A bully in your workplace can affect morale, increasing stress levels for fellow employees—and possibly increasing your workers’ compensation costs. The Workplace Bullying Institute defines workplace bullying as “repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators. It is abusive conduct that is: Threatening, humiliating, or intimidating, or Work...
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How To Conduct a Safety Investigation
Serious sleuthing after a workplace injury can not only help you discover the cause of a specific injury, it can also uncover hidden workplace hazards. After an accident occurs, your first priority should be to get appropriate treatment for the injured worker. After that, you will want to take steps to prevent additional accidents from...
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Indoor Air Quality and Worker Health
When you think of air pollutants, you probably think of smog, auto exhaust and industrial emissions. But often indoor air can have more pollutants than outdoor air. Since the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970, outdoor air quality has improved along many measures. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is another story altogether. Since the...
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Crowd Management Safety
In 2008, a retail worker died from being trampled during a holiday sale event. OSHA has sent letters to major retailers to remind employers about the potential hazards of large crowds at retail stores during the holiday season. It is encouraging retailers to use the safety guidelines, Crowd Management Safety Guidelines for Retailers, available on...
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The Risks of Sitting
So much for office work being safe. In today’s office, many workers can spend more than half of their work day sitting…and scientists are finding that sitting for prolonged periods of time increases health risks. It makes sense that working at a desk job increases the risk of being overweight, due to low activity levels...
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Ebola in the Workplace
As this issue went to press, only a few confirmed cases of Ebola existed in the U.S. What happens if it spreads? At this point, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control seems confident in the ability of the country’s health system to contain and prevent the spread of the disease here. Health insurers, which would...
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Marijuana and Workers Compensation
Now that marijuana use is legal in nine states, what does this mean for your workers’ compensation safety program? Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia now allow the medical use of marijuana. Colorado and Washington have also legalized its recreational use and possession. Will this send employers’ zero-tolerance policies up in smoke? Jeff Burgess,...
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Stress-Relief Exercises for Smartphone Users
You can perform the following exercises at work throughout your day. These exercises can help energize your body and relieve muscle tension. Hand Stretches: Separate and straighten your fingers until you feel the tension of a stretch. Hold 10 seconds. Relax, then bend fingers at the knuckles and hold 10 seconds. Repeat the first stretch...
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Smartphones: The Newest Ergonomic Hazard?
Today, smartphones account for more than 60 percent of all mobile phones sold in the U.S. Increasing speed, better features and more apps mean people spend more time on them than ever before. Should employers expect a rise in repetitive strain injuries? Using a smartphone or tablet for extensive reading can force users to hold...
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Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls
Slips, trips and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. They cause 18 percent of workplace injuries and 15 percent of deaths. What can you do to keep your employees as safe as possible? A comedian might trip and fall during a routine for laughs. But when your employees trip and fall, it’s no...
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