Joint Faculty/Staff Health & Safety

Committee

Cindy Crossman

Ryan Sargent

Darya Tower

Cindy Landry

Josh Kurek

Ashley Martin

Inside this issue:

Noise Induced Hearing Loss 1

Stay Hydrated with Water 2

Ergonomics 3

Emergency Procedures 4

Working in the heat 2

Faculty & Staff Health & Safety Committee

July, 2018

Joint Faculty/Staff Health & Safety Committee

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Stay hydrated with water

Water is essential to life. Getting enough water every day is important for your health and is the best way to quench your thirst. Why do I need water? Our bodies lose water by sweating, breathing and getting rid of waste. If you lose more fluid than you take in, you get dehydrated. Young children and seniors are at higher risk of becoming dehydrated. They need to drink fluids throughout the day. Water is a healthy, calorie-free way of staying hydrated. It helps your body work in a number of ways:

maintains your body temperature,

helps break down food so that your body can absorb the nutrients,

helps get rid of waste,

acts as a cushion between cells, muscles, and joints,

Keeps your bowels “regular” How can I stay hydrated? How much water you need every day depends on your age, gender and activity level. Hot and humid weather can also increase your needs. Drinking water regularly will help you stay hydrated. You should drink more water in warm weather and when you are physically active. Make water your beverage of choice! Choose it instead of beverages that are high in calories, sugar and fat. Low fat milk and un-sweetened fortified soy beverages are also healthy options for staying hydrated. Source https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/tips-healthy-eating/stay-hydrated-with-water.html

Working in the heat

Whether working inside or outside during the hot summer months, it is important that employees listen to their bodies and learn to recognize the five main forms of heat stress and their symptoms:

Heat rash - "prickly heat rash", tiny, raised blister-like rash on the skin.

Heat cramps - painful muscle spasms and excessive sweating.

Heat exhaustion - headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea and clammy skin.

Heat syncopy - fainting while standing.

Heat stroke - severe headache, confusion, delirium, convulsions, loss of consciousness and hot, dry, flushed skin. There are various factors that can influence the onset of heat related symptoms, including:

1. Environmental conditions: air temperature, humidity, wind speed and radiant heat (sun). 2. Intensity of work/work load. 3. Duration of exposure. 4. Frequency of work. 5. Human factors such as physical fitness, age, medications. 6. Type of clothing. 7. Degree of acclimatization or becoming accustomed to the work and environmental conditions. Source http://ohsguide.worksafenb.ca/topic/heatcold.html

Ergonomics

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Ergonomics is about interactions between people and their physical and organizational environments. The aim of er-gonomics is to match the job to the worker to reduce the strain placed on the tissues and to prevent injury. When peo-ple's workplace conditions and job demands match their capabilities, safety and productivity improve. Ergonomics can reduce the risk of strains and sprains and other related musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs).

Adjusting your chair Raise your chair and then sit Lower the chair until your feet are flat on the floor and legs at a 90-110 degree angle Allow space for a closed fist between the edge of the seat pan and the back of your legs Adjust the backrest so the lumbar support contacts the curvature in your lower back (just above the belt line). You may need to move the backrest up or down as well as towards or away from you Adjust armrests so that your elbows can rest on them while your arms hang freely at your side Your shoulders should not be elevated

Adjusting your keyboard Place the keyboard directly in front of you Raise/lower the tray so that the angle between your forearm and upper arm is 90-100 degrees Type with your wrists “floating” over the keys Maintain a straight wrist posture when typing Armrest should be adjusted to elbow height. Too high and the shoulders will be shrugged, which can cause discomfort. If they are too low, the shoulders may be depressed which can affect the posture of the back and neck.

Adjusting your mouse Place the mouse in front of your “mouse hand” You should NOT have to reach away from your body when using the mouse Support your elbows on your armrests when mousing. Remember to maintain a 90 degree angle at the elbow Position the mouse at the SAME height as the keyboard Maintain a straight wrist posture when mousing Rather than wrist movements alone, use your whole arm for mousing

Adjusting your monitor Position the monitor directly in front of you, at least one arm’s length away Adjust monitor height so that the top of the screen is at seated eye height. Note: If it cannot be lowered to this height, you may have to raise your chair and readjust your workstation Angle the monitor slightly up towards your eyes Position the monitor perpendicular to windows and between overhead lights to reduce glare If you wear bifocals, the top of the monitor should be approximately 1 inch lower than seated eye height. Consider purchasing progressive lens computer glasses

Source: WorkSafe BC, WorkSafe NB, www.ohcow.on.ca

http://mta.ca/community/administrative_departments/human_resources/health_and_safety/health___safety/

Health & Safety Website

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