Be aware of your and others’ risk for heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps and fainting. To avoid heat stress, you should:
• Drink a glass of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes and at least one gallon each day.
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine. They both dehydrate the body.
• Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
• Take frequent cool showers or baths.
If you feel dizzy, weak, or overheated, go to a cool place. Sit or lie down, drink water, and wash your face with cool water. If you don't feel better soon, get medical help quickly. Work during cooler hours of the day when possible, or distribute the workload evenly throughout the day. Heat stroke is the most serious heat illness. It happens when the body can’t control its own temperature and its temperature rises rapidly. Sweating fails and the body cannot cool down. Body temperature may rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency care is not given.

Spring Cleaning Safety Tips

Every day we need to be careful when going about our household chores, but when you really start tearing the house apart and moving things around during spring cleaning, especially with cleaning supplies and equipment out, it is extremely important to keep safety in mind.

1. Do not rush because you are tired or in a hurry. This is really the most basic spring cleaning safety tip, and all the other ones, at least to a certain degree, stem from this one. Spring cleaning can be tiring work. Do not forget safety even if you have worked hard all day and want to get done. The better thing to do when you are exhausted is to stop and take a break, drink a glass of water, sit under a nice cool fan, and rest instead of being unsafe.

2. Be careful moving large pieces of furniture and appliances. Use proper lifting technique, keeping you back straight and lifting with your legs. Also, wear shoes when moving heavy items so you don't hurt your toes. Finally, if you feel it is just too heavy and you can't find someone else to do it for you, just don't move it. It won't be the end of the world to just clean around it.

3. Be safe while on ladders and step stools. When doing a task, such as washing windows, where you need to be on a ladder use extreme caution. Do not lean too far to either side. A good rule of thumb is that your belly button should not go beyond the sides of the ladder. Also, have someone available to hold the ladder steady for you if possible, and make sure before you step on them that the rungs are not wet and you are wearing non skid shoes.

4. Be careful when walking on wet surfaces. This spring cleaning safety tip is really important every time you clean. Everyone knows how easy it is to slip on a wet floor. Make sure you take the proper precautions to keep from falling. Also, make sure others in your family, including children, are also warned of the wet floor to keep them safe. You may need to block small children's access to wet floors because they just don't understand not to run and slide on them.

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