Is your workplace prepared for every possible emergency? Hopefully, you have policies, procedures and equipment in place to keep your workers safe from accidents and workplace violence. But what if a worker simply turns blue and collapses from a heart attack? Surely, you have at least a few workers who know CPR, but what if the CPR isn’t enough? Wouldn’t it be great if other employees were able to grab an automated external defibrillator (AED) and could revive that worker within minutes?

An AED is a small, portable device that assesses the heart of a person in cardiac arrest for a “shockable” rhythm. If such a rhythm is detected, a button is pressed to deliver a shock or series of shocks to the victim’s heart, which then allow the heart to return to a normal rhythm.

Several companies are making a push to see to it that such machines are available  everywhere, but at this point, AEDs are still relatively rare in workplaces throughout Canada, in part because Canada doesn’t mandate their use.

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, more than 40,000 people suffer  cardiac arrests in Canada each year. Fewer than 5% of those who suffer an attack outside a hospital survive — and roughly 70% of cardiac arrests occur outside a hospital. Their studies have shown that workplaces with 2,000 employees and an average age of 40 can expect at least one cardiac arrest incident every year.

Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has reported that there have been 200 claims for workplace heart attacks over the last three years. Since not all heart attacks that occur in the workplace are job related, the WSIB considers each case on its own merits.

According to studies, keeping an AED onsite can increase the chance of survival from heart attack by 75% or more over CPR on its own. Defibrillation is more successful if performed within five minutes of cardiac arrest and survival chances decrease 10% for every minute that passes after the arrest.

Those who think the devices are just too expensive should know that prices have dropped dramatically in recent years, with units priced well under $2,000 now. Most units can be installed without professional assistance. AEDs are battery powered and the batteries are not rechargeable, so they don’t require a power supply.  For maintenance, they only require daily spot checks to ensure the status indicator light is on, and monthly checks to make sure the unit is in good working order. Batteries, which currently cost about $200-300, last 3-5 years. The pads, which currently run between $70-100 per pair, only have to be replaced when used.

It is necessary to train employees on how to use AEDs, but the training is not difficult or intensive. The Heart and Stroke Foundation suggests that anyone with a Grade 6 education can learn to use an AED in 20 minutes. In order to reduce liability risks, the Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends companies ensure operators have medical oversight, ensure certain members of staff are properly trained and that protocols for continued training, operation and equipment maintenance are in place. The Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends that all employees, if possible, have the skills necessary to perform CPR and the use of an AED.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) has created a new guide designed to introduce Canadians to the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), to help prepare workplaces for anticipated changes, as the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) looks forward to adopting the GHS standards.

The purpose of GHS is create a universal set of rules for classifying hazards and the same format and content for labels and safety data sheets (SDS) to be adopted and used around the world. The new guide, entitled “WHMIS After GHS: Preparing for Change” will help organizations negotiate the anticipated changes, understand the new requirements and facilitate a successful transition to the global standard.

While the exact details of the changes won’t be known until the legislation is published in the Canada Gazette II, there is sufficient information available to encourage workplaces to begin preparation. The guide will:

• Provide an overview of the new Globally Harmonized System (GHS)
• Describe the changes to WHMIS that should be expected when GHS rules for classification, labelling, symbols/pictograms, and safety data sheets (SDSs) are adopted.
• Provide advice on steps that employers can take in order to transition successfully to WHMIS After adoption of GHS

A copy of  WHMIS After GHS: Preparing for Change can be purchased by clicking on the title.

WorkSafeBC has named a new chair to its board of directors, as George Morfitt has replaced Roslyn Kunin, who has been the organization’s chair for the last two years.

Morfitt is no newcomer to WorkSafeBC. He has been a WorkSafeBC director for nearly four years, and in recent months served as the board’s vice-chair.  An adjunct professor for the University of Victoria, Morfitt also serves as an advisor to the School of Public Administration. Before that, he spent time as auditor general of British Columbia, where he led the implementation of measures to bring greater transparency in governance and accountability, including new auditing guidelines for government ministries, Crown corporations and public agencies, including WorkSafeBC. He also recently served as a councilor for the Health Council of Canada.

The outgoing chair, Kunin, whose term ended in May, was WorkSafeBC’s longest serving board member, with seven years on the board, including the last two as chair.  Her tenure saw a decline in B.C’s injury rate, which reached the lowest level on record, as well as a significant reduction in employer premium rates.

WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a board of directors that serves about 2.3 million workers and more than 200,000 employers.

If your overall goal is to provide your company with the strongest possible bottom line through efficient use of resources and predictable costs, then you have to understand that there is a direct relationship between a strong, effective safety training program and your company’s growth, competitiveness, and financial success.

Don’t think of a safety training program as a cost to your company; it’s an investment. And it’s an investment that returns huge dividends in many ways.

A good, solid safety training program will:

• Help with compliance with government and industry standards, and reduce the chance that your company will be cited for health and safety violations. A knowledgeable work force is less likely to break the rules.
• Reduce accidents, and protect workers from illness and injury, thus saving your company the costs of lost time and reduced productivity, not to mention reduced insurance premiums. In addition, solid safety training helps to manage risks such as sexual harassment and workplace violence.
• Increases overall worker motivation and morale, leading to job satisfaction. Workers who believe their company cares for their health and safety are more productive. They are also likely to stick around longer, leading to reduced turnover, which leaves you with a pool of highly skilled and knowledgeable employees, including many who can move up and fill critical positions within the organization.
• Make sure your company is better able to adapt to new systems, technological change and innovation, and provide your company with the human resources to expand into new markets and grab hold of new economic opportunities.
• Contribute to the development of a positive culture in which confident, knowledgeable, creative employees are able to provide customers with superior products and services to customers.

A good safety training program pays for itself many times over, by creating a safe, happy and healthy workforce that is enormously productive. But to maximize the payback for your training dollars, keep a few things in mind:

• Training must be ongoing, and must be constantly reassessed to make sure you’re keeping up with your company’s current needs.
• Make sure the training is comprehensive and interesting, and offers workers a chance to practice new skills in a safe setting. Also, be sure to provide workers with opportunities to use any newly learned skills on the job. After training, send them back to work with learning aids such as checklists, step-by-step instructions, and safety reminders that help them safely and effectively transfer newly learned skills to their job.
• Encourage workers to discuss their training needs and to even request additional training they might think necessary.

It’s easy to look at the cost of safety training to the company, but a good manager understands that a strong safety training program makes them a lot more money than it costs. Safety training is one of the best investments you can make in your employees and your company.

In the wake of a significant increase in rail accidents over the last ten years, many inside the federal government are pushing for stiff new penalties for railways caught violating safety rules; penalties that could cost a lot more than just dollars.

Minister of State for Transport Rob Merrifield recently announced that new legislation will include protection for whistleblowers, as well as much larger financial and legal penalties for violations. If passed, the law would require each railway company to designate one executive legally responsible for safety, and who might possibly face jail time if the company is convicted of breaking the rules.

Though it sounds as if the goal is to punish executives for breaking the rules, Merrifield insists that is not the case. “What we’re really wanting to do is to make sure that they have a culture of safety within the company and if you are saying there’s one person deemed to have that responsibility there’s a lot more chance that’s actually going to happen,” he has been quoted as saying.

The new changes are based on the results of two railway safety reviews, which were launched after deadly rail accidents in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, and completed in 2008. The advisory panel responsible for the first report made 56 recommendations to improve safety, while in the second report, a Commons committee made 14 additional recommendations. The Commons committee report also concluded there was a lack of accountability regarding safety from both Transport Canada and the country’s railways, which hadn’t done enough to create a culture of safety.

A new report released by The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, an independent, non-profit research organization, calls into question the federal government’s efforts to ensure the health and safety of workers under their jurisdiction.

The report, Success is No Accident: Declining Workplace Safety Among Federal Jurisdiction Employers,  which can be found here, was issued after an exhaustive investigation, including interviews with labour affairs officers (LAOs) and federal  health and safety inspectors, and included in-depth analyses of key statistics, such as workplace injuries and fatalities. The report suggests that while the provinces have been quite successful with measures to bring about safer workplaces, the federal sector seems to be lagging, and their workplace injuries seem to be on the rise.  For example, while fatality and injury rates in the provincial sector declined 25% between 2002 and 2007, federal injury rates increased 5% over the same time period.

The report highlights the significant numbers of disabling injuries in the transportation and postal delivery sectors, and attributes these statistics to a failure in federal health and safety enforcement, specifically overburdened LAOs. According to the report, in 2008 only 128 LAOs were responsible for monitoring and inspecting the federal workplaces for more than one million workers. As a result of this chronic understaffing, only 16% of federal workplaces classified as very high risk were subject to two inspections per year and only 10% of those classified as high risk received the one inspection per year mandated by Labour Program guidelines.

The report details important systemic differences in the way federal workplaces are regulated to account for the disparity, and it recommends greater proactive enforcement and harsher penalties for federally regulated employers. The report notes that prosecutions in the federal jurisdiction under the code are relatively rare and occur primarily after very serious, often fatal, workplace accidents.  Not only that, but when they do actually prosecute and convictions are obtained, the penalties imposed are far smaller than those imposed in provincial jurisdictions.  Also, while decisions in provincial cases are prominently published, federal prosecutions are often difficult to find.

Evidence of how stress in the workplace can negatively affect workplace safety and performance can be found in a new study on the role of health care worker overload, released last week.

The research study, which was written by Linda Duxbury, a professor at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business, and Christopher Higgins of the University of Western Ontario, was funded by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and its findings were based on a survey of 1,500 health-care workers and in-depth interviews with 250 of them. Of the respondents, most were women and more than three-quarters were married or living with a partner and had children. The purpose was to discover the causes and possible fixes for what the study referred to as “role overload.”

The study focused on four hospitals in the Ottawa area and found that the problem with workers being over-stressed doesn’t come from working longer and harder; instead, they found that much of the stress results from the dramatic change in the complexity and intensity of their work due to factors such as downsizing, restructuring and policy pressures. Among specific problems cited were; a workplace attitude in which everything is considered to be “urgent;” a shortage of staff to handle everything that needed to be done; and the “role juggling” required of them both at home and work. This “role juggling” can include having to work at multiple locations at different hospitals or campuses, supervising others and trying to implement government policies.

While the study confirms that health-care workers are among the most stressed, overwhelmed and burned-out workers in the country, the lessons learned can translate to just about any workplace. The implications of this study are that employers need to worry about a lot more than the hours their employees are working. The report’s recommendations included reduced workloads, of course, but they also recommended providing them with more opportunities to socialize and communicate with colleagues. They also recommended they take care of their employees, and become sensitive to issues other than raw productivity numbers. There should be a greater emphasis placed on rewarding and recognizing those who do a good job, as well as clarifying workers’ roles and making sure they have sufficient help in carrying them out.

Stress is a very serious problem in any workplace; not just a hospital. Workers don’t just worry about their pay and long hours; the entire work experience contributes to worker stress. And too much stress can lead to major health and safety problems.

Did you know that repetitive strain injuries or musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) account for as much as 40% of all lost-time claims in Canadian workplaces? Did you know that many of these injuries could be avoided simply by reducing stress in the workplace?

When most safety experts discuss MSDs, they tend to focus on physical hazards like posture, repetition, force, and vibrations, as these injuries are obvious. Less obvious is another crucial element that should be considered when discussing MSDs; the psychosocial environment in the workplace.

While many choose not to think about it, the stress workers feel when worrying about such things as losing their job or being overworked can have an overall negative effect on productivity and affect their physical well-being.

Basically, when a worker is stressed out, it can affect their behaviour and make them less likely to think about safety, which makes them more prone to physical hazards. Psychosocial risk factors can include stress from excessive work demands; lack of support from other workers and/or supervisors; a lack of communication; too much communication, in the form of a supervisor breathing down their necks; and feeling underappreciated on the job.

For example, if a worker feels that a supervisor is on his back, or he feels like he has too much work to do in a short amount of time, he may decide to rest every once in a while. If the worker is thinking about things not related to the job at hand, he may not pay attention to his posture. When a worker is stressed, there is more tension in muscles that may already be negatively affected by the task at hand.

The economy is bad and everyone’s worried these days, so you probably can’t eliminate all stress in the workplace. But there are steps you can take to mitigate stress as much as possible:

Difficult economic times make workers feel stressed and helpless, so you should try to make them feel less so. Put increased emphasis on health and safety, and get the workers involved. Use their input and make problem solving a collaborative effort.
Consider creating a support network where workers can discuss work and personal issues in a constructive way. Being considerate of everyone’s well-being actually also makes it more likely that all workers will continue to follow all health and safety procedures.
Be sure that all communication is proactive. Keep everyone informed of every issue. By communicating everything, workers feel more important and more engaged in the process.
Especially when times are tough, workers appreciate being appreciated. Even something as simple as a “thank you” or a “great job” will brighten their day, and they’ll feel like what they do matters.
Encourage workers to take a break. Taking a few deep breaths and stepping away from a stressful situation is rejuvenating and it’s necessary for preserving everyone’s physical health, especially with regard to repetitive tasks.
Encourage workers to take care of themselves. During stressful times, workers often don’t think much about personal health. It’s important that they take some time for themselves once in a while, whether it’s spending time with the family or playing a game.

There is so much emphasis put on physical health and safety, sometimes we forget that mental stresses can lead to serious physical problems and safety issues. Make sure workers feel good about the job; that will go a long way toward protecting everyone’s physical safety, as well.

It’s been estimated that about four out of every five adults will experience back pain or injury during their lifetime. As you can guess, this is also a very common reason that workers lose time on the job. Therefore, if would be wise move to develop a routine to reduce the potential for back injury while on the job.

The back is a complicated mechanism. It’s supported by a spinal column made up of vertebrae, each of which is supported by a network of muscles, ligaments and tendons and cushioned by discs. Most instances of back pain occur when part of the body is weak or overworked and the back attempts to compensate. For instance, many back aches occur when carrying a large amount of weight without preparation. If the abdominal muscles aren’t strong enough to carry it, the back overcompensates. That’s why most common form of back pain is muscular.

Muscular back pain usually occurs when engaging in a new activity that the muscles aren’t used to, or by increasing the workload beyond whatever the muscles have done before. It can also happen when muscles are cold. Before engaging in work that might put some strain on the back, you need to warm up first. Do some basic stretching exercises before any strenuous activity. If you’re lifting heavy items, try to lift the least heavy items first, and work your way up to the heaviest. Try to avoid repetitive tasks as much as possible; if equipment is available to perform the job, use it. And be sure to drink plenty of water; dehydration can lead to muscle spasms.

If you take all precautions, and you still end up with a sore back, make sure you give it plenty of rest using good posture. Apply heat to it, in the form of a warm shower or a heating pad.

Tendon and ligament injuries are less common than muscle injury, but it’s still a problem. Ligaments are bands of tissue that connect bones and work as shock absorbers for joints, and tendons connect muscle to bone. Most ligament and tendon injuries occur due to prolonged poor posture. Tendons and ligaments become overstretched due to the poor posture and when sudden strain is placed on them, they can tear. Damage often happens when leaning over a piece of equipment for too long and then engaging in physical activity that puts the back into another awkward position. Such injuries have also been known to occur during tasks such as shoveling.

Again, warming up is a good idea to avoid these injuries. In addition, be sure to take regular breaks to give your back a rest. If your work has you in a position of poor posture, be sure to stop and stretch often. As always, if equipment can perform the job and is available, use it.

Disc injury is also far too common in the workplace. Discs are little cushions between each vertebrae. As you lean from side to side, the down-tilted side of each disc will be squashed and the up-tilted side of the disc will expand. Injuries generally occur when the spine is rotated beyond its normal range of motion, by bending forward too often or too quickly, or by lifting heavy loads. Excessive strain to the discs can occur when you lift a heavy load and proceed to rotate or bend forward while doing so.

Besides warming up and maintaining good posture most of the time, follow proper lifting techniques — “lift with your legs” comes to mind. When carrying a heavy load, lift and set down the load using your legs, while keeping your back as straight as possible.

To keep your back healthy, keep it in your thoughts at all times. Practice good posture, which means keeping the back straight as much as possible. Warm up before engaging in activity that might put pressure on your back. Make sure you give yourself time to rest and recover between activities, and always allow your body to adapt to new activities; don’t just rush into a new project until you’ve had time to rest from the last one.