wellness – Page 5 – Risk Management 365

Job Stress and Health

Stress sets off an alarm in the brain, which responds by preparing the body for defensive action. The nervous system is aroused and hormones are released to sharpen the senses, quicken the pulse, deepen respiration, and tense the muscles. This response (sometimes called the fight or flight response) is important because it helps us defend against threatening situations. The response is preprogrammed biologically. Everyone responds in much the same way, regardless of whether the stressful situation is at work or home.

Short-lived or infrequent episodes of stress pose little risk. But when stressful situations go unresolved, the body is kept in a constant state of activation, which increases the rate of wear and tear to biological systems. Ultimately, fatigue or damage results, and the ability of the body to repair and defend itself can become seriously compromised. As a result, the risk of injury or disease escalates.

via CDC – NIOSH Publications and Products – STRESS…At Work (99-101).

Benefits of Regular Exercise

You know regular exercise is good for you. Here are a few of the benefits:

Reduces your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, diabetes, and obesity
Keeps joints, tendons, and ligaments flexible, which makes it easier to move around
Reduces some effects of aging, especially the discomfort of osteoarthritis
Contributes to mental well-being
Helps relieve depression, stress, and anxiety
Increases your energy and endurance
Helps you sleep better
Helps you maintain a normal weight by increasing your metabolism (the rate you burn calories)

via The Exercise Habit — FamilyDoctor.org.

Beware Health Risk Factors

There are key health risk factors that can rob you of your health. Ignoring them by not taking action to control them will likely shorten your years and bring on unnecessary pain and suffering. They are:

Alcohol consumption
Cigarette smoking/tobacco use
Elevated cholesterol/diet
High blood pressure
Illicit drug use
Physical activity/inactivity
Overweight/obesity

via Products – Health United States – Health Risk Factors.

Back Injury and Back Pain

Back symptoms are among the top ten reasons for medical visits. For 5% to 10% of patients, the back pain becomes chronic.

In 2001, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 372,683 back injury cases involving days away from work. Most cases involved workers who were aged 25–54 (79%), male (64%), and white, non-Hispanic (70%)
Two occupational groups accounted for more than 54% of back injury cases: operators, fabricators, and laborers (38%); and precision production, craft, and repair (17%)

Data from scientific studies of primary and secondary interventions indicate that low back pain can be reduced by:

Engineering controls (e.g., ergonomic workplace redesign)
Administrative controls (specifically, adjusting work schedules and workloads)
Programs designed to modify individual factors, such as employee exercise
Combinations of these approaches

via CDC – Workplace Health – Implementation – Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD) Prevention.

Safer and Healthier at Any Age: Strategies for an Aging Workforce

Many effective workplace solutions for aging workers are simple, don’t have to cost very much, and can have large benefits if implemented properly with worker input and support throughout all levels of management. Below are strategies for preparing your workplace for an older and healthier, safer workforce. Consider putting these in place today.

Prioritize workplace flexibility. Workers prefer jobs that offer more flexibility over those that offer more vacation days. To the extent possible, give workers a say in their schedule, work conditions, work organization, work location and work tasks.
Match tasks to abilities. Use self-paced work, self-directed rest breaks and less repetitive tasks
Avoid prolonged, sedentary work – it’s bad for workers at every age. Consider sit/stand workstations and walking workstations for workers who traditionally sit all day. Provide onsite physical activity opportunities or connections to low-cost community options.
Manage noise hazards (including excess background noise), slip/trip hazards, and physical hazards, conditions that can challenge an aging workforce more.
Provide ergo-friendly work environments — workstations, tools, floor surfaces, adjustable seating, better illumination where needed, and screens and surfaces with less glare.
Utilize teams and teamwork strategies for aging-associated problem solving. Workers closest to the problem are often best equipped to find the fix.
Provide health promotion and lifestyle interventions including physical activity, healthy meal options, tobacco cessation assistance, risk factor reduction and screenings, coaching, and onsite medical care. Accommodate medical self-care in the workplace and time away for health visits.
Invest in training and building worker skills and competencies at all age levels. Help older employees adapt to new technologies, often a concern for employers and older workers.
Proactively manage reasonable accommodations and the return-to-work process after illness or injury absences.
Require aging workforce management skills training for supervisors. Include a focus on the most effective ways to manage a multi-generational workplace.

via CDC – NIOSH Science Blog – Safer and Healthier at Any Age: Strategies for an Aging Workforce.

Formula to Change Poor Health Behaviors

In the past there have been remarkable advances in curing acute illnesses. This has lead to prolonged life expectancy. From the perspective of health care capabilities we should be heather than ever before. Yet there are signs that young adults today may be the first generation in modern history to be less healthy than their parents. Respiratory diseases and cancers, diabetes and obesity, heart and liver disease and some psychological problems are largely preventable or controlled through health behavior change. What can be done to get someone to change their behavior? One method is motivational interviewing by a health coach or medical professional.

There are four guiding principles:

to resist the righting reflex
to understand and explore the patient’s own motivations
to listen with empathy
to empower the patient, encouraging hope and optimism

These for principles can be remembered by the acronym RULE: Resist, Understand, Listen, Empower.

For more information about health and safety coaching at work go to: http://www.wellsafecoaches.com

Health is Wealth

Too often, our health takes a back seat to managing our families, careers and daily obligations. Generations of Wellness knows that in order to live a viable life, to love and take care of our families, and manage our daily responsibilities – our health must take center stage in our list of priorities.

Learn how embracing a healthy lifestyle and making health your number one priority will bring invaluable wealth to your life and your family for generations to come.

via Health is Wealth.

Health Promotion at Work

The workplace is an important setting for health protection, health promotion and disease prevention programs. On average, Americans working full-time spend more than one-third of their day, five days per week at the workplace.

While employers have a responsibility to provide a safe and hazard-free workplace, they also have abundant opportunities to promote individual health and foster a healthy work environment for more than 139 million workers in the United States.

via CDC – Workplace Health – Business Case – Home.

What Triggers an Allergy?

An allergy is a reaction by your immune system to something that does not bother most other people. People who have allergies often are sensitive to more than one thing. Substances that often cause reactions are:

Pollen
Dust mites
Mold spores
Pet dander
Food
Insect stings
Medicines

Normally, your immune system fights germs. It is your body’s defense system. In most allergic reactions, however, it is responding to a false alarm. Genes and the environment probably both play a role.

Allergies can cause a variety of symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing, itching, rashes, swelling, or asthma. Allergies can range from minor to severe. Anaphylaxis is a severe reaction that can be life-threatening. Doctors use skin and blood tests to diagnose allergies. Treatments include medicines, allergy shots, and avoiding the substances that cause the reactions.

via Allergy: MedlinePlus.

Get Moving: The Benefits of Physical Activity

Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health. It can help:

Control your weight
Reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease
Reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
Reduce your risk of some cancers
Strengthen your bones and muscles
Improve your mental health and mood
Improve your ability to do daily activities and prevent falls, if you’re an older adult
Increase your chances of living longer

If you’re not sure about becoming active or boosting your level of physical activity because you’re afraid of getting hurt, the good news is that moderate-intensity aerobic activity, like brisk walking, is generally safe for most people.

Start slowly. Cardiac events, such as a heart attack, are rare during physical activity. But the risk does go up when you suddenly become much more active than usual. For example, you can put yourself at risk if you don’t usually get much physical activity and then all of a sudden do vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, like shoveling snow. That’s why it’s important to start slowly and gradually increase your level of activity.

If you have a chronic health condition such as arthritis, diabetes, or heart disease, talk with your doctor to find out if your condition limits, in any way, your ability to be active. Then, work with your doctor to come up with a physical activity plan that matches your abilities. If your condition stops you from meeting the minimum Guidelines, try to do as much as you can. What’s important is that you avoid being inactive. Even 60 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity is good for you.

The bottom line is – the health benefits of physical activity far outweigh the risks of getting hurt.

via Physical Activity for Everyone: The Benefits of Physical Activity | DNPAO | CDC.