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Workplace Safety – Not Optional

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 2.34 million occupational fatalities every year across the globe. In Canada alone injury and illness at work continues to be a significant problem.

It is estimated that musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) from working cost Canadian society upwards of $20 billion a year. Reports from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board in 2012 indicate that 43% of the claims were due to sprains and strains, 20% were due to low back injury and 19% were due to overexertion.

In Ontario, the Ministry of Labour enforces the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Occupational safety and health (OSH) is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. This Act explains the procedures for dealing with workplace hazards and allows the law to be enforced when workplaces have not adhered to the policies put in place.

Occupational therapists are experts at helping injured people to return to their jobs in modified or full capacities, or assist people to be retrained or find alternative forms of work if their previous occupation is no longer suitable. We conduct jobsite evaluations to outline the physical and cognitive work demands, assess the individual’s physical, cognitive and emotional preparedness to return, and often look at the ergonomics of their workstation or body positioning when doing the job. The overarching goal of all this is to ensure that people can return to work safely, can perform tasks independently, are productive, and to reduce the risk of re-injury. We also provide devices, education, organize work schedules and gradual return programs, and collaborate with employers, physicians and other health professionals to promote a successful outcome. With respect to prevention, we conduct workshops and provide education and training programs for employers and employees alike to promote health and safety while engaging in all work tasks.

April 28th is recognized as The World Day for Safety and Health at Work. It is held as an annual international campaign that seeks to promote safe, healthy and decent work environments. It also commemorates people who have had an accident or injury in the course of their job. It is important that we are all involved in this initiative – workplace safety should not be optional. Consider these four steps to make sure that health and safety are paramount in your organization:

  1. Get on board: You don’t have to be an owner or boss to be concerned about safety. Everyone is responsible for contributing to a safe workplace.
  2. Get in the know: Understand the hazards and risks at your own workplace.
  3. Get involved: If you see a hazard on the job, speak up and offer your insight and possible solutions.
  4. Get more help: All workers have the right to refuse work if they have reason to believe it is dangerous. Speak to a supervisor if you have concerns, or seek guidance from the Ontario Health and Safety Contact Centre at 1-877-202-0008.

Or, if you are off work due to injury or illness and need help returning, would like solutions to help you work more comfortably, or are concerned about the impact of your job on your physical, cognitive or emotional health, consider contacting an occupational therapist. We are here to help.

References

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. http://www.wsibstatistics.ca/asset_files/images/ByTheNumbers2012_S1_pg5.pdf

United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/events/safeworkday/

Ministry of Labour. https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/prevention/index.php

Ministry of Labour. https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pdf/workbook.pdf

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Emergency Preparedness Week: A Tale of Disaster and Preparedness

Disaster can strike at any time. While the size of these can vary, the one common denominator is that you never truly know when it will hit. The ice storm this past December took a toll on the GTA and Southwestern Ontario leaving some residents without power for more than a week – over Christmas! With the climate change we are experiencing, natural disasters are becoming more common. It is Emergency Preparedness Week in Canada and the Federal Government is reminding you and your family to create a plan and ensure you have an emergency kit prepared that will help ensure your survival for 72 hours. (www.getprepared.gc.ca) This kit should include the basics of:

  • Water
  • Non perishable foods
  • Medical supplies (like bandages, alcohol wipes, gauze pads)
  • Candles and matches
  • Blankets and extra clothes
  • Activity books and toys to entertain young children
  • And don’t forget about the animals in your home—ensure you save food and water for them as well!

Last year, after the flooding in Toronto, we wrote about Emergency Preparedness and specifically how this relates to people with disabilities. Check this out here: Emergency Preparedness.  Also, check out the you tube video which services as a fantastic reminder that disaster can strike at any point. Are you be prepared?

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Life is a Terminal Disease – Palliative Care and Occupational Therapy

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)

It was a life-changing experience. I was 19 and essentially never stopped. I had goals, drive, energy, and big plans for my future. I was a varsity athlete, had three jobs, was a full time university student, owned a student house, and had bought myself a dog. Knowing I wanted to work in healthcare, and after strongly connecting to some school courses in death and dying, I decided to pursue a volunteering opportunity at the local Hospice Society. This required a comprehensive training program followed by placement in the home of someone who had a terminal disease. My first (and only) placement was with a mom, age 37, who was dying of cancer. She had a 7 year old daughter and a husband who was also ill. I would attend their home once a week to spend time with the daughter, help to prepare meals, and would even assist with running errands and groceries. I provided emotional support and mentoring to a scared little girl, and was an extra set of hands for a dad and desperate husband. I was fortunate enough to be involved with the family for many years as the mother passed about a month after my wedding – four years after I met them. My husband and I tried to stay in touch with the daughter following, but dad really struggled and eventually his phone was disconnected.

The impact of this experience on me personally was huge. The things my parents had been telling me were true: “stop to smell the roses”, “don’t sweat the small stuff”, “make sure you have fun too”…I was intense and driven to the point of missing it. My experience in Hospice changed my outlook, my appreciation for my health, family and all those blessings that we take for granted daily.

Recognizing it is National Hospice Palliative Care Week, I wanted to showcase the role of Occupational Therapy in this challenging but

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rewarding field. To do this, I reached out to a colleague who has spent many years practicing occupational therapy in palliative care settings. Her reflections are as follows:

What I have learned is that Palliative Care is not particularly a specific intervention but rather a perspective of care that can be provided in a multitude of settings where end of life is faced such as our homes, hospitals, hospices or long term care facilities.

The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association defines End-of-life care as aiming to relieve suffering and improve the quality of living while dying for persons diagnosed with an advanced or terminal illness or who are bereaved.

Who defines how the client is suffering (physically, emotionally, spiritually) or that what we as healthcare providers do is indeed improving quality of living while dying? In a truly client centered approach, it is the client or their substitute decision maker that determines this. A collaborative interprofessional team has the potential to honour the client’s hopes and decisions in an identified plan of care.

The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists identifies various interventions in palliative care, based upon clinical setting, that the therapist can provide including addressing activities of daily living (ADLs), psychological and emotional issues (including stress and anxiety), exercise programs, splinting and positioning, energy conservation, relaxation techniques, seating and mobility, comfort, adaptive and assistive equipment, support and education for the family caregivers, connecting the client with community services and supports, and conducting home assessments.

What this can look like is, for example, providing mobility devices such as a walker or wheelchair to address declining physical abilities while maintaining engagement with family in a safe manner. Considerations also include provision of therapeutic surfaces whether on a bed, wheelchair or favourite recliner to help reduce the development of pressure ulcers once time spent sitting or lying in bed increases. It can be planning and preparing with the client and the team to assist the client attend a final function such as a family wedding where comfort, endurance and being relatively symptom free are the goals.

Ultimately, as roles in life are challenged due to losses with life limiting illnesses, the Occupational Therapist attempts to facilitate meaningful engagement that reflects a client’s goals in a dignified manner.

Carla Floriani, OT Reg Ont

I want to thank Carla for providing this insight and for guest-blogging on our site. Personally, I miss my volunteer work in Hospice but know that this is something I will eventually return to as it impacted me in a way I have not forgotten. The harsh reality is that life is a terminal disease – but we should not need to be given a deadline to act that way.

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A Little Creativity Can Go A Long Way

Are you feeling overwhelmed at work? Do you sometimes find it impossible to deal with your ever-growing inbox and workplace stress? The key here is to realize that your inbox will never be empty and instead of working harder, we need to work smarter by focussing on better productivity. Studies now show productivity at work is linked to how you spend your free time when not on the job. The following from Prevention Magazine suggests that expressing creativity and gaining a sense of accomplishment in your free time may increase your self-esteem helping you to tackle tasks on the job. Check out the following and let us know if you agree!

Prevention Magazine: The Happy Way To Be A Bit More Productive At Work

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LOL…OMG…RIP

Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc

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(reference: www.zazzle.ca)

What a great bumper sticker created to remind people of the risks of texting and driving. Why is this necessary? Because texting while driving has recently surpassed drinking as the # 1 cause of vehicle collisions. In fact, texting drivers are 23 times more likely than non-distracted drivers to be involved in a crash. The largest problem is with teens, but 47% of adults also admit that they are guilty of this habit.

I can see the pattern already…back in the 70’s when people were dying or getting seriously injured in car accidents they made seat belt laws. Then, kids were still getting hurt, or worse, because they were too small for the belt. So, they made car seats and enacted strict laws about their use. Drinking and driving was then on the rise, and many people (young and old) were losing their lives because of their own poor decisions, or due to the carelessness of others. Drinking laws come in, MADD is formed, and slowly the rates start dropping. When it was realized that some people were still not wearing belts, they brought in air bags. The increased safety of these for a seat-belt wearer was minimal, but for a non-wearer, somewhat protective.  Soon, the car phone is invented and this is replaced with the cell phone. Talking and driving becomes the norm. Arrive texting. Accidents relating to cell phone use in general increases, and now in Ontario there is a stiff fine for not being hands free in the car. Texting is more discrete when driving because the phone can be concealed below the eyesight of other drivers (versus attached to your ear). But when the driver is looking down, not ahead like they are supposed to, it is easy to surmise what they are up to. Texting and driving laws fall under “hands free” but based on the latest stats, it is clearly still happening.

If we break this down, we can see that texting and driving is not the real problem. This is just a symptom. The real problem is a society addicted to technology. A new generation of adults, tweens and teens that are so attached to their device(s) that they are unable to function without them. Instant gratification, the latest news and gossip, the ability to multi-task all the time. We have created a culture of people that literally can’t wait to communicate.

So, what can we do to try and help the pendulum to swing the other way? Here are some thoughts…

1. Like anything, as parents and adults we need to model appropriate phone behavior. No phones after a certain time, none at the table, not in your bedroom, and NEVER WHEN DRIVING. I still see adults driving, talking on the phone (illegal) with their tween in the front seat. Good luck teaching your kid how to follow the rules and drive safely if you are not doing this yourself.

2. Silent mode is an option. Turn the darn thing off. If a ding, ping, or funky tune has you desperate to find your phone and respond, power it down, use airplane mode, shut off the Wi-Fi – anything to pull you from the device at times when its use is not appropriate.

3. Don’t start this stuff too early with your kids. I love the quote from the book Queenbees and Wannabees “If your child is between the ages of 7 and 12 and has a cell phone, you have lost your mind”. Wow, I know a lot of people that are insane then. It is everywhere. For me, my kids can have a phone when they can a) afford it or b) show enough responsibility that its’ use will be proper. They still can’t hang up their coats so why would I assume they can manage a phone? Saying no as a parent is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children.

4. Support the cause. There are some great people and organizations out there that are trying to educate the youth of today about the perils of texting and driving. Check out www.DontDriveDistracted.org. – a crusade and website that is being managed by a 16 year old. Impressive! Or, www.textingthumbbands.com where you can purchase bands to place over your phone for in the car, or thumb bands reminding you to text responsibly.

As an occupational therapist working with car accident survivors, I can tell you no message, text or call is worth it. The impact of an accident on you physically, cognitively or emotionally can be severe, devastating, catastrophic. The way you are treated by your insurer may disgust you. The length of time it takes to get back on your feet, to return to work, play, fun, will surprise you. And if you don’t value your own life to stop these dangerous habits, then value the lives of other drivers that rely on you to be focusing on ONE thing when driving – THE ROAD.

In May, Entwistle Power will be at the Hamilton Health Sciences Conference giving out wrist bands to spread the “don’t text and drive” message. While I love my job, I would rather see car accidents disappear.

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The Off Road Wheelchair: “Coolness is not a temperature, it is a state of mind”

Wheelchair accessibility and ease of mobility in Canada is a priority and over time, urban buildings have become easier to access for people of all abilities.    Yet, how do wheelchair user who live in rural areas or developing  countries manage without this accessibility?  A newly developed product, “The Off Road Wheelchair” is hoping to help overcome these challenges, allowing wheelchair users to get around easily on any terrain.  This new technology may also become important in wheelchair sports and leisure in developed countries allowing more accessibility for those who need it.  Check out this fantastic newly designed off road wheelchair which, in one word, is described simply as “cool.”