live out their days before they are reborn enjoying "the very best of pleasures".
The fate for those who have participated in less honorable thoughts or actions is far less pleasant. The Arthasastra, a Hindu textbook from the second century BCE, offers a detailed description of some of the more frightening realms. Yet before reaching these dangerous destinations, one must first endure a miserable journey. "The hard-hearted men of Yama, terrifying, foul-smelling, with hammers and maces in their hands" come to get the deceased, who tremble and begin to scream. Filled with terror and pain, the soul leaves the body. "Preceded by his vital wind, he takes on another body of the same form, a body born of his own karma in order for him to be tortured."
The evil man becomes born as an animal, among the worms, insects, moths, beasts of prey, mosquitoes, and so forth. There he is born in elephants, trees, and so forth, and in cows and horses, and in other wombs that are evil and painful. When he finally becomes a human, he is a despicable hunchback or dwarf, or he is born in the womb of a woman of some tribe of Untouchables. When there is none of his evil left, and he is filled with merit, then he starts climbing up to higher castes, Shudra, Vaishya, Kshatriya, and so forth, sometimes eventually reaching the stage of Brahmin or king of men. With so many unpleasant possibilities, it is easy to understand why reincarnation is not the only goal of every Hindu.
Those who lead a life of austerity, meditation and grace can look forward to the possibility of reaching Brahmaloka. This is the "highest among the heavenly planes" and the dwelling place of Brahma himself. "This is a place of intensely spiritual atmosphere, whose inhabitants live, free from disease, old age, and death, enjoying uninterrupted bliss in the companionship of the Deity." There is no need for them to return to earth because they have freed themselves "from all material desires." While they do experience a sense of individuality, they also experience a oneness with Brahma. This is the realm of immortality.
There is one other way to achieve liberation from samsara. This is to die within the city of Banaras, on the Ganges. "Death, which elsewhere is feared, here is welcomed as a long-expected guest." A city of many names, it was known in ancient time as Kashi, the city of light, and the Mahabharata refers to it as Varanasi. The funeral pyres, which are located on the river, burn nonstop. "Death, which elsewhere is polluting, is here holy and auspicious." People travel from around the country and the planet to spend their last days in Banaras because, "Death, the most natural, unavoidable, and certain of human realities, is here the sure gate to moksha, the rarest, most precious, most difficult to achieve of �spiritual goals".
For those who are unable to die in Banaras, cremation on the banks of the Ganges or the spreading of the ashes in her waters is the next best thing. Referred to as the "River of Heaven" or the "goddess and mother," she is considered to be sacred from her source in the Himalayas, all the way to the sea in the Bay of Bengal. Her power to destroy sins is so great that, people say, "even a droplet of Ganges water carried one's way by the breeze will erase the sins of many lifetimes in an instant".
The Hindu Faith, Mourning, Burial at Sea and Cremation
It must be understood that while this information was furnished by reliable sources, there are many different opinions between those of Hindu faith, and any Hindu contemplating cremation or burial at sea must seek the advice of a trusted priest.
Hindu death rituals in all traditions follow a fairly uniform pattern drawn from the Vedas, with variations according to sect, region, caste and family tradition. Most rites are fulfilled by the family, all of whom participate, including the children, who need not be shielded from the death. Certain rites are traditionally performed by a priest but may also be performed by the family if no priest is available. Here is a simple outline of rites that can be performed by Hindus in any locality. Variations are noted and suggestions made for Hindus in Western countries.
1. As Death Approaches
Traditionally, a Hindu dies at home. Nowadays the dying are increasingly kept in hospitals, even when recovery is clearly not possible. Knowing the merits of dying at home among loved ones, Hindus bring the ill home. When death is imminent, kindred are notified. The person is placed in his room or in the entryway of the house, with the head facing east. A lamp is lit near his head and he is urged to concentrate on his mantra. Kindred keep vigil until the great departure, singing hymns, praying and reading scripture. If he cannot come home, this happens at the hospital, regardless of institutional objections.
2. The Moment of Death
If the dying person is unconscious at departure, a family member chants the mantra softly in the right ear. If none is known, "Aum Namo Narayana" or "Aum Nama Sivaya" is intoned. (This is also done for sudden-death victims, such as on a battlefield or in a car accident.) Holy ash or sandal paste is applied to the forehead, Vedic verses are chanted, and a few drops of milk, Ganga or other holy water are trickled into the mouth. After death, the body is laid in the home's entryway, with the head facing south, on a cot or the ground--reflecting a return to the lap of Mother Earth. The lamp is kept lit near the head and incense burned. A cloth is tied under the chin and over the top of the head. The thumbs are tied together, as are the big toes. In a hospital, the family has the death certificate signed immediately and transports the body home. Under no circumstances should the body be embalmed or organs removed for use by others. Religious pictures are turned to the wall, and in some traditions mirrors are covered. Relatives are beckoned to bid farewell and sing sacred songs at the side of the body.
3. The Homa Fire Ritual
If available, a special funeral priest is called. In a shelter built by the family, a fire ritual (homa) is performed to bless nine brass kumbhas (water pots) and one clay pot. Lacking the shelter, an appropriate fire is made in the home. The "chief mourner" leads the rites. He is the eldest son in the case of the father's death and the youngest son in the case of the mother's. In some traditions, the eldest son serves for both, or the wife, son-in-law or nearest male relative.
4. Preparing the Body
The chief mourner now performs arati, passing an oil lamp over the remains, then offering flowers. The male (or female, depending on the gender of the deceased) relatives carry the body to the back porch, remove the clothes and drape it with a white cloth. (If there is no porch, the body can be sponge bathed and prepared where it is.) Each applies sesame oil to the head, and the body is bathed with water from the nine kumbhas, dressed, placed in a coffin (or on a palanquin) and carried to the homa shelter. The young children, holding small lighted sticks, encircle the body, singing hymns. The women then walk around the body and offer puffed rice into the mouth to nourish the deceased for the journey ahead. A widow will place her tali (wedding pendant) around her husband's neck, signifying her enduring tie to him. The coffin is then closed. If unable to bring the body home, the family arranges to clean and dress it at the mortuary rather than leave these duties to strangers. The ritual homa fire can be made at home or kindled at the crematorium.
5. Cremation
Only men go to the cremation site, led by the chief mourner. Two pots are carried: the clay kumbha and another containing burning embers from the homa. The body is carried three times counterclockwise around the pyre, then placed upon it. All circumambulating, and some arati, in the rites is counterclockwise. If a coffin is used, the cover is now removed. The men offer puffed rice as the women did earlier, cover the body with wood and offer incense and ghee. With the clay pot on his left shoulder, the chief mourner circles the pyre while holding a fire brand behind his back. At each turn around the pyre, a relative knocks a hole in the pot with a knife, letting water out, signifying life's leaving its vessel. At the end of three turns, the chief mourner drops the pot. Then, without turning to face the body, he lights the pyre and leaves the cremation grounds. The others follow. At a gas-fueled crematorium, sacred wood and ghee are placed inside the coffin with the body. Where permitted, the body is carried around the chamber, and a small fire is lit in the coffin before it is consigned to the flames. The cremation switch then is engaged by the chief mourner.
6. Return Home; Ritual Impurity
Returning home, all bathe and share in cleaning the house. A lamp and water pot are set where the body lay in state. The water is changed daily, and pictures remain turned to the wall. The shrine room is closed, with white cloth draping all icons. During these days of ritual impurity, family and close relatives do not visit others' homes, though neighbors and relatives bring daily meals to relieve the burdens during mourning. Neither do they attend festivals and temples, visit swamis, nor take part in marriage arrangements. Some observe this period up to one year. For the death of friends, teachers or students, observances are optional. While mourning is never suppressed or denied, scriptures admonish against excessive lamentation and encourage joyous release. The departed soul is acutely conscious of emotional forces directed at him. Prolonged grieving can hold him in earthly consciousness, inhibiting full transition to the heaven worlds. In Hindu Bali, it is shameful to cry for the dead.
7. Bone-Gathering Ceremony
About 12 hours after cremation, family men return to collect the remains. Water is sprinkled on the ash; the remains are collected on a large tray. At crematoriums the family can arrange to personally gather the remains: ashes and small pieces of white bone called "flowers." In crematoriums these are ground to dust, and arrangements must be made to preserve them. Ashes are carried or sent to India for deposition in the Ganges or placed them in an auspicious river or the ocean, along with garlands and flowers.
8. First Memorial
On the 3rd, 5th, 7th or 9th day, relatives gather for a meal of the deceased's favorite foods. A portion is offered before his photo and later ceremonially left at an abandoned place, along with some lit camphor. Customs for this period are varied. Some offer pinda (rice balls) daily for nine days. Others combine all these offerings with the following sapindikarana rituals for a few days or one day of ceremonies.
9. 31st-Day Memorial
On the 31st day, a memorial service is held. In some traditions it is a repetition of the funeral rites. At home, all thoroughly clean the house. A priest purifies the home, and performs the sapindikarana, making one large pinda (representing the deceased) and three small, representing the father, grandfather and greatgrandfather. The large ball is cut in three pieces and joined with the small pindas to ritually unite the soul with the ancestors in the next world. The pindas are fed to the crows, to a cow or thrown in a river for the fish. Some perform this rite on the 11th day after cremation. Others perform it twice: on the 31st day or (11th, 15th, etc.) and after one year. Once the first sapindikarana is completed, the ritual impurity ends. Monthly repetition is also common for one year.
10. One-Year Memorial
At the yearly anniversary of the death (according to the moon calendar), a priest conducts the shraddha rites in the home, offering pinda to the ancestors. This ceremony is done yearly as long as the sons of the deceased are alive (or for a specified period). It is now common in India to observe shraddha for ancestors just prior to the yearly Navaratri festival. This time is also appropriate for cases where the day of death is unknown.
Hindu funeral rites can be simple or exceedingly complex. These ten steps, devotedly completed according to the customs, means, and ability of the family, will properly conclude one earthly sojourn of any Hindu soul.
Religions such as Hinduism offer our own immortal souls satisfying answers to questions of life and death. Their ancient mythic texts provide real reasons for our existence here on earth. They also demonstrate that death is something that can be prepared for instead of being feared. In addition, they offer the possibility of something to look forward to, so we need not dread our last days on this planet. A true hindu shall love death as he loves this life.

Diabetes – Myths & Facts

Diabetes – Myths & Facts
Diabetes is a contagious disease…Eating too much of sugar causes Diabetes…If you have Diabetes then you can never eat sugar…If you don’t have a family history of Diabetes then you will never get Diabetes…Insulin cures Diabetes…and the list goes on.
Can you differentiate between the myths and facts related to diabetes? If no, then you are the one amongst those diabetics who is lost in the huge list of these myths. So, get yourself acquainted with the diabetes facts so that the next time you can decide what is right for your health.

Some Common Myths & Facts…
Myth: Eating too much sugar causes diabetes.
Fact: Diabetes is not caused by eating too much sugar. Type 1 diabetes is caused by a destruction of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, which is not related to sugar consumption. Type 2 diabetes results from the body’s inability to respond to insulin normally. The tendency to get type 2 diabetes is genetically inherited in most cases. With a guided exercise regime and following a planned diet, the average person can eat sweets in limited quantities.

Myth: Diabetes is a contagious disease.
Fact: Diabetes is not contagious. Diabetes is an endocrine disease and is caused due to problem with the amounts of insulin produced by the beta cells in the pancreas. Diabetes tends to have an inherited trait that runs in families.

Myth: If you are a diabetic then you can never eat sugar again.
Fact: The management of carbohydrate intake (not just sugar) is a critical part of diabetes management as diabetes affects the entire body. Diabetics can eat sweets, but sugary treats must be part of a careful meal plan along with a balanced medication and exercise regime. This will help you keep your blood sugar levels near normal, feel healthy and prevent long term complications.

Myth: Children with diabetes can never eat sweets.
Fact: Children having diabetes can eat a certain amount of sugary food as part of a balanced diet, but they need to control the total amount of carbohydrates intake, which includes sugary treats. As sweets provide no real nutritional value other than calories, they should be limited but not necessarily eliminated.

Myth: If you are good in maintaining your blood glucose levels and if you feel fine then you don’t have to go for check ups.
Fact: High or low blood sugar doesn’t always produce symptoms. Regular monitoring is the only way to know your blood sugar levels. Diabetes is always serious. You need to take proper medications along with appropriately planned diet and exercise. You may be good in maintaining it but that is no reason to escape regular health checkups.

Myth: Diabetics can feel whether their blood sugar levels are high or low.
Fact: There is no way for sure that will tell you your blood glucose levels except for testing them. A person with diabetes may feel physical symptoms (such as extreme thirst, weakness, or fatigue) if blood sugar levels are high or low. But some people may not show symptoms when their blood glucose is too high or low. And also as some of the symptoms of high and low blood glucose are similar, it may be difficult to know what these symptoms mean. The only way to be sure is to check your blood glucose levels.

Myth: High blood sugar levels are normal for some people and they aren't really a sign of diabetes.
Fact: High blood sugar levels are never normal. Certain conditions and certain medications may temporarily raise the blood sugar levels in people without diabetes. But people who have higher than normal blood sugar levels or sugar in their urine should be checked for diabetes by a doctor.

Myth: It’s possible to have just ‘slight’ diabetes.
Fact: There is nothing like ‘slight’ diabetes. Either you will have diabetes or you won’t. Any diabetic condition (type-1 or type-2) demands medical attention and careful lifestyle choices.

Myth: If you don’t have a family history of diabetes then you won’t get it.
Fact: Diabetes tends to be an inherited trait that runs in families. It increases the chances of some people of developing diabetes than the others. But plenty of people diagnosed with the disease don’t have a family history of diabetes. Weight and lifestyle are factors playing a major role in someone acquiring diabetes.

Myth: Diabetes is not easy to control.
Fact: Diabetes is metabolic disorder which is not curable. But it can be controlled when patients properly manage their meals, exercise, and take the right medications. With the proper guidance and education, patients can prevent and/or minimize many of the more serious complications that diabetes causes.

Myth: Insulin cures diabetes.
Fact: Diabetes is a metabolic disorder and diabetes is not a curable disease. Taking insulin helps in managing diabetes, but does not cure it. Insulin helps in utilizing the glucose in the body to be used for producing energy. This helps in keeping the blood sugar levels under control, but taking insulin doesn't correct the underlying cause.

Myth: All people with diabetes need to take insulin always.
Fact: All people with type 1 diabetes have to take insulin injections as their pancreases don’t produce insulin. Some, but not all, people with type 2 diabetes have to take insulin with or without pills to manage their blood sugar levels as advised by their physician.

Myth: Tablets or pills for diabetes are a form of insulin.
Fact: Diabetes medicines taken orally are not a form of insulin. Insulin is a protein that would be broken down or destroyed by the acids and digestive enzymes in the stomach and intestines if taken orally. Insulin is delivered via injections, inhalers or patches but not orally.

Myth: Taking more insulin means your diabetes is getting worse.
Fact: Many factors affect blood sugar levels like diet, exercise, and also, the time of the day. Therefore, insulin doses are required to be continuously adjusted to help a person keep his or her blood sugar levels in a healthy range. Your doctor will guide you with the right insulin dosages.

Myth: Children can outgrow diabetes.
Fact: Children never outgrow diabetes. In cases of type 1 diabetes, the cells of the pancreas that produce insulin are destroyed. Once they are destroyed, they will never produce insulin again. Kids with type 1 diabetes will always need to take insulin (until a cure is found). Although in kids with type 2 diabetes, an improvement in their blood sugar levels may be seen after puberty or with lifestyle adjustments, they will probably always have a tendency toward having high blood sugar levels, especially if they are physically inactive or gain too much weight.