Mar
25
2010
If you suffer from diabetes it is vital that you take care of your feet. Diabetic footwear is essential and something you must be prepared to invest in. You do not need a special prescription from your doctor for these safety shoes.
If you are covered by Medicare and you have a mandated foot care regime that has been drawn up by your doctor you may be entitled to a full or partial refund on your diabetic footwear each year. This reimbursement will also cover 3 pairs of special insoles for your shoes too.
Diabetic footwear is a medical necessity for people who suffer from diabetes and therefore most insurance companies will have reimbursement schemes available so be sure to check with your insurer to see what they will over.
If you are looking for a reimbursement from your insurance company there is certain information that will be required. Your doctor will have to complete a certificate of medical necessity to state that your diabetic footwear is a requirement. They will also have to verify that you do in fact suffer from one of the following:
- A history of foot ulcers
- A history of severe calluses that could lead to ulcers
- Nerve damage to the feet
- Poor circulation in the feet
- Deformities of your feet such as bunions or hammertoes
- Partial or complete foot amputation
You will also have to place an order for your diabetic footwear before making a claim with your insurance company as this is used for verification. Once you meet these terms and your insurance company offers diabetic footwear reimbursement, you should have no problem receiving an appropriate compensation.
Diabetic footwear is essential when it comes to maintaining and caring for your feet. If you suffer from diabetes the high glucose levels can affect your feet. This causes two main problems and one of these is nerve damage to your legs and feet. Nerve damage can cause lack of feeling in the feet and it can lead to infections. High glucose levels also cause poor blood flow to the legs and feet and if you get any sores or infections on your feet they can become difficult to heal.
Proper diabetic foot care is essential and if you are advised to wear diabetic footwear then it is a good idea to make sure that your insurance company covers this cost.
Mar
17
2010
Safety training videos are often seen as boring and uninteresting and the purpose of this article is to show you how to make these training videos more interesting and appealing to your viewers.
Your training videos will contain information and examples and the best way to ensure that your videos are interesting is to imagine yourself as the employee who is going to be watching them. Imagine yourself attending a training seminar and being forced to sit through the video that you may or may not have already seen. Most people who watch training videos have seen them a number of times and because of this they can become bored and uninterested.
If you want your safety training videos to become more interesting, here are a few ideas and tips that you can use.
- Break up the viewing audience into groups of 2 or 3 people.
- Stop at the beginning of each section of the safety training video and ask each group to write a list of the items that they think will be covered in the next section of the video. After they have viewed the next section they can then review their list to see how accurate they were and what they missed out on. You can turn this into a game and award points for each correct piece of information that the teams has documented before viewing the video section. You can have prizes for the team with the most points at the end of the video.
- Check how observant your safety training video viewers really are by asking them some random questions at the end of each section. These questions can be totally unrelated to the safety information and you could ask about the color of someone’s clothing or the make and model of a car or truck that was featured during the presentation. This helps to make your viewers more observant and they will pay closer attention to the next section of the safety training video.
If you can make the safety training videos more fun they will become more interesting and your viewers will take in a lot more information too. They won’t just switch off because they have already seen the video a number of times before. They will interact and become interested in viewing it again because they will be anxious to take part in the games and have their team come out on top and this also involves them in the learning process which is after all the point of the safety training videos.
OSHATOES is dedicated to safety in the workplace, offering a selection of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as well as steel toe rubber overshoes. View the complete product selection at www.oshatoes.com.
Mar
16
2010
All workplaces need to be prepared for emergencies and major disasters. Workers spend eight hours or more each day at the office and therefore it is essential that they are safe and protected and that there are proper protocols in place in case of an emergency or major disaster. Having protocols in place so that your workforce have all the necessary tools and information for emergencies is important and below you will find a list of the best practices.
- Be prepared for all risks. No matter where you live in the world there is the chance of a disaster so you need to know the risks associated with your environment and take the appropriate preventative measures. You should also develop proper protocols to deal with these emergencies should they arise. A good place to check is the FEMA as they provide comprehensive documentation and procedures that you can use.
- Appoint incident leaders. Every workplace should have individuals who coordinate things such as evacuations during emergencies. These people will also be aware of protocols when it comes to emergency related activities and they will know what supplies are kept in the workplace and any hazards that they might pose.
- A well stocked emergency Kit. An emergency kit is vital in every workplace. This kit might include safety vests, first aid kits, battery operated radios, and anything else that you might need during an emergency or disaster.
- An emergency checklist. You should have a series of checklists for all the possible disasters that could affect your workplace. The incident leader should have access to these lists at all times and the lists should be created to help with structure, prevent mistakes and save lives and money should disaster strike.
- Be disaster prepared. All of your employees should know what steps are in place should a disaster or emergency arise. They should know who the incident leaders are and what the official workplace procedures are. They should be aware of the evacuation routes that have been prepared and this can help to relieve and panic and frustration should an emergency arise.
Workplace emergencies and disasters can happen when we least expect them and if you have your workplace prepared and your protocols in place it can help to save lives should an event like this occur.
OSHATOES offers a selection of personal protective equipment for employees and visitors to help keep the workplace safer. You can find out more about these products at www.oshatoes.com.
Mar
11
2010
The awareness for Arc flash hazard has increased in recent years, and both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Fire Protection Association have issued mandates for providing workers with protection in the workplace against the Arc flash hazard. Additionally, the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers has provided guidelines and calculation standards to quantify the level of Arc flash hazards in the workplace.
The ‘arc flash hazard’ is defined as a dangerous condition associated with the discharge of electrical energy caused by an electrical arc. The amount of discharge can be quite minor, requiring little protection, or quite major, involving areas as far away as ten feet from the arc, requiring considerable levels of protection to be instituted.
Personal Protection Equipment is required for those with a potential of exposure to an arc flash hazard, and as a part of that overall composure, most standards also require steel toe protection for the workers as well. This can be a problem in itself, as the steel toe in the safety boot can be a source of grounding for an arc flash. Composite toe cap footwear is now widely available but is generally expensive and not always comfortable for the wearer.
A possible solution to this is the over the shoe Composite toe cap safety toe alternative recently introduced by OSHATOES™. This consists of a laminated composite toecap embedded within an over the shoe 100% natural rubber galosh or ‘rubber’ that workers can wear over their own compliant footwear that does not have steel toes. The toecap has met or exceeded the ASTM 2413-05 standard for Impact and Compression (75 pounds), and is available at a very reasonable price. It is a low cost solution to enhancing the safety of the worker in the workplace who may be exposed to varying levels of Arc Flash Hazard.
You can find composite toecap safety overshoes online at www.oshatoes.com
Mar
10
2010
Did you know that accidents that involve the workplace can cost companies thousands of dollars each year? These companies could in fact avoid all these expenses if they just ensured that they had the appropriate health and safety procedures in place for their employees. Health and safety in the workplace is essential and not just to save on injury expenses. They ensure that all workers are safe when carrying out their jobs.
Health and safety doesn’t have to be a chore and the implementation of a health and safety department is a great idea. This department will include people who are aware of all the health and safety implication for the company and understand how to implement them. This department should be responsible for all aspects of health and safety in the company and ensure that all employees are kept safe.
A health and safety department will also be responsible for dealing with safety issues that arise in the workplace. If there are potential hazards they should be reported to this department. They will also be responsible for setting the rules for health and safety procedures and implement programs that will education employees on their health and safety. The health and safety department in any organization will be responsible for organizing health and safety training.
Training and education is vital if you want to ensure that potential hazards are to be avoided.
Using Health And Safety Consultants
Health and Safety consultants are another option for companies. These are people who know all about the health and safety industry and companies can hire these consultants to come in and explain how to keep their specific workplace free from hazards and unnecessary accidents. These consultants can help to introduce new techniques and they can advice on effective strategies to help promote workplace safety.
When you hire a health and safety consultant they will assess your workplace and suggest an appropriate health and safety plan that will benefit both the company and the workers. These consultants can also help with the planning of safety procedures and health and safety training.
The biggest advantage to hiring a health and safety consultant is the fact that you will receive a personalized plan for your workplace. Your chosen consultant will assess your workplace needs and devise a plan specifically for this. This ensures that your safety plan is the best possible plan for your workplace.
A good “step” in the right direction toward a safer workplace is to provide your visitors with steel toe protection, you can learn more about steel toe overshoes for visitors at www.oshatoes.com.
Mar
9
2010
The consciousness of steel toe protection for the workplace has been raised up dramatically in the last few years as employers seek to increase the safety of their workplace. Many businesses that previously did not consider themselves as being one to require steel toe protection have since realized the need for this in order to further reduce the risk of injuries to their employees. Passage of the PPE standards as well as the rising costs of Workman’s Compensation Insurance have fueled this realization that the toes do need to be protected in virtually every work environment. The risk of toe and foot injury to someone without steel toe protection has become a risk that employers just cannot afford to take.
But what about those who visit your facility? The sales professionals, contractors, advisors, financial people etc. who enter your facility? As both a practical matter and a matter of safety, these people need to be afforded the same protection as your workers do if they are in fact entering the workplace. “Wait a minute, is that practical? How can I afford to buy dozens of sizes of steel toe boots just for my visitors? And what about sanitary considerations? Who wants to stick their foot into a steel toe boot that goodness knows who was wearing earlier in the day? ”
Reasonable questions that until a few years ago did not have a reasonable, and affordable, solution to them. The original OSHATOES(TM) steel toe over-the-shoe slip on rubber is the alternative to steel toe boots. This product is gender neutral, provides the same steel toe protection as the steel toe boots, and is inexpensive. Because it goes over the wearer’s shoes or athletic shoes, there are no sanitary issues from one person to another.
OSHATOES(TM) also provide relief to those afflicted with foot problems such as hammertoe, bunions, or have foot problems because of degenerative diseases such as diabetes.
OSHATOES(TM) were intentionally created for just this scenario, the factory or workplace visitor who needs steel toe protection in order to enter the workplace on a temporary basis. There are 6 standard sizes for both men and women that will provide your visitors with the steel protection that they need, and enable you to provide the safe workplace that you want to, and will not cost you an arm, or, a ‘leg’.
You can learn more about OSHATOES protective overshoes at oshatoes.com