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November/December 2005

Table of contents:

1. Making The Most of Your Safety Team
2. Job Analysis Tip #1- Posture And Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
3. Think Safe! - Alcohol And The Holidays

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Making The Most of Your Safety Team

Safety Teams play an integral role in today's businesses. These teams can make a huge impact in both the safety and well-being of the employees as well as an organization's bottom line. One common role of the Safety Team is to look at a job and identify the risk factors that have caused, or may cause, an injury. Once the risk factors have been identified, common solutions include workstation redesign, procedural changes and employee training.

However, there are a few things that are commonly overlooked - and these things can make a huge difference in both safety and costs.

Employer-Employee Relations
The first thing that is commonly overlooked is employer-employee relations. Where these relationships are strained, injury rates are high and the costs associated with these injuries are even higher. It is often the attitude of the supervisor to whom an injury is reported that determines the cost of the claim. If an employee reports an injury and is met with hostility or suspicion, they may seek a lawyer before they seek a doctor.

Managers, supervisors, and occupational health personnel must be trained to treat the initial report of injury as legitimate and provide the appropriate level of medical attention in a timely manner. Studies indicate that 90-95% of all injury claims are legitimate, so don't let a few bad apples taint your organization's attitude towards all employees. By handling the claim in a professional manner, you build trust - a key to good employer-employee relations.

The Worker as a Physical Being
Workers come in all shapes and sizes and with their own personal risk factors for injury. Some of these risk factors include: poor physical fitness, poor flexibility, smoking, stress, and poor nutrition. Modifying a workstation will do little to address these risks. However, education can do a lot. Encourage employees to exercise regularly, allow for brief stretch breaks throughout the day, sponsor a smoking cessation program, etc. The payback could be enormous.

Also, look closely at the employee's work habits. Do they demonstrate poor posture - head forward of the shoulders, rounded shoulders, or a slight bend forward at the low back? These poor posture habits can significantly contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder problems or back injury. While having an ergonomically correct workstation is a good start, it will not eliminate poor work postures. Only education, compliance to and enforcement of proper work habits will.

Enforcement and Compliance All the workstation redesign, procedure modification, and training are useless if there is no follow-through. Compliance to the new changes must be strictly enforced. Supervisors must be held accountable for their employees and managers must be held accountable for their supervisors. The Safety Team needs to hold everyone accountable for their role in ensuring compliance to corrective actions.

Review this article at your next Safety Team meeting and see if there are any areas where the team can do more. If you're interested in learning how CISonsite can help you get the most out of your team, please contact us at 866-298-1312.

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Job Analysis Tip #1: Posture and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

At first glance, most of us would see "posture" and "carpal tunnel syndrome" as completely unrelated issues. After all, isn't carpal tunnel syndrome a repetitive motion injury and "posture" just something our mothers nagged us about?

Well, as it turns out, Mom was onto something. Sustained and poor posture can significantly increase the likelihood of developing CTS by compromising blood flow to the working tissues.

Sustained posture, such as sitting or standing at a workstation all day, causes the neck muscles to hold a contraction. Not only do these muscles help you to hold your head up all day, they also help to position your shoulders so that you can use your arms and hands. As these muscles tighten, they can squeeze on the arteries and nerves passing through them on their way to the arms and hands. This can result in a reduction of blood flow to the working tissues and irritation to the nerves in the arm.

Muscles need oxygen to work without fatigue. As muscles work, they create irritating waste products that need to be removed from the body. Muscles also count on a good blood supply to repair the daily wear and tear that comes with work. When circulation is compromised, muscles fatigue more quickly. Waste products build up in the body and can cause inflammation and irritation. The tissues cannot repair properly and become more susceptible to injury.

As the neck muscles squeeze on the nerves going to the arms and hands, the chemical balance of these nerves is upset. They become more sensitive and irritable. There is no room in the carpal tunnel for swelling or irritability of these nerves.

So what can be done to avoid compromising the blood flow and irritating the nerves? First, avoid sustained postures by changing positions frequently, even if only for a few seconds. Stretch out the neck muscles and tuck your chin back every 30 minutes. Second, avoid forward head posture. Keep your head upright on your neck, your ears over your shoulders. If you need to look down, tip your head down on an upright spine.

If you need reminders to change positions or stretch, set a timer to go off every so often. Of course, you could also put a picture of Mom on your desk.

Look for more Job Analysis Tips in our upcoming newsletters.

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Think Safe! - Alcohol And The Holidays

'Tis the season to be jolly - and holiday parties are often a big part of it. Take a moment to read through these useful reminders so that your holidays will be a time of enjoyment, rather than tragedy. If Attending a Party: · If you're going to drink, make sure you have a designated driver or cab lined up for the trip home. More than half of all traffic fatalities are alcohol-related.

· If you're planning on walking home from a party after drinking, think again. Nearly one-third of pedestrians killed in traffic accidents are intoxicated. Alcohol affects your coordination, your reaction time, impairs your judgment and your vision. Take a ride with a sober driver instead.

· Monitor your alcohol consumption and don't drink on an empty stomach. Making a fool of your self rarely makes for fond holiday memories.

· The Coffee Myth: coffee does not help people regain sobriety - only time will.

If Hosting a Party:

· Provide non-alcoholic beverages.

· If alcohol is served, food should also be served to slow down the effects of alcohol.

· Monitor alcohol consumption of guests.

· Stop serving alcohol at least one-hour before the end of the party.

· Keep impaired drivers and pedestrians off the roadways. Have the phone numbers of cab companies readily accessible or send the guests home with a designated driver.

Have a wonderful and safe Holiday Season!

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