Are you and your family planning to drive to a holiday get-together this year? As we begin the busiest travel season of the year, the Georgia Department of Administrative Services’ Risk Management Division offers some simple tips to help make your drive to spend time with family and friends a smooth one, so you can arrive at your destination safely and without incident.

• Check behind vehicles before moving
• Maintain a safe distance between vehicles
• Make sure your vehicle is in good repair
• Reduce speed, especially during inclement weather
• If you drink, don’t drive
• Always use safety belts and child safety seats
• Plan your trip – Give yourself plenty of time and schedule rest stops and activities for small children
• Leave an itinerary with a friend so that someone will know where you are
• Keep your cell phone charged
• Don’t overload your vehicle or obstruct your view with luggage and/or packages
• Avoid eating heavy meals right before driving, as this can lead to sleepiness
• Get a good night’s sleep before traveling

To reinforce the point, here’s a helpful infographic from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety:

In case you encounter inclement weather, carry an emergency kit that contains:

• First-aid supplies
• Blankets
• Flashlight with spare batteries
• Flares
• A shovel
• Quick-energy foods, nutrition bars, or dried fruits and nuts and water
• Sand, salt or cat litter for traction

Lisa Pratt recently celebrated her retirement after 30 years of faithful service to the State. Lisa served the past several years as the State’s Risk Management Director, where she oversaw an annual budget of $160 million, insuring State property valued at more than $29 billion, 12,000 State vehicles, and 120,000 State employees. Lisa will be missed by all of DOAS – and by everyone else who has had the pleasure of working with her. Congratulations Lisa!

After long careers of faithful service to the State of Georgia, please join us in extending congratulations and farewell to Lisa and all of Team Georgia’s October and November 2014 retirees!

Are you, or is someone you know, retiring soon? Send us a horizontal photo to feature here on this website!

Back injuries account for one of every five injuries or illnesses in the workplace.  Around 80% of these injuries occur to the lower back and are associated with manual material handling tasks. Oftentimes we get drawn into the “let’s get ’er done” attitude with many material handling tasks. The work does need to be completed, but taking a couple of seconds to determine the best way to do the job may prevent weeks of back pain.

When you lift…

– DO –
Plant your feet firmly – get a stable base
Keep the load close to your body
Bend at your knees – not your waist
Tighten your abdominal muscles to support your back
Keep your back upright – keep it in its natural posture
Use your leg muscles as you lift
Get a good grip – use both hands
Lift steadily and smoothly without jerking
Breathe. If you must hold your breath to lift it, then it is too heavy

– DO NOT –
Lift from the floor
Lift loads across obstacles
Twist and lift
Lift from an uncomfortable posture
Fight to recover a dropped object
Lift with one hand (unbalanced)
Lift while reaching or stretching
Hold your breath while lifting – Get Help

Begin each material handling task with the end in mind:  Where are you going to move it? Do you have a good grip? Is there a clear path?

Let’s work together to make Georgia a safer place to work!

Workplace Safety Tips From DOAS Risk Management Services