Risk Profile Improvement
Families need to be aware of the dangers related to homes and recreation and take the proper safety precautions to prevent unintentional injuries and deaths. The following are the top causes:
via Safety at home.
With newly formatted Safety Data Sheets and chemical labels beginning to arrive at worksites, experts recommend employers take the following steps:
via GHS: The look of things to come | February 2015 | Safety+Health Magazine.
People with very low or very high BMIs tend to have the greatest health risks. Even so, BMI is only one factor in your overall health. For example, if your BMI falls into the normal weight category, you will still have a higher risk of health problems if you:
If your BMI is in the overweight category, you will have a lower overall health risk if you:
This means BMI is one aspect of your health to discuss with your care provider. Together, you can decide if other assessments need to be done and whether lifestyle changes such as eating smarter and moving more will improve your health.
via Understanding Body Mass Index – Healthy Weight Information – from the Academy.
Drug use, abuse, or addiction among employees and their family members can cause expensive problems for business and industry, ranging from lost productivity, absenteeism, injuries, fatalities, theft and low employee morale, to an increase in health care, legal liabilities and workers’ compensation costs.
In addition, drug abuse can cause problems at work including:
Estimated Costs: Drug abuse costs employers $81 billion annually.
FACT: Workers who report having three or more jobs in the previous five years are about twice as likely to be current or past year users of illegal drugs as those who have had two or fewer jobs. NCADD Fact Sheet: Alcohol and Other Drugs in the Workplace.
FACT: 70% of the estimated 14.8 million Americans who use illegal drugs are employed.
According to NCADD Affiliates that provide Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services, the following job performance and workplace behaviors may be signs that indicate possible workplace drug problems:
Marijuana is the most commonly used and abused illegal drug by employees, followed by cocaine, with prescription drug use steadily increasing (see “Prescription Drugs”).
via Workplace.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), all adults — even seemingly healthy ones — should undergo regular physical examinations at their healthcare provider’s recommended frequency. The purposes of these exams are to:
Today, preventive services are customized, taking into account an individual’s health status, risk factors and personal and family health history.
via Resources – Newsletters – Understanding the Importance of Physical Exams.
In 2013, falls to lower level accounted for 574 fatal work injuries. Of the cases where height of fall was known (466 cases), 3 out of every 5 were falls of 20 feet or less. Only one in five cases involved falls from more than 30 feet. In fact one in ten cases involved falls of less than 6 feet.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 2014
Healthy kids are more likely to become healthy adults. Be a role model and help your kids make safe and healthy choices every day.
via CDC – Five Minute Weekly Tip Teach Kids Healthy Habits – Family Health.
Psychosocial environment refers to the culture and climate of the workplace. Examples of the psychosocial environment of a workplace include respect for work-life balance, mechanisms to recognize and reward good performance, valuing employee wellness, encourage employee feedback about organizational practices, zero tolerance for harassment, bullying and discrimination, ensuring employee psychological safety and health.
Health and wellbeing are affected by many factors, and those that are associated with ill health, disability, disease or death are known as risk factors. Risk factors are presented here individually, however in practice they do not operate in isolation. They often coexist and interact with one another.
Behavioural risk factors that can be eliminated or reduced through lifestyle or behavioral changes include:
Biomedical risk factors may be influenced by a combination of genetic, lifestyle and other broad factors. Biomedical risk factors include:
Many computer jobs offer few opportunities for alternate activities or postures, and, thanks to the fluidity of computer keyboards, workers can key faster and for longer uninterrupted stretches than ever before.
Posture
Although your own work habits can contribute to back and shoulder pain, using good posture is not a simple matter of finding the “right” position in which to sit. Even “poor” postures (feet up on chair rungs, slumping, twisting your body into odd positions) can prove comfortable if you don’t remain in them for extended periods of time. In fact, shifting about periodically proves useful for many people.
Seating
A good chair can contribute significantly to reducing the risk of lower back pain or injury. A good ergonomic chair includes all or most of the following characteristics, not just one or two:
If your feet don’t reach the floor, consider using a footrest. In addition, if you have an older chair without lumbar support, try using a small pillow or towel roll to relieve pressure on your lower back.
Also, remember that ergonomic features won’t help you if the chair doesn’t suit your body or sitting habits, so adjustability is important. Be sure to have the adjustable features of your chair explained to you to ensure the best fit.
Repetition
As with musculoskeletal disorders, one of the best ways to avoid back, neck, and shoulder injuries is to minimize sustained exertions. The following tips should help you:
Eyestrain
A frequent physical complaint by people who spend a lot of time in front of a monitor is eyestrain. Specialists in ergonomics have identified several problem areas and possible corrections for eyestrain, including:
Glare
Lighting Levels
Readability of Screen and Document
via An Ergonomics Approach to Avoiding Office Workplace Injuries and Illnesses.