Accident Prevention e-News July 2008	Volume 3/Issue 7/July 2008
In this Issue: Inspection blitz: who’s next? Summer driving tips Back safety quiz Avoiding vacation deprivation

Inspection blitz: who’s next?

Ministry of Labour inspectors have begun a series of inspection blitzes that will target four key hazards.

“The idea behind the blitz,” says Wayne De L’Orme, provincial co-ordinator of the ministry’s Industrial Health and Safety Program, “is awareness… We’re just trying to highlight these major issues.”

During a blitz inspection, inspectors will focus on workplace areas or activities in which the targeted hazards may be present. Inspectors have been instructed to take a zero-tolerance approach, advises De L’Orme. “If we find non-compliance, we will prosecute in some way.”

The four hazards, and their expected timing, include

• young and new worker orientation. This blitz took place in June, as many young and new workers began seasonal jobs. There was a high level of inspection activity, says De L’Orme, resulting in “a lot of orders.”
• falls (September). “They were the #1 killer in the industrial sector last year.”
• electrical (November). “We’re seeing most of the injuries in the industrial plant setting, says De L’ Orme. “Electrical injuries are the only injury category that hasn’t shown a significant decline over the years.”
• forklifts (February 2009). Injuries involving forklifts remain “stubbornly high.”

A new strategy
These blitzes are just one aspect of the ministry’s new compliance strategy, “Safe at Work Ontario.” The previous compliance strategy, which resulted in a 20 percent reduction in lost-time injuries over five years, focused mainly on workplaces with higher than average lost-time injury (LTI) rates and claim costs.

The new strategy is designed to

• improve the health and safety culture of workplaces
• reduce injuries and illness
• lessen the burden on the health care system
• avoid costs for employers and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), and
• provide a level playing field for companies already compliant.

This strategy relies on new criteria, which means that the ministry will be visiting many workplaces that have not had an injury. Results from these inspections will determine the level of ministry engagement, and the frequency of subsequent inspections.

Under the new strategy, the ministry will draw on a wider range of information to help target workplaces. This information includes

• injury rates and associated costs, determined through WSIB data
• compliance history
• hazards inherent in the work
• new businesses
• size of businesses
• specific events or incidents (e.g., critical or fatal injuries, or violence)
• new and/or vulnerable workers.

What inspectors look for
When inspecting workplaces, inspectors will watch for

• compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations
• health and safety programs and policies
• Internal Responsibility System self-reliance
• training requirements/deficiencies
• injury records, including musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
• occurrence and records of workplace violence
• young worker health and safety
• workplace-specific sector hazards.

How IAPA can help

1. Call IAPA—1.800.406.IAPA (4272)—to obtain a statistical profile of your firm. Member firms can request a compensable injury analysis report, account rate profile, or MSD report. Injury history is one of the factors that could lead to an inspection. Your firm’s history could also indicate opportunities for health and safety program improvements. When calling, have your firm number rate group number handy.
2. Attend the session “MOL 2009 Strategies” at IAPA’s Awareness Conference, October 21, in Kitchener.
3. Check IAPA’s online catalogue for information, products, training and consulting services related to the hazards targeted by ministry inspectors.

Summer driving tips

In winter, summertime shimmers on the horizon as a sunny, relaxing destination where we can finally sit back and enjoy ourselves. Life rarely matches our expectations, but taking certain precautions can make your summer driving experiences safer and more enjoyable. What follows are tips adapted from a number of sources.

Before heading off

• Servicing: before a road trip, take your vehicle in for a full service at least one full week earlier.
• Last minute checks: recheck all fluid levels and the tire pressure and the windshield washer reservoir just before the journey starts.
• Spare kit: reduce delays caused by minor faults by taking a small spares kit comprising a fan belt, radiator hoses, bulbs, points, a condenser, pair of spark plugs and a roll of insulting tape. Alternatively, consider taking out a roadside service plan.
• Balance: when packing, ensure the load is balanced. Place heavy articles as near to the centre of the car as possible. Never concentrate heavy articles on one side of the vehicle, impede the driver’s vision, or prevent seat belts from being used.
• Inside the vehicle: secure any loose or heavy items stored in the passenger compartment. They can move during braking or cornering, distracting the driver, interfering with controls, or injuring vehicle occupants.
• Outside the vehicle: firmly secure and load roof racks with as low a profile as possible to maintain stability and minimize wind resistance. Make sure everything carried on the roof rack is securely tied down.

On the road

• Rural driving: many city drivers feel freer driving in the country. However, care and attention is still needed at all times. There may be a herd of cows around the next corner, or wildlife ready to dart out. Treat animals with patience, slowing down well in advance and leaving as much space as possible between the vehicle and the animals. Overtake horses and riders very slowly; again, leaving as much space as possible. While travelling on a gravel or dirt road, show courtesy to other drivers, pedestrians and animals by minimizing dust generation.
• Construction: summer is road construction season. Allow extra time to reach your destination, and when you encounter construction heed the reduced speed limits and instructions from road traffic crews.
• Potholes: hitting a pothole at high speed can blow a tire, damage a tire rim, and cause you to lose control of the vehicle. Keep your eyes on the road ahead.
• Cyclists: with each year the number of cyclists increases. When parking or pulling out, check behind you. When driving, pass cyclists only under the safest conditions. Watch the road ahead of cyclists, in case poor surface conditions require them to suddenly detour. When approaching cyclists from behind, do not honk your horn to alert them. This will only startle them, and could cause them to lose control.
• Bad weather: rain at the end of a dry spell can mix with dust, oil and rubber, producing ideal conditions for hydroplaning. In dry weather, sand and gravel can have the same effect. At all times, drive appropriately for the conditions.
• Odd sounds: if something in your vehicle doesn’t sound right, check it out as soon as possible. No one wants to be stranded by the side of the highway.

Back safety quiz
By Anita Dubey

Have you ever experienced back pain? If you do heavy, awkward or repetitive lifting or work in a confined space, then there’s a good chance that you have. Although back pain is one of the leading causes of work disability, there are still many myths about how to prevent and treat it.

Research by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and the Cochrane Back Review Group has helped quash some of these myths. The Cochrane Back Review Group, which is based at IWH, is an international network of researchers dedicated to summarizing back pain research.

The quiz
Test your knowledge of back pain in the quiz below—and then read the answers based on research. (And please consult a health care professional if you have back pain.)

1. There are three basic types of back pain, and each may call for different treatments.
   True False
2. Wearing a back belt while lifting heavy objects will help support your spine and prevent back pain.
   True False
3. In general, exercising is probably a good way to prevent or reduce back pain.
   True False
4. If you have back pain, you should get as much rest as possible until your back feels better.
   True False
5. Which of the following options can help relieve back pain (check all that apply):
   Acupuncture
   Massage therapy
   Pain relievers such as Tylenol (acetaminophen), Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen)
   Herbal remedies such as Devil’s Claw, White Willow or Capsicum
   Spinal manipulation
   Yoga

Check the Answers

Anita Dubey is the Institute for Work & Health’s communications co-ordinator.

How IAPA can help

• IAPA offers a number of training opportunities, including the self-study program Back Safety 101 (a DVD- and video-based training package, Nuts and Bolts of Implementing an MSD Prevention Program, and others.
• Attend Safe Lifting Techniques, a session at IAPA’s Awareness conference, Kitchener, October 21
• Learn more about IAPA’s full range of offerings, including training courses, free downloads, and ergonomic consulting.

Avoiding vacation deprivation

Not using all your holiday time? Join the rest of us. According to Expedia’s 2008 vacation deprivation survey, more than one quarter (29%) of Canadians are not taking off all of the time available to them. Furthermore, 33% of Canadians identify themselves as being vacation deprived. This could be bad for our health, and by extension for business.

Accident Prevention e-News offers suggestions on how to prevent vacation deprivation. But first, holidays and our hearts. An analysis of data from a nine-year study of 12,000 men at high risk for coronary heart disease revealed that participants who took regular annual vacations had a lower risk of death during the study period relative to those skipping their vacations.

Researchers Brooks Gump (Department of Psychology, State University of New York) and Karen Matthews (Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh) suggest that vacations may protect health by reducing stress. The researchers noted that vacations appear to be more protective against death from coronary heart disease, known to be influenced by stress, than diseases such as cancer. They also suggest that vacations may provide opportunities to engage in restorative behaviour, such as interacting with family and friends, and exercising.

Who is and isn’t taking vacation
The table below indicates vacation days available and used by country, and the percentage of employed adults who have vacation days left over.

* estimated

What vacation deprivation may be saying about your workplace
If significant numbers of employees aren’t using up their vacation time, it could indicate an unhealthy workplace culture, says Joan Burton, IAPA’s senior strategy advisor, healthy workplaces. Burton outlines three possible underlying causes:

1. the workplace has unrealistic and unachievable workloads, so that people simply can't get all their work done if they take all their vacation.
2. the workplace is rigid and inflexible about allowing people to choose when they take their vacation, so that people can't coordinate their vacations with their families, or have to take vacation in such small chunks that it isn't worth taking.
3. the workplace (senior leaders) view people who work long hours and/or give up vacation time as more dedicated than those who don't work overtime, and actually use all their vacation. These leaders tend to subtly reward those who fit this interpretation of dedication.

The business benefit
Why encourage workers to use their vacation time? It’s in the business’s best interests. Employees who perceive that their employer is supportive of their personal work-life balance

• are more committed to the company
• have higher job satisfaction
• have better physical and mental health
• experience less job stress
• miss less time at work
• spend less on prescription medications
• are less likely to be thinking of leaving the company

These attributes all affect a company’s recruitment costs, absenteeism, presenteeism, benefits costs, productivity, and ultimately the bottom line.

How to prevent vacation deprivation
Start by assessing employee attitudes and behaviour. For example, review vacation usage statistics to identify the extent of the problem and potential hot spots. Also, conduct a perception survey on vacation usage and other indicators of work-life imbalance.

If the assessments reveal problems or shortcomings, form a multidisciplinary team to identify possible solutions. Examples appear below.

• Create a vacation-positive environment. Many workplaces don’t have one: 31% of Canadian respondents feel guilty about taking time off; 25% say their employer does not encourage them to take all of the time available. Even when on holiday, 29% of US respondents admitted having trouble coping with stress from work at some point during their vacation. Communicate company policy and expectations in orientation sessions, and periodically through departmental meetings, one-to-one sessions and other opportunities.
  
  
• Make holidays mandatory, and assign supervisors responsibility for ensuring workers use their allotted time. For instance, track holiday usage, and alert employees who still have large blocks of time.
  
  
• Encourage reasonable working hours: workplaces that are heavily dependent on overtime may boost productivity in the short term, but diminish it in the long term.
  
  
• Discourage workers from continuing to work during off hours: 48% of Canadian respondents feel that technological advances have made getting away from work more difficult. Among US respondents, 24% admitted to checking work email or voicemail while vacationing. Deterrents include limiting or banning work calls or messages during off hours, or banning the use of work-related electronic devices (Blackberries, PDAs, cell phones…) during non-working hours, including holidays.
  
  
• Help workers plan for time off: 20% of Canadian respondents say they have cancelled or postponed their vacation plans in the past because of work. If workload, production schedules and expectations are vacation barriers, sit down with the affected workers and come up with solutions together. For instance, in production areas where vacations are difficult to schedule, consider cross-training or other alternative work coverage strategies. Develop contingency plans for any work/projects, etc. that might come up in a vacationing worker’s absence.
  
  
• Don’t allow workers to bank their holidays. Allowing workers to save unused holidays from one year to the next just encourages them to put off their vacations. However, allow for exceptions if the occasional time-sensitive project or production order interferes with planned holidays.
  
  
• Ensure managers set an example. If they’re not taking vacations, others may feel reluctant to do so.

How IAPA can help
IAPA offers a number of resources to help you improve the quality of working life.

• Free downloads on work-life balance, healthy workplaces, and psychosocial risks:
  • Work-Life Balance: A Strategic Business Issue (also offered as a 3-hour workshop or a 1-hour presentation, and available on-site, on request)
  • Creating Healthy Workplaces, a comprehensive rationale for creating a physically and psychologically healthy work environment.
  • Psychosocial Risk Management: What Every Business Manager Should Know
• Free downloads on workplace stress
• Healthy workplace consultation, training and programming. IAPA consultants can help your firm generate safety and performance advantages that result from achieving nationally recognized healthy workplace criteria. IAPA is an authorized provider of NQI Healthy Workplace courses and related materials, the NQI Progressive Excellence Program (NQI PEP) and related materials, and related services.

One final thought: when you do take time off this summer, don’t forget to protect yourself against West Nile Virus, excessive UV exposure, and other seasonal hazards.

Back safety quiz answers

1. There are three basic types of back pain, and each may call for different treatments.
   Answer: True
   Most people—eight in 10—experience acute low-back pain that lasts about four weeks. Less common are sub-acute back pain, which runs from one to three months, or chronic back pain, which lasts for more than three months. Researchers are finding that different treatments may work for each type.
   
   
2. Wearing a back belt while lifting heavy objects will help support your spine and prevent back pain.
   Answer: False
   Back belts are NOT effective. Several reviews, including one just released in 2008, have looked at all the scientific studies on back belt use. Back belts do not prevent low-back pain or reduce sick leave in workers. As a treatment for people with chronic or acute back pain, back belts are as effective as no treatment in reducing short-term pain and overall improvement.
   
   
3. In general, exercising is probably a good way to prevent or reduce back pain.
   Answer: True
   Exercise programs provide a “double bonus,” according to Dr. Benjamin C. Amick III, IWH’s scientific director. In several recent reviews, exercise therapy reduced pain symptoms in workers with chronic back pain. The extra bonus: exercise helps prevent many other chronic conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes. For workers with chronic low-back pain, supervised, individually tailored exercise programs that involve stretching and strengthening exercises seem most effective. For acute low-back pain, however, exercise yields the same results as having no treatment. In general, most people with back pain will feel somewhat better within two weeks and much better within a month.
   
   
4. If you have back pain, you should get as much rest as possible until your back feels better.
   Answer: False
   It is best to try and stay as active as possible when you have back pain, even though moving might be very painful. Conventional wisdom held that resting in bed was better, but research shows that this isn’t true.
   
   
5. Which of the following options can help relieve back pain (check all that apply):
   Acupuncture
   Acupuncture is more effective for people with chronic back pain than having no treatment or a “fake” acupuncture treatment. It works as well as other conventional and alternative treatments. We still don’t know if it’s effective for acute back pain.
   Massage therapy
   Massage can help some patients with chronic back pain, especially when combined with exercises and education. Again, its value for acute back pain is still not proven.
   Pain relievers such as Tylenol (acetaminophen), Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen)
   Commonly-used pain relievers, which people can buy without a prescription, are effective in relieving pain and helping many people with acute back pain return to normal functioning. Very severe or chronic back pain may require stronger medicine that requires a doctor’s prescription.
   Herbal remedies such as Devil’s Claw, White Willow or Capsicum
   Several herbal medicines appear to help reduce pain. Devil’s Claw is an anti-inflammatory. Taken in a daily dose of 50 or 100 mg, it’s more effective than a fake treatment. The same is true of White Willow, sometimes called “nature’s aspirin,” taken in a daily dose of 240 mg. A topical plaster of Capsicum frutescens, made from chili peppers, is also helpful in reducing pain and improving functioning.
   Spinal manipulation
   Spinal manipulation, a technique used commonly by chiropractors, is more effective than a “fake” manipulation and the same as several other techniques in reducing pain and helping people function.
   Yoga
   A style of yoga called Viniyoga is more effective than conventional exercise or an educational book in improving functioning and reducing medication use for chronic back pain. Viniyoga is personalized to an individual’s ability and condition. Studies of Iyengar yoga produced conflicting results. Other types of yoga have not been studied.