Work shouldn't hurt

TORONTO, Oct. 17 /CNW/ - In Canada alone, there were 928 workplace fatalities and more than 340,000 workplace lost-time injuries in 2004. Reports of stress in the workplace are appearing in the news on an increasingly frequent basis; statistics indicating that 20% of Canadian workers experience a stress-related illness each year. Workplace stress alone being linked to accidents and injuries, heart disease, anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse, infectious disease, back pain, and musculoskeletal disorders.
The byproducts of unhealthy workplaces, producing such facts and figures, come at a high price: devastating human repercussions, as well as direct costs for compensating injuries, illnesses, and fatalities, and indirect costs associated with lost productivity, turnover, worker recruitment, and retention issues.
A healthy workplace minimizes and eliminates such negative results by focusing on health practices, the physical work environment, and the psychosocial work environment. The three elements are rarely separate and discrete areas, but in fact overlap in some situations.
Consider the example of an overweight and inactive worker who hurts their back while lifting a heavy box at work. The injury could be attributed to the physical work environment - the fact that they had to lift heavy loads. But, it may also be influenced by a general lack of personal fitness, which contributed to the likelihood of a back injury. In this situation, health practices have an influence. However, if the worker were lifting the box manually, instead of using the mechanical lifting device available, because workload and deadlines did not provide time for use of the proper procedure, then the psychosocial work environment was also a contributing factor. These all too plausible and realistic scenarios demonstrate the need for an integrated approach to the creation and managing of an overall healthy work environment.
A healthy workplace is one where both the individuals and the organization thrive and take responsibility for improving their own health, as well as creating a healthy workplace environment. Simply put, the end result is healthy people in healthy organizations.
IAPA urges you to get serious about creating healthy workplaces, free of injuries and illness, during Canada's Healthy Workplace Week, October 23 - 29, 2006. This annual celebration is dedicated to increasing awareness of the positive connection between employee health and organizational productivity, profitability, and long-term success. Visit www.healthyworkplaceweek.ca and www.iapa.ca to start taking the steps to making your workplace a healthy and safe one.
Submitted by IAPA (Industrial Accident Prevention Association), a not-for-profit organization operating in Ontario since 1917. Representing more than 50,000 member firms and in excess of 1.5 million Ontario workers, IAPA is Canada's leading workplace health and safety organization.

Increased Number Of Traffic Related Deaths Often Seen After Time Change
 
VANCOUVER, Oct. 23 /CNW/ - At 2 a.m. on Sunday, October 29, Daylight Saving Time comes to an end. Setting time back one hour will result in many commuters finding themselves making their way home in the dark. Various studies indicate that the lack of daylight during the evening commute home often sees an increased number of traffic related deaths and serious injuries.
Darkness at the end of a long workday often causes drowsiness, which dulls concentration and slows reaction time. A driver's reaction depends on vision. In the dark, depth perception, color recognition, and peripheral vision are compromised resulting in a slower and less accurate response.
The BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation (TSF) is reminding drivers and pedestrians to practice caution during their commute home at the end of the day and offers a few tips to help prevent crashes and injuries.

          For Drivers -

• Turn on your headlights. Most daytime-running light systems don't automatically illuminate the taillights.
  
  

• Inspect headlights, taillights and signal lights regularly, cleaning, replacing and re-aligning as needed.
  
  

• Change windshield wiper blades before their effectiveness is reduced. No matter how carefully one drives, it's impossible to avoid crashes if you can't clearly see the road.
  
  

• Check your vehicle's air circulation system is functioning properly to quickly defrost or defog windows. Keep a combination snowbrush / squeegee / scraper handy to ensure windows are free of dew and frost before setting out.
  
  

• Slow down as you drive through residential areas - 10 km slower can make a big difference in an emergency stop.
  
  

• Watch out for slippery leaves. Just as treacherous as patches of ice, fallen leaves retain large amounts of water and can create a slippery surface. Drive slowly through them and avoid hard or panic braking.
  
  

• Slow down when it's raining. When roads are slick with water, vehicles are susceptible to hydroplaning and take longer to stop. Use extra caution when driving on the first day of rain after a prolonged dry spell because oil tends to rise to the surface, making for extra slippery conditions.
  
  

• This is the worst time for pedestrian accidents and the TSF encourages pedestrians to be more aware as well.
  
  For Pedestrians-
  
  

• Wear light or reflective clothing to make you more visible in dark conditions. Carrying a flashlight will also make you more visible and help you see your way in the dark.
  
  

• Never step out from between parked cars. Always cross at a designated intersection, looking both ways and make sure drivers see you before you cross.
  
  

• If there is no sidewalk, always walk facing traffic and as far off the road as possible.
  
  

• Plan the walking portion of your commute along well-lit streets.
  
  With a little caution, the safety of all users of the road can be enhanced during the change in seasons.
  
  The BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation (TSF) is a non-profit registered charity working with families, communities and business partners to reduce the number and severity of traffic crashes and injuries in B.C. For more information visit www.bcaatsf.ca.
  
  DRIVE TO SAVE LIVES