Pekes and Safety

TYPES OF ACCIDENTS THAT CAN BE PREVENTED THROUGH CONSCIENTIOUS HOUSEKEEPING
Here are a few of the more common ones:

1. Tripping over loose objects on floors, stairs and platforms. (When the Pekes are biting at the ankles or not moving off the stairs like the princes/princesses they think they are.)

2. Slipping on wet, greasy or dirty floors. (Pekingese can come in wet and leave water everywhere from shaking. They can also leave an "accident" on the floor.)

3. Bumping against projecting or misplaced material. (Dog gates and toys may vary from day to day depending on the Peke herding strategy of the day.)

4. Puncturing or scratching hands or other body parts on protruding nails, hooks or rods. This is given especially at feeding time or the special treat or bribe with dog treats.

5. Injuries from falling objects. (Do Pekingese count when they jump on you or toss one of their toys?)

6. Mistaking the contents of an unmarked container of material. (No telling what's in the dog food container, maybe I need to go on the same diet as Max…… )

Unfortunately, there aren’t any short cuts to good housekeeping. No one likes to work in a dirty, cluttered place, so each one of us have to be responsible for keeping his or her surroundings neat and safe. (Can we teach Pekes to be responsible for THEIR space??!) A clean workplace is less costly to operate, more productive and safer. In addition, employee morale is known to be higher in departments with good housekeeping programs. (I keep trying to tell this to the dogs-- they just won't listen!! I picked up fifteen toys yesterday-- and half those were in the yard. Who is taking all those toys to the yard-- oh, yes, Caleb!)

Getting plenty of sleep is important to our safety-- if we're sleep deprived, we don't function well. (Are you listening, Cranberry??)

Getting plenty of sleep is a very important part of your personal safety. Most people need 7.5-8.5 hours of sleep each day. Sleep loss built up slowly over several nights can be as harmful as sleep loss in one night.

Both produce a decline in performance such as slower reaction times, failure to respond to changes, and the inability to concentrate and make reasonable judgments. (Cranberry must be sleep deprived a lot because she has no ability to tolerate Caleb puppy behavior!)

Research that tested a fatigued state from continuous hours of wakefulness against blood alcohol levels concluded that:

• 17 hours awake is equivalent to a blood alcohol content of .05. (Typical night as you try to fight for position in the bed with a determined Peke.)

• 21 hours awake is equivalent to a blood alcohol content of .08 (Thunderstorm episode in our house with one white dog wrapped around your head. In the middle of the night, you roll over to give your husband a kiss and you either get licked, grumbled at, or find yourself looking at your dog's back side.)

• 24-25 hours awake is equivalent to a blood alcohol content of .10 (Can we say PUPPY ZONE?)

Typically, in a 24-hour period, our alertness is reduced between the hours of 3:00 and 5:00 during the day and the night. ( So, at the time we need to make dinner, feed the dogs, finish our day's work, we are at a low on energy-- so Pekes, go pick up your own toys!)

In addition to fatigue caused by shortened periods of sleep, the quality of sleep during the day is not the same as during the night. People have a natural tendency to be awake during the day. Every person has a circadian rhythm—an internal biological time clock.

This rhythm follows body temperature and changes our level of mental alertness. (There is a difference between man's circadian rhythm and the Peke's no rhyme or reason rhythm. Why do Pekes wake us up at night-- snoring, taking up more bed space....)

How about you? Do you get enough sleep? It is important that you do for your safety and the safety of your coworkers and those you live with.

Are you listening all you Pekingese? :-)

Have a Safe Week!

Human Resources Division of Risk Management