East Bay Castro Valley Emergency Services

Autumn Safety Tips

By: Val Bilotti RN BS
Emergency & Consultant
QUEST Quality Emergency & Safety Training 510.537.SAFE (7233) www.QUESTnorcal.com

-As you go about your autumn yard and housework, there are a number of steps you can take to prevent injuries.

-Raking leaves is vigorous exercise, and you need to warm up for at least 10 minutes with some stretching and light exercise. You also need to:

- Use a rake that's comfortable for your height and strength. Wear gloves or use rakes with padded handles to prevent blisters.

- Don't wear hats or scarves that interfere with vision and beware of large rocks, low branches, tree stumps and uneven surfaces.

- Alternate your leg and arm positions often. When you pick up piles of leaves, bend at the knees, not the waist.

- Wet leaves can be slippery. Wear shoes or boots with slip-resistant soles.

- Don't overfill leaf bags, especially if the leaves are wet. To avoid back injury, you should be able to carry the bags comfortably.

- When raking, don't throw leaves over your shoulder or to the side, because that kind of twisting motion places too much stress on the back.

-Cleaning gutters, checking the condition of the roof and washing windows are common autumn chores that require the use of a ladder.

- Inspect the ladder for loose screws, hinges or rungs. Clean off accumulated mud, dirt or liquids.

- Make sure all ladder legs are on a firm, level surface. Don't place a ladder on uneven, soft or muddy ground.

- Before you climb a ladder, make sure all ladder locks and safety braces are engaged.

- Never sit or stand on the top of a step ladder or pail shelf. These areas weren't designed to hold heavy weights.

- Select the proper ladder for the job. A step ladder is good for washing windows and other jobs at low or medium heights. Use an extension ladder for high places, such as cleaning the gutters.

- Don't stretch or lean from your ladder to reach a work area. Climb down the ladder and reposition it closer to your work area.

Information from the AASO

Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday.

A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company.

1. The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name but your bank will know how you sign your checks.

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers of the account number. The credit card company knows the rest of the number and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.

3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks. You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine, do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad. We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a name, address, Social Security number, credit cards, etc.

Castro Valley CHP 510-581-9028	Alameda County Search & Rescue	Alameda County FIRE Dpt. 510-670-5853	Alameda SHERIFF'S Dpt. 510-667-7721	Ambulance Dispatch 1-800-583-3337
Hayward Police 293-7272	Identity Theft	Poison Control Center 1-800-876-4766	Suicide Prevention 510-889-1333	Stroke Alert 1-800-AHA-USA1

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Castro Valley Emergency Resources & Bay area Lawyers

Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday.

But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

1. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).
But here's what is perhaps most important: (I never even thought to do this).

3. Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number.The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.

The numbers are:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271

Your policy may have coverage to protect against credit card misuse and Identity Theft, but we feel it's always better to avoid a loss than to rely on your insurance to recover after a loss has already occurred.

Identity Theft Insurance is fairly new coverage and we have been adding it to a lot of our customer's Home Insurance policies. If you aren't sure if you have the coverage, send us an email to info@risdirect.com and we'll get back to you with an answer.

Castro Valley Emergency Resources & Bay area Lawyers

Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday.

But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

1. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one). But here's what is perhaps most important: (I never even thought to do this).

3. Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number.The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.

The numbers are:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742 Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289 Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271

Your policy may have coverage to protect against credit card misuse and Identity Theft, but we feel it's always better to avoid a loss than to rely on your insurance to recover after a loss has already occurred.

Identity Theft Insurance is fairly new coverage and we have been adding it to a lot of our customer's Home Insurance policies. If you aren't sure if you have the coverage, send us an email to info@risdirect.com and we'll get back to you with an answer.

2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).
But here's what is perhaps most important: (I never even thought to do this).

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271