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July is UV Safety Awareness Month - #Idealease Safety Bulletin

Jun. 18 2021 Miscellaneous By McCandless Idealease

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In this Issue:
Get Out the Sunglasses! July is UV Safety Awareness Month
FMCSA Vision Standard for CMV Drivers
Hurricane Season is Here!
CVSA “Operation Safe Driver Week” July 11-17
CVSA Announces Dates for Brake Safety Week

The latest Idealease Safety Bulletin has arrived and it's packed full of current and upcoming safety information. Read the entire bulletin online at idealease.com and/or sign up to get the weekly bulletins delivered straight to your inbox! Get started: https://www.idealease.com/safety-compliance/safety-bulletins

Looking to access past bulletins to print, share or download? Visit the archive for a complete list of safety bulletins

Now on to the most recent edition... 

GET OUR YOUR SUNGLASSES! JULY IS UV SAFETY AWARENESS MONTH! 

Did you know it is extremely important to protect your skin AND eyes from harmful UV rays? 

CLICK HERE for eye health information and some tips for protecting yourself

Some important items to keep in mind:

  • Exposure to bright sunlight increases the risk of cataracts, macular degeneration and growths on the eye, including cancer
  • July is UV Safety Awareness Month - be sure to educate your drivers on the importance of wearing proper eye protection

The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends:

  1.  Select sunglasses that BLOCK UV rays! Don't simply focus on color or darkness of lenses
  2.  Check for 100% UV Protection - that your glasses block 100% of UV-A AND UV-B rays
  3. Choose wrap around styles - ideally to block sun rays from entering in the sides
  4. Wear a broad-brimmed hat to protect your eyes
  5. Don't rely on contacts for UV protection
  6. Remember that sun can pass through haze and clouds and can damage your eyes all year round, not just in summer!
  7. Protect your eyes during peak sun times. Sunglasses should always be worn outside, especially in the early afternoon and at higher altitudes
  8. Never look directly at the sun at any time! 
  9. Don't forget about kids - everyone is at risk! Protect their eyes with hats and sunglasses.  UV rays are the strongest between 10am and 2pm so make an attempt to keep them out of direct sunlight during those times. 

FMCSA Vision Standard for CMV Drivers

Safe driving requires a combination of good vision, adequate visual field, ability to spread attention over the field of view, and motor skills. Visual inputs are essential for driving a commercial motor vehicle (CMV). It is difficult to provide rigorous scientific evidence for the level of vision required for safe driving because driving is a highly complex task.  Currently, the FMCSA provides guidance with their vision standard that requires drivers to have:

  • A distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 in each eye without corrective lenses or visual acuity separately corrected to 20/40 or better with corrective lenses;
  • A distant binocular acuity of at least 20/40 in both eyes with or without corrective lenses;
  • A field of vision of at least 70 degrees in the horizontal Meridian in each eye;
  • The ability to recognize the colors of traffic signals and devices showing standard red, green, and amber.
     

What are the DOT requirements for the vision test?

Can I wear contacts? 

You are permitted to wear contact lenses, provided you’re used to wearing them and have developed a tolerance for wearing contacts. Be aware that monovision counts as a disqualification, so use of a contact lens in one eye for distant visual acuity and another lens in the other eye for near vision is not acceptable.

I am legally blind in one eye from an injury? With documentation from my eye specialist can I pass the DOT physical?

This type of injury will require documentation.  If you are going to drive only within your state borders, it will be easier. Just check with your DMV to see what the states rules and regulations are.  To pursue an interstate medical card will require an exemption that you can only get from the FMCSA.

 HURRICANE SEASON HAS ARRIVED!

June 1st-November 30th marks hurricane season. Preparation is critical. Review and re-evaluate emergency plans and update them as needed.  

Here are some helpful links and resources with information on hurricanes and tropical storms:

1. National Hurricane Center
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

2. Weather Channel.com
https://weather.com/

3. FEMA Hurricane Background And Preparedness Information
Comprehensive information on disaster planning and recovery, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Administration.
https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/hurricanes

4. Google Automatic Hurricane News Alert
Simply enter your email address and Google News will automatically email hurricane updates to you. https://www.google.com/alerts

5. Hurricane Preparedness Planning for Businesses
Click here for FEMA document and planning guides. Find templates for assigning tasks and responsibilities to staff, as well as recommendations for developing a comprehensive plan

6. Here is a site for employees to help prepare their homes

CVSA "OPERATION SAFE DRIVER WEEK" July 11-17th

Be Safe. Drive Smart. Access more info: 2021 Operation Safe Driver Week

What is it? Week long enforcement effort to control excessive speeding by CMV drivers. Unsafe drivers will be pulled over and issued a citation or warning.

CVSA ANNOUNCES DATES FOR BRAKE SAFETY WEEK 

August 22-28th - Roadside inspectors will be focusing on brake systems and components as they conduct North American Standard Inspections and compile data on brake hoses/tubing. 

Stay tuned for the findings as the CVSA will report later in the year