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As Hurricane Irene quickly approaches the East Coast, Earl Heard, Founder and CEO of BIC Alliance, provides tips for hurricane preparedness. Click here to access more information.

As summer vacation comes to an end, families have started planning for their children to go back to school.  For many, this will be an exciting time, while others may feel a little anxious about new friends or teachers.  No matter how you and your children feel about the first day of school, it is important to keep in mind your child’s health and safety as they head back into the classroom. Most states require that your child’s immunizations are up to date prior to entering school to protect against infection.  Studies have shown repeatedly that children who eat a healthy, balanced breakfast every morning and continue to have nutritious meals throughout the day, achieve higher test scores. These students also have better behavior, and are less hyperactive.  In conjunction with healthy food, one of the best and simplest ways to help boost a child’s immune system and improve their overall academic achievement is to make sure they are getting an adequate amount of sleep each night.   Depending on their age, a child requires at least 8-12 hours of sleep per night in order to stay focused at school each day. Additionally, a backpack should never weigh more than 10-20 percent of a child’s body weight.  Ensuring that a child has an appropriate backpack with the correct strapping is a must. Backpacks with wheels can also be used to protect a child’s body from the stress of carrying a heavy load. With the extreme heat of the summer still upon us, student athletes and their coaches should take great care to pay attention to the signs of heat related illness.  When exercising in the heat, it is important to drink at least 16-32 ounces of water every hour to replace lost fluids.  Heat related illness can be fatal, and many times the body is already in danger by the time symptoms are present.  Knowing your limits and staying hydrated are the best bet to prevent any sort of heat related illness from occurring. Teachers would be wise to take the same advice given to students.  They set an example every day in their classrooms and, as role models, teachers should exemplify good decision making, especially in regards to safety and health.   Ensuring that students are washing their hands, eating nutritious food, and staying hydrated are just a few ways teachers can lead by example. Taking these tips and advice seriously should help guarantee a safe and healthy school year for students and teachers alike. Resources: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/news/pages/Back-to-School-Tips.aspx http://nutrition.about.com/od/nutritionforchildren/a/dietandlearning.htm http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/healthy-lessons-back-school-nutrition-14357311 http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/healthy-lessons-back-school-sleep-14365353 http://www.rd.com/family/back-to-school-safety-tips/ http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/pa/newsbulletin/2003/07/14/Safety_tip_hydration.html

On Monday, August 15th, the Queensland government announced a ban on exploration and mining within 2 km of urban areas. An urban area is defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as greater than 1000 people.  The Queensland government has advised that this regulation was put in place to provide certainty and security to residents of the state and cites the main concern as providing balance between industry, environment, and the people who live and work in conjunction with mining regions. As this regulation is meant to protect urban citizens, the provision also allows communities the choice to decline the ban’s protection if they would prefer the business from mining and exploration ventures. The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies has advised that they believe the government should consult with mining companies and landowners to discuss and build flexibility in the policy. Simon Bennison, Chief Executive of the association stated, “mining has successfully coexisted with agriculture and urban areas for more than 100 years, and this can and must continue.” Queensland is the world’s largest producer of exported sea-borne coking coal, with Bowen Basin accounting for producing almost 40% of this resource that is used for steel production. Local miners are petitioning the ban, as this will currently affect over 285 permit holders. Other Australian states are hesitant to apply such strict restrictions to the booming coal mining and exploration industries.  However, discussions have occurred regarding raising environmental standards pertaining to the mining industry. New South Wales has advised that it will be setting a moratorium on the fracking process used in Coal Seam Gas (CSG) mining that will prohibit the use of toxic chemicals. While Queensland is currently setting the most stringent regulations, all of Australia is focused on safety in the mining and exploration industry. Resources: http://coalseamgasnews.org/?p=1742 http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/08/15/miners-urge-queensland-to-rethink-urban-exploration-ban/ http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/mining-ban-could-be-extended-government/story-e6frfku0-1226116184104 http://au.news.yahoo.com/vic/latest/a/-/article/10046229/nsw-and-vic-not-following-qld-mining-ban/

Safety in the workplace has become an increasingly prominent focus.  In the last four years, the number of citations given by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has increased by more than 15%.  Kathy Webb, OSHA’s area director for North Aurora, Illinois, believes, “safety should be paramount on every job site and OSHA is committed to protecting workers, especially when employers fail to do so.”  There has also been a significant change in their focus on violations, which has turned more towards the serious and willful classifications.  OSHA holds employers responsible for providing a safe and healthy work environment, specifically under the General Duty Clause, which was the source for one of last year’s top ten regulations cited.  These citations can cost, on average, $1000 per penalty.   Due to the recognizable fact that unlawfulness in the workplace has potential to do severe damage to a company’s bottom line, businesses around the world are going to greater lengths to be safety compliant. ISN’s online contractor management database, ISNetworld, collects health and safety, procurement, and quality and regulatory information for more than 34,000 contractors and 215 owner clients.  ISNetworld has continued to grow significantly, with almost a 30% increase in subscribing contractors during the past two years. However, the number of reviewed contractors within ISNetworld who have been cited by OSHA has seen a 23% decrease in that same two year span.  This is significant, given the fact that OSHA has increased citations over the past four years.  It is evident that ISNetworld subscribers continually focus on maintaining safer work environments.  ISN subscribers also put a great deal of effort into developing compliant safety programs.  These safety programs have led to better methods for prevention of work related injuries and incidents. Resources: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=20445 www.osha.gov

Dr. Robert Gates, de 22e Minister van Defensie, spreekt op 3 november 2011 tijdens de jaarlijks gebruikersbijeenkomst van ISN in het Gaylord Texan Hotel. Dr. Robert M. Gates was de 22e minister van Defensie (2006-2011) en is tevens de enige minister van Defensie in de Amerikaanse geschiedenis die door een pas verkozen president is gevraagd om zijn ambt te blijven bekleden. President Barack Obama was de achtste president waarvoor Dr. Gates heeft gewerkt. Eerder werkte hij voor president George W. Bush. Voordat hij in 2006 minister van Defensie werd, was Dr. Gates het hoofd van de Texas A&M University, de op zes na grootste universiteit van Amerika. Voordat hij op 1 augustus 2002 hoofd van Texas A&M werd, was hij van 1999 tot 2001 werkzaam als interim-decaan op de George Bush School of Government and Public Service van Texas A&M. Minister Gates kwam in 1966 bij de Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) en werkte bijna 27 jaar voor de geheime dienst. Tijdens die periode was hij bijna negen jaar lid van de White House National Security Council, waarbij hij voor vier presidenten van beide politieke partijen werkte. Van 1991 tot 1993 was hij directeur van de CIA. In de geschiedenis van de CIA is hij is de enige die het van beginnend medewerker tot directeur wist te schoppen. Van 1986 tot 1989 was hij vicedirecteur van de CIA en van 20 januari 1989 tot 6 november 1991 was hij assistent van president George H.W. Bush en vicenationaal veiligheidsadviseur in het Witte Huis. Minister Gates heeft de National Security Medal, de Presidential Citizens Medal, twee keer de National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal en drie keer de Distinguished Intelligence Medal, de hoogste eer van de CIA, ontvangen. Hieronder vindt u meer informatie over de jaarlijkse gebruikersbijeenkomst van ISN. 3 november – 4, 2011 Gaylord Texan Hotel 1501 Gaylord Trail Grapevine, Texas 76051 *Het Gaylord Texan ligt op ongeveer 8 km afstand van de luchthaven Dallas/Fort Worth Toegang tot de conferentie is gratis voor alle leden van ISNetworld. Bezoek voor meer informatie www.isnetworld.com.