January 2014 – Page 2 – Risk Management 365

The Cost of Inactivity

If exercise and regular physical activity benefit the body, a sedentary lifestyle does the opposite, increasing the chances of becoming overweight and developing a number of chronic diseases. Despite all the good things going for it, only about 30 percent of adult Americans report they get regular physical activity during their leisure time—and about 40 percent of Americans say they get no leisure-time physical activity at all.

via The Benefits of Physical Activity | The Nutrition Source | Harvard School of Public Health.

Be Prepared for Sudden Cardiac Arrest at Work

Reasons for AEDs in the workplace

Workers may suffer sudden cardiac arrest while on the job.
Onsite AEDs save precious treatment time, and can improve survival odds because they can be used before emergency medical service (EMS) personnel arrive.
A heart rhythm in ventricular fibrillation may only be restored to normal by an electric shock.
The AED is compact, lightweight, portable, battery operated, safe, and easy to use.

via Saving Sudden Cardiac Arrest Victims in the Workplace.

Prevent Kidney Disease

Kidney disease damages your kidneys, preventing them from cleaning your blood as well as they should.

This damage can cause wastes to build up in your body and lead to other health problems, including heart disease, anemia, and bone disease. Chronic kidney disease eventually can cause kidney failure if it is not treated.

If you do have the disease, it’s important to be diagnosed early. Treatment can slow down the disease, and prevent or delay kidney failure. Because chronic kidney disease often develops slowly and with few symptoms, many people with the condition don’t realize they’re sick until the disease is advanced and requires dialysis. Blood and urine tests are the only ways to tell if you have chronic kidney disease.

Steps to help keep your kidneys healthy include the following:

Keep blood pressure below 130/80 mm/hg
Stay in your target cholesterol range
Eat less salt and salt substitutes
Eat healthy foods
Stay physically active
Take your medications as prescribed

If you have diabetes, take these steps, too:

Meet blood sugar targets as often as you can
Have an A1c test at least twice a year, but ideally up to four times a year. An A1c test measures the average level of blood sugar over the past three months.

If your blood pressure is high, check it regularly and get it under control to make sure your kidneys remain healthy. Talk to your doctor about medicines to lower your blood pressure.

Helping to prevent type 2 diabetes is another important step in preventing kidney disease. Recent studies have shown that overweight people at higher risk for type 2 diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of the disease by losing 5 to 7 percent of their body weight, or 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person. You can do that by eating healthier and getting 150 minutes of physical activity each week.

via CDC Features – Diabetes, High Blood Pressure Raise Kidney Disease Risk.

OSHA Employer Responsibilities to Protect Employees

Employers have the responsibility to provide a safe workplace. Employers MUST provide their employees with a workplace that does not have serious hazards and follow all relevant OSHA safety and health standards. Employers must find and correct safety and health problems. OSHA further requires employers to try to eliminate or reduce hazards first by making changes in working conditions rather than just relying on masks, gloves, ear plugs or other types of personal protective equipment (PPE). Switching to safer chemicals, enclosing processes to trap harmful fumes, or using ventilation systems to clean the air are examples of effective ways to get rid of or minimize risks.

Employers MUST also:

Inform employees about hazards through training, labels, alarms, color-coded systems, chemical information sheets and other methods.
Keep accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses.
Perform tests in the workplace, such as air sampling required by some OSHA standards.
Provide hearing exams or other medical tests required by OSHA standards.
Post OSHA citations, injury and illness data, and the OSHA poster in the workplace where workers will see them.
Notify OSHA within 8 hours of a workplace incident in which there is a death or when three or more workers go to a hospital.
Not discriminate or retaliate against a worker for using their rights under the law.

via Workers.

Turning Human Resources into a Profit Center

Organizations live-or-die by the bottom line. However, the HR department typically plays only a minor role in improving the bottom line. They are typically viewed as a cost rather than a profit center. Fortunately, HR departments can help measurably improve profits. They need to find ways to:

Increase profits
Decrease costs
Make employees more efficient
Improve productivity

Human Resource managers can reap tremendous personal benefits by helping their companies improve profits, such as:

Earning the status of strategic advisor vs. an administrator role.
Earning higher bonuses or percent of profit improvement
Being sought out by employers and search firms that have their eyes open for profit improvement talent.

Typically Human Resources is responsible for the largest part of what effects a companies budget. The list includes payroll, benefits, wellness, workers comp, safety. Turning HR into a profit center requires a progressive, forward-thinking approach. That means letting go the status quo to go from being viewed as mainly providing service at a cost or at profit-oriented human resource management.

Dealing with Depression

Depression drains your energy, hope, and drive, making it difficult to do what you need to feel better. But while overcoming depression isn’t quick or easy, it’s far from impossible. You can’t beat it through sheer willpower, but you do have some control—even if your depression is severe and stubbornly persistent. The key is to start small and build from there. Feeling better takes time, but you can get there if you make positive choices for yourself each day.

via Dealing with Depression: Self-Help & Coping Tips to Overcome Depression.

Avoid Slips, Trips, and Falls at Work

Slips, trips, and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. They cause 15% of all accidental deaths, and are second only to motor vehicles as a cause of fatalities. The OSHA standards for walking/working surfaces apply to all permanent places of employment, except where only domestic, mining, or agricultural work is performed.

Walking/working surfaces are addressed in specific standards for the general industry, shipyard employment, marine terminals, longshoring, and the construction industry.

via Safety and Health Topics | Walking/Working Surfaces.

Depression is Not a Normal Part of Growing Older

Depression is a true and treatable medical condition, not a normal part of aging. However older adults are at an increased risk for experiencing depression. If you are concerned about a loved one, offer to go with him or her to see a health care provider to be diagnosed and treated.

Depression is not just having “the blues” or the emotions we feel when grieving the loss of a loved one. It is a true medical condition that is treatable, like diabetes or hypertension.

How Do I Know If It’s Depression?

Someone who is depressed has feelings of sadness or anxiety that last for weeks at a time. He or she may also experience–

Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness and/or helplessness
Irritability, restlessness
Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable
Fatigue and decreased energy
Difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions
Insomnia, early–morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
Overeating or appetite loss
Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not get better, even with treatment

via CDC – Depression is Not a Normal Part of Growing Older – Aging.

Know Your Numbers for Heart Health

In consultation with your doctor, you should establish and understand the following targets for shooting down heart disease. The numbers are important, but they will be much more useful if you understand the reasoning behind them. General targets are:

• Blood pressure of 120/80

• Total cholesterol count under 150

• HDL cholesterol should be greater than 45

• LDL cholesterol should be less than 70

• The particle number for LDL should be less than 1,000

• LDL should be described as “Pattern A,” meaning your LDL cholesterol particles are large and buoyant

• Triglyceride count less than 150

• A fasting glucose, serum (sugar) count between 65 and 99

• Body mass index (BMI), the percentage of body weight that comes from fat, should be under 25

• Thyroid, C-reactive protein, and homocysteine all within the normal range

via Dr. Crandall’s Heart Health Blog.

Month: January 2014