OAKLAND, California, June 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Cal/OSHA is advising all employers to protect their outdoor workers from the risks associated with heat illness. Through next Monday, temperatures are expected to be 15 to 25 degrees above normal in Southern California. The National Weather Service forecasts excessive hot and dry weather patterns in Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties in particular. Northern California should be prepared for high heat as well.

 “During times of sustained high heat, it is especially important that employers take the necessary steps to prevent heat illness for their outdoor workers,” said Christine Baker, director of the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). Cal/OSHA is a division within DIR.

California’s heat illness prevention regulation, originally established in 2005, was amended effective May 1, 2015. The amendments clarify requirements related to the provision of water rest and shade protections for all outdoor workers, which are detailed in Cal/OSHA’s guidance on the new requirements. Employer requirements under the heat regulation include:  

• Training for all employees and supervisors about heat illness prevention.
• Provision of cool, fresh water as close as practicable to the work area at no cost to workers.
• Shade provided whenever the temperature rises above 80 degrees Fahrenheit and enough shade to accommodate the number of workers taking a break. 
• Encouragement of employees on cool down rests and monitoring for symptoms of heat illness.
• Acclimatization to ensure that workers, especially new employees, safely adapt to increased temperatures during a heat wave.

“Acclimatization is critical to the health of all employees during a heat wave and employees who are newly assigned to high heat areas,” said Cal/OSHA Chief Juliann Sum. “The workers must be closely observed to ensure that their bodies adjust properly to the heat.”

Special high heat procedures are also required when temperatures reach 95 degrees and workers are at greater risk. At these times, supervisors must take extra precautions:

• Observe workers for signs and symptoms of heat illness.
• Hold pre-shift meetings on safety and remind workers to drink water frequently.
• Require that workers take a cool-down rest every two hours
• Ensure effective communication systems are in place so that emergency assistance can be summoned immediately if necessary.

Cal/OSHA inspects worksites in outdoor industries such as agriculture, construction, landscaping, and others throughout the heat season. Through partnerships with various employer and worker organizations in different industries, Cal/OSHA also provides consultation, outreach and training on heat illness prevention. 

A variety of Heat Illness Prevention resources are available on the Cal/OSHA Heat Illness Prevention page, such as a webinar on requirements, a video tour of Cal/OSHA’s HIP materials and an updated Heat Illness Prevention e-tool. The Water. Rest. Shade. campaign website also features a variety of educational resources and fact sheets in multiple languages.

Cal/OSHA has a toll-free heat helpline in English and Spanish at 1-877-99-CALOR (1-877-992-2567), so that workers and the public can report workplace hazards at Cal/OSHA’s district offices, and employers can receive consultation assistance for their worksites.

For media inquiries contact Erika Monterroza at (510) 286-1164 or Peter Melton at (510) 286-7046.

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The California Department of Industrial Relations, established in 1927, protects and improves the health, safety, and economic well-being of over 18 million wage earners, and helps their employers comply with state labor laws. DIR is housed within the Labor & Workforce Development Agency. For general inquiries, contact DIR’s Communications Call Center at 1-844-LABOR-DIR (1-844-522-6734) for help in locating the appropriate division or program in our department.

NEW YORK, June 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Today, the Ad Council and national nonprofit Futures Without Violence launched a national public service campaign called #TeachEarly highlighting the pivotal role that men play in preventing domestic and sexual violence. The campaign launch coincides with the release of the Ad Council Domestic Violence Prevention Continuous Tracking Study, which was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Of the men surveyed, 89 percent agreed that it’s important for men to talk to boys about violence against women and girls, while only 37 percent reported speaking to a boy they know about violence against women in the past six months. The campaign encourages men to recognize this dissonance between their beliefs and actions, and teach boys to respect women with the same enthusiasm and dedication in which they teach them other things.

Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7482751-ad-council-domestic-violence/

Launching to coincide with Father’s Day, the campaign encourages fathers, uncles and other male mentors and role models to talk to boys at an early age about healthy relationships and respect for their peers—particularly towards women and girls. #TeachEarly kicks-off with nationally-distributed public service advertisements (PSAs) narrated by actor and father Forest Whitaker underscoring the importance of male role models in shaping perceptions and attitudes toward gender-based violence.

#TeachEarly is comprised of national television, radio, digital and outdoor PSAs. The campaign directs audiences to TeachEarly.org where men can find valuable tools and resources, including a digital Playbook with tips and conversation starters to help engage boys in a discussion about relationships, respecting women, and preventing violence. The website also features a digital quilt that celebrates inspiring teachable moments between fathers and other male mentors, and the boys in their lives—sourcing photos from the public with the campaign’s designated hashtag: #TeachEarly.

“An estimated one in four women in the United States will experience violence by a partner in her lifetime,” said Futures Without Violence Founder and President Esta Soler. “Perceptions about women and girls are often shaped at a young age, and we know that prevention is key. Fathers and male mentors—from sports coaches and teachers to uncles and brothers—have the opportunity to reach out to these young people and reinforce the message that violence against women is never acceptable.”

The Ad Council and Futures Without Violence are longstanding partners on the issue of domestic violence prevention, having launched the first-ever national campaign in 1994 titled “There’s No Excuse” followed by an effort in 2001 to specifically engage men in the issue.

“The issue of domestic violence is increasingly a part of the national conversation,” said Ad Council President and CEO Lisa Sherman. “We want to transform the negative news stories into something more productive and powerful.  By providing fathers and mentors with tips and tools on how to talk to their sons and other boys about healthy relationships, we strive to change the way that young men think about how to treat women. Men play an invaluable role and this campaign will empower them to be advocates for change.”

The new TV PSAs were created by RSA Films. iHeartMedia is providing support across male-targeted programming beginning today through the end of the month. Additionally, Clear Channel Outdoor Americas developed the out-of-home creative and will donate advertising space in key locations and Team Detroit is providing media outreach support.

“We at RSA Films are proud to be part of such a strong and important message,” said Jules Daly, President of RSA Films.

“iHeartMedia is once again teaming up with the Ad Council to help positively shape future behaviors and attitudes of our country’s youth, motivating our listeners to take action and providing valuable resources to help them promote nonviolent relationships now and in the future,” said Jessica King, Director of Community Engagement for iHeartMedia.

The campaign has been funded through grants provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Blue Shield California Foundation and The Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention. The Ad Council Domestic Violence Prevention Continuous Tracking Study was based on a non-probability based online panel sample of men aged 18 and older, who had a personal or professional relationship with boys aged 5 to 17. Results of the study can be viewed here.  

The Ad Council

The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization with a rich history of marshaling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has affected, and continues to affect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit Adcouncil.org, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or view our PSAs on YouTube.

Futures Without Violence

Futures Without Violence is a national nonprofit organization leading groundbreaking educational programs, policies, and campaigns that empower individuals and organizations working to end violence against women and children around the world. Providing leadership from offices in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Boston, FUTURES has trained thousands of professionals and advocates–such as doctors, nurses, judges, athletic coaches, and other community influences–on improving responses to violence and abuse.

RSA Films

Founded by Ridley and Tony Scott in 1968, RSA Films is one of the world’s leading commercial production companies.  Headed by President Jules Daly, RSA is at the forefront of creating innovative groundbreaking advertising campaigns for some of the world’s most recognized brands.  Headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in New York, London, Hong Kong and Shanghai, RSA has a roster of over 70 directors, including Kathryn Bigelow, Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes, and Neill Blomkamp and has received numerous Golden Lion, Emmy, BAFTA, AICP, Clio, MTV and MVPA Awards since its inception.

iHeartMedia

With 245 million monthly listeners in the U.S., 97 million monthly digital uniques and 196 million monthly consumers of its Total Traffic and Weather Network, iHeartMedia has the largest reach of any radio or television outlet in America. It serves over 150 markets through 858 owned radio stations, and the company’s radio stations and content can be heard on AM/FM, HD digital radio, satellite radio, on the Internet at iHeartRadio.com and on the company’s radio station websites, on the iHeartRadio mobile app, in enhanced auto dashes, on tablets and smartphones, and on gaming consoles. 

iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s digital radio platform, is the No. 1 all-in-one digital audio service with over 500 million downloads; it reached its first 20 million registered users faster than any digital service in Internet history and reached 60 million users faster than any other radio or digital music service and even faster than Facebook.  The company’s operations include radio broadcasting, online, mobile, digital and social media, live concerts and events, syndication, music research services and independent media representation. 

Clear Channel Outdoor

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) is one of the world’s largest outdoor advertising companies with more than 640,000 displays in over 40 countries across Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and North America. Reaching millions of people monthly, including consumers in 45 of the top 50 U.S. markets, Clear Channel Outdoor enables advertisers to engage with consumers through innovative advertising solutions. Clear Channel Outdoor is pioneering the integration of out-of-home with mobile and social platforms, and the company’s digital platform includes over 1,110 digital billboards across 38 markets in North America and over 4,700 digital displays in international markets. More information is available at www.clearchanneloutdoor.com and www.clearchannelinternational.com.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are striving to build a national Culture of Health that will enable all to live longer, healthier lives now and for generations to come. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook

Blue Shield California Foundation

Blue Shield of California Foundation is one of the State’s largest and most trusted grant making organizations. Our mission is to improve the lives of all Californians, particularly the underserved, by making health care accessible, effective, and affordable, and by ending domestic violence. For more information visit: www.blueshieldcafoundation.org

The Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention

The Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention is a private operating institute committed to breaking the cycle of violence in our homes, schools, and communities on the local and national level. The Waitt Foundation has supported violence prevention efforts since 1993. To streamline our efforts, WIVP was founded in 2005, by Ted Waitt.  Through this work, we change social norms that accept violence as a part of life.

WASHINGTON, June 16, 2015 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The annual food drive of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) collected almost 71 million pounds of food to help restock food banks, pantries and shelters around the country – an impressive result made all the more necessary by the extreme weather experienced by much of the country, along with the economic challenges many Americans face.

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110406/DC78673LOGO

The effort on Saturday, May 9, gathered 70.6 million pounds of food – marking a dozen consecutive years in which the NALC drive has surpassed 70 million pounds of food collected. Several local NALC branches still are compiling their figures.

This year’s results bring the total to more than 1.4 billion pounds since the drive began in 1992.

“This shows the value of the universal postal network, which goes to more than 150 million addresses six days a week,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “It also shows the strong connection between letter carriers and the communities they serve – a unique bond that serves the nation well.”

The nation’s largest single-day food drive, the NALC effort is held annually on the second Saturday in May in 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. From major metropolitan areas to small rural towns, residents put out non-perishable food donations on that day, which letter carriers collect as they deliver mail along their postal routes.

“Six and even seven days a week, letter carriers see first-hand the needs in the communities where we work, and we’re committed to helping meet those needs,” President Rolando said.

Hunger affects about 49 million people around the country, including millions of children, senior citizens and military veterans. Pantry shelves filled up through winter-holiday generosity often are bare by late spring. And, with most school meal programs suspended during summer months, millions of children must find alternate sources of nutrition.

President Rolando praised the contributions of the various organizations that helped the nation’s letter carriers in the food drive. Carriers brought the food to local food banks, pantries or shelters, including many affiliated with Feeding America, which was a national partner in the drive, as were United Way Worldwide, the U.S. Postal Service, the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, the AFL-CIO, Valpak and Valassis.

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The 280,000-member NALC represents letter carriers across the country employed by the U.S. Postal Service, along with retired letter carriers. Founded by Civil War veterans in 1889, the NALC is among the country’s oldest labor unions.