• Feet: Just Why Are They So Important?
• Cooling Off By The River
• National Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month

Click to Read EMC Insider, August 2010

Given the impact of RSIs, workplace safety programs work to minimize the occurrence and severity of them. Safety often focuses on environmental and ergonomic factors, awareness and education.

It is in the domain of education that one area of focus is often overlooked; early symptom recognition.

All too often workers disregard sensations of discomfort, and discount the potential impact the discomfort will have if left unchecked. There are many reasons employees may be quick to dismiss pain, or to delay bringing attention to these symptoms. Among them are:

• stoicism about being in pain – “just grin and bear it”
• concern of becoming a liability to one’s employer
• associating having pain as “just part of getting older”
• belief that pain will eventually go away on its own
• thinking that pain is just part of working hard- a principle especially common within the older workforce

Consequently, employees will often delay seeking solutions for symptoms until it’s too late. The result is a relatively minor ache or pain that can develop into a costly RSI.

Therefore, any safety efforts put toward prevention of overuse injuries must have a focus on both awareness and education as they relate to early symptom recognition. Because pain is such a subjective experience, education on early symptom recognition needs to be:

• Joint specific – the sensation of pain in one body area will often present itself differently than in another, so it’s important for employees to be able to recognize how, for example, neck and upper back pain will feel and manifest differently than pain at the elbow

• Condition specific – employees ultimately need to know which symptoms occur and where, anatomically, they occur with specific pain syndromes and conditions. Take for example lateral epicondylitis, or “tennis elbow”- it is critical for the employee to know which part of the elbow is affected so that correlation of early symptom recognition and condition identification can occur. When an employee recognizes specific symptoms occurring and has knowledge of what type of condition these symptoms may be representative of, the employee is more likely to bring attention to and seek solutions for them.

• Task-specific – identifying troublesome work stations and job tasks in a facility is a necessity. Once identified, the next step is to note the types of pain patterns and specific joints being affected by the troublesome job tasks. With this knowledge, there is far better ability to bring awareness to employees about which job tasks tend to contribute to specific symptoms, in specific joints.

While the resources for generating “task-specific” education for early symptom recognition tend to sit within the facility itself, resources for developing joint-specific and condition-specific education may include company occupational medical and health staff, or local health care professionals, i.e. sports medicine physicians, physical therapists, etc.

Finally, the roles of education and awareness in early symptom recognition works best works best when coupled with an effective “First Reporting System.” In short, a good first reporting system is the mechanism by which employees can pro-actively alert their supervisors, company medical staff, etc. when they are recognizing symptoms early on, associated with performing certain job tasks. By this mechanism, solutions for both the employee’s symptoms and for the job task(s) that contributed to the onset of symptoms can be sought, before the employee’s aches and pains develop into a costly RSI.

Remember – early symptom recognition is an integral piece in any risk reduction and overuse injury prevention strategy.

If you are interested in learning more about how to help reduce risk through early symptom recognition programs, contact us.

Lagging indicators are those indicators that are “after the fact”.  These include things such as: recordable rates, lost days, case rates, incidents, and first aids.

Benefits of Lagging Indicators:

• Help Determining Acceptable Standards
• Allow Reviewing Historical Trends
• Indicate Trends in Performance
• Allow for Self-Comparison
• Motivate  Management
• Easy to  Calculate

Disadvantages of Lagging Indicators:

• Stats can be easily manipulated or subject to biases (discouragement of reporting)
• Mostly Reactive in Process
• Trends are often difficult to establish due to low figures

Leading Indicators are indicators that demonstrate where the safety process  is currently at.  Examples include: training completion, unsafe acts, near misses, perception survey scores,

Leading indicators offer the following benefits:

• Proactive in Nature
• Able to better demonstrate “real” issues
• Difficult to affect via biases, or manipulation

Lagging indicators are often used early in the process of setting up safety processes and goals.  Lagging indicators allow for reaction to important safety issues, and focusing on issues that have “resulted” in an accident.

Once a program is effective in looking at the lagging indicators, adding in leading indicators can be a great second step.

It is well agreed that most measurable data from lagging indicators is a small snapshot of the safety issues that are in a facility.  Looking at the leading indicators as well as the lagging indicators not only show the incidents that “resulted” in an accident, but also all the other potential safety issues.

Example of company that uses only lagging indicators:
Mill ABC has many injuries and they want to decrease the injuries in the following year.  They look to the lagging indicators to identify a place to start.  They notice that a significant eye injury occurred,  since the company has a policy that safety glasses should be warn at all times and based on  prevalence (only one injury), the company assumes that this was a “freak” accident.

Example of company that uses both lagging and leading indicators: :
The same ABC mill decides to also use leading indicators, and decides to do “observations”.  They assign the safety staff to go out and monitor how many employees are adhering to the safety glasses at all times policy.  It is determined that only 40% of employees are wearing their safety glasses.  They determine this is not acceptable, and start an aggressive program to increase the use of safety glasses among all employees.  They are able to set goals and though continued “observations” and peer reviews they are able to increase employee use of safety glasses up to 85%.

You can see in the examples above how important it is to use both lagging and leading indicators.  Lagging indicators can help to determine trends, and areas that need further analysis, whereas leading indicators, gives a better basis of the risk that is present.

As Frank E Bird, Conoco Philips and many others have demonstrated that looking only lagging indicators will offer a very small view of the risk.  (see figure 1)
As shown in this diagram, there were 300 recordable injuries.  If a facility only looked at those injuries and neglected the 300,000 At-risk Behaviors, the safety program would not be addressing many of the risks that are present.

In Conclusion, for a safety program to work, both leading and lagging indicators offer unique and necessary views into the safety of a facility.  In order to truly reduce risk at a facility both indicators must be used in conjunction.  This will allow for a true snapshot of risk, and goals for the future.

If you are struggling with identifying the areas of risk at your facility, please view our safety consulting pages, or contact us for more information.

Fig 1

• The Ergonomics of Gaming
• Outdoor Safety, Are You Prepared?
• The Danger of Heat Exhaustion
• Eye Protection Around the Home

Click to Read EMC Insider, July 2010

First and foremost make sure your employees know the symptoms of heat related illness

Symptoms of heat related illness:

• Feeling faint or dizzy
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Nausea
• Excessive sweating
• Rapid, weak heartbeat
• Low blood pressure
• Cool, moist, pale skin
• Fever (may be low grade)
• Heat cramps

What to do:

• Get the person away from the heat source.
• Lay the person down and elevate the legs and feet slightly.
• Loosen clothing.
• Have the person drink cool water or other nonalcoholic beverage without caffeine.
• Cool the person by spraying or sponging him or her with cool water and fanning.
• Monitor the person carefully. Heat exhaustion can quickly become heatstroke.
• If fever greater than 102 F (38.9 C), fainting, confusion or seizures occur, call 911 or emergency medical help.

Increase tolerance:

• Acclimation- Workers can increase their ability to tolerate high heat environments through a process called Acclimation.  This process slowly adds the amount/time of exposure over the course of several days to “ease” the workers body into the new stress.
• Fluid Replacement- Workers that are in areas of high heat exposure should have access to plenty of fluids.  OSHA recommends 1 cup of fluid every 20 minutes.  It is also noted that “sports” drinks are not necessary and water can suffice.
• Engineering controls- Such as ventilation or air conditioning systems can be used to reduce the heat stress.
• Timing-Plan outdoor tasks during the cooler part of the day
• Body Cooling Devices- If the heat exposure cannot be limited body cooling devices are available. Examples such as personal fans, or coolant clothing are available at many vendors.
• Training-Train your employees

NIOSH (1986) states that a good heat stress training program should include at least the following components

• Knowledge of the hazards of heat stress;
• Recognition of predisposing factors, danger signs, and symptoms;
• Awareness of first-aid procedures for, and the potential health effects of, heat stroke;
• Employee responsibilities in avoiding heat stress;
• Dangers of using drugs, including therapeutic ones, and alcohol in hot work environments;
• Use of protective clothing and equipment;

For more information on avoiding heat related illness, or for the OSHA rules and regulations regarding heat stressors visit the OSHA site.

• The Importance of Ergonomic Breaks
• Firework Safety Tips
• Bicycle Helmet Fitting Help
• Gearing up for Golf
• Top 10 Reasons to Stretch

Click to Read EMC Insider, June 2010

 If so, there is a good chance that you are increasing your risk of injury by increasing risk factors including forceful movements, repetitive motions, awkward postures, and lack of rest.  Long work days can be stressful and therefore it is important to take rest breaks intermittently throughout the day.  Rest periods give the body time to recover from work, and by performing simple stretching exercises, your muscles and tendons will more likely be able to handle the increased workload.  Employees should think of themselves as ‘Industrial Athletes’.  Professional athletes wouldn’t participate in a sport without proper rest and warm-up.  Employees should use the same preparation on the job.

Maintaining overall health also reduces your risk of injury.  Below are a few tips to remember:

• Get a good night’s sleep to rest your body and maintain alertness. 
• Eat healthy foods and drink fluids to boost energy and stay hydrated. 
• Perform aerobic exercises (ie. walking, running or biking) 3 times a week to increase cardiovascular strength and vitality. 
• Perform stretching exercises, yoga, or pilates to improve flexibility and build core body strength.

Pay attention to signs of discomfort and fatigue on the job.  These are warning signs from your body, and can help prevent injury.  As muscles tire during a work task, slouching can lead to poor posture, sloppy, uncontrolled movements, and injuries.

Rest breaks mean recovery for the body.  During a job task, take micro-breaks, lasting 10-15 seconds every ten minutes.  Take mini-breaks lasting 3-5 minutes every thirty to sixty minutes.  These short breaks give the body a rest, reduce discomfort, and improve your performance.

Alternate your work activities and postures throughout the day.  Rotating tasks may seem inefficient, but the rest and use of different muscle groups increases energy and maintains productivity. 

For example, if your job requires computer work, paperwork and phone time, try and plan your day to make calls on the hour and perform paperwork tasks intermittently to break up your time on the computer. 

Stretches help you warm-up before work and relax during breaks; they increase flexibility and boost blood flow and oxygen to muscles.  Perform stretches slowly and gently; avoid extreme postures and stop stretching if you feel pain or discomfort.

Here are a couple examples of simple stretching exercises that can be performing in any work environment:

Back / Side Stretch:
Interlace your fingers and lift your arms over your head, keeping the elbows straight. Press arms as far back as you can. To stretch your sides, slowly lean to the left and then to the right.  Hold each stretch for 10 seconds

Middle / Upper Back Stretch:
Hold your right arm with your left hand just above the elbow. Gently push your elbow toward your left shoulder. Hold stretch for 10 seconds. Repeat with your left arm.
Overall fitness and flexibility, adequate sleep, task rotation, and rest breaks can help limit your overall risk of injury.

Article: Written by Paul Cutting of InjuryFree

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), slips, trips and falls account for 15 percent of all accidental deaths, and are second only to motor vehicles as a leading cause of fatalities.

“Last year there were 822 occupational deaths due to falls,” says Don Ostrander, CSP, Director of Consulting Services Occupational Safety and Health at the National Safety Council in Itasca, Ill. “The large majority of those were due to falls from one level to another.”

Simple but effective measures to eliminate or prevent slips and trips can be taken.  Here are a few tips…

• Good housekeeping – Poor housekeeping and clutter are a major cause of slips and trips. Keep the working environment clean and tidy, with floors and access routes kept clear of obstacles. Remove trash regularly so it does not build up.
• Cleaning and maintenance – Regular cleaning and maintenance will minimize risk. Cleaning methods and equipment must be suitable for the surface being treated. During cleaning and maintenance work, take care not to create new slip and trip hazards.
• Lighting – Ensure good lighting, functioning and position of lights to ensure all floor areas are evenly lit and all potential hazards, e.g. obstructions and spills can be clearly seen.
• Flooring – Floors should be checked for damage on a regular basis and maintenance carried out when necessary. Potential slip and trip hazards to look for include holes, cracks, and loose carpets and mats. In any location, the floor surface should be suitable for the work carried out, e.g. it may need to be resistant to oil and chemicals used in production processes. Coating or chemically treating existing floors can improve their slip-resistant properties. In fact, according to reports, 50 percent of facility accidents can actually be attributed to the type of flooring used
• Stairways – Many accidents occur on stairways. Handrails, slip resistant steps, high visibility and non-slip marking of the front edges of steps, and sufficient lighting can all help in preventing slips and trips on stairs.
• Spillages Clean up spills immediately using an appropriate cleaning method. Use warning signs where the floor is wet and arrange alternative routes.
• Obstructions – Where possible, obstructions should be removed to prevent trips occurring. If it is not possible to remove an obstruction then suitable barriers and/or warning notices should be used.
• Footwear – Workers need to have footwear that is suitable for their working environment. Take account of the type of job, floor surface, typical floor conditions and the slip-resistant properties of the soles.  Footwear should be maintained well.
• The soles and heels should be slip-resistant
• The toe of the shoe should resist crushing injuries
• The shoe should support the ankle.
• Outdoor workplaces – Outdoor workplaces must be arranged so that risks of slipping and tripping are minimized, e.g. through anti-slip measures in icy conditions and suitable footwear.
• Learn how to fall- Keep your wrists, elbows and knees bent. Do not try to break the fall with your hands or elbows. When falling, the objective is to have as many square inches of your body contact the surface as possible, thus, spreading out the impact of the fall.
• Teach Balance-As we age we lose our ability to balance.  To counteract the loss of balance, simple exercises can help us decrease risk, it is vital to keeping employees healthy to avoid injuries.

This is the time of year that many young people begin thinking about summer jobs. Many teens use summer jobs to gain work experience, spend time productively, or earn some spending money. Other teens and young workers have finished school and are headed out into the workforce to start making their living.   As these young adults enter the working world, are we doing enough to safeguard their health and safety?

According to research from NIOSH, from 1998 to 2007, an average of about 800,000 workers, 15 to 24 years of age, were treated in emergency departments and nearly 600 died from work-related injuries. Younger workers were twice as likely as their older counterparts to be treated in hospital emergency departments for work-related injuries.

Previous research suggests that the increased risk for injuries among younger workers is related to:

• Ladder Hazards
• Cutting Hazards (knives)
• Work Pressure (perceived or real)
• Lack of knowledge, training, and skills to do the work they perform.
• Less likely to speak up about safety, to recognize hazards, and to know their legal rights as workers.

The new data shows that for workers 15 to 24 years of age (during 1998 to 2007) the most frequent cause of death for younger workers was transportation-related fatalities (this also holds true for older populations).  Contact with objects or equipment was responsible for the highest number of emergency-department-treated injuries.

Males in the younger workforce are more frequently injured or killed than their female counterparts. Also of note is that young Hispanic workers suffer a fatality rate that is significantly higher than the rate for non-Hispanic white workers and non-Hispanic black workers.

Although the primary responsibility for workplace safety lies with employers, workers also have responsibilities for complying with employer policies and practices for safe work, and ideally they can help identify unsafe conditions and help develop safe solutions.

Tools:

NIOSH has a new tool -  Talking Safety, which can help young workers identify workplace safety hazards, take measures to reduce risk for injury, and understand their rights as workers.

A new video is also available for youth education.

Tools:

NIOSH has a new tool -  Talking Safety, which can help young workers identify workplace safety hazards, take measures to reduce risk for injury, and understand their rights as workers.

A new video is also available for youth education.

References

1. Breslin FC, Day D, Tompa E, et al. Non-agricultural work injuries among youths systematic review. Am J Prev Med 2007;32:15162.