I want you to consider for a moment: How much time do you spend sitting?

The truth is the majority of working roles force people to spend a huge amount of time sitting – and they never take into account that resulting discomfort plays a major role in fatigue, irritability, injury and lack of motivation. Sitting is a part of:

• the office setting – as a receptionist, bookkeeper, telemarketer, keyboard operator, IT specialist, manager or copy writer, etc.
• driving – delivery, company car, truck, taxi, bus, mining vehicles, heavy duty vehicles on construction sites, or farming equipment, etc.
• aviation services – as a pilot of a helicopter or plane.

Even commuting to and from the workplace can have you sitting for extended periods!

Meet Jill

Meet Jill. She is a keyboard operator for a credit company, working 5 days a week. Jill’s life in relation to sitting is as follows:

• Commute to work on a train = 1 hour of sitting
• Arrives in office to begin work at 9am and sits in a chair until 10.30am – with one stretch break as she gets a drink during period. = 1 and a half hours of sitting
• Morning tea is twenty minutes which consists of 15 minutes sitting in the tea room and then a toilet break = 15 mins sitting
• Re-commences work at 10.40am and works through until 12pm = 1hour, 20 mins of sitting
• Jill collects her lunch from the fridge and catches the lift downstairs to have lunch in the park near her building. She sits reading a book until 12.45pm then returns back to her workplace to go to the toilet, have a quick chat with the Receptionist, and grab a glass of water for the next work session =  40 mins sitting
• Jill works from 1pm to 3.15pm, her longest stint = 2hours, 15mins
• Afternoon tea is twenty minutes which consists of 15 minutes in the tea room and a toilet break and another coffee to get her through the afternoon = 15 mins sitting
• Re-commencing work at 3.35pm, Jill works until 5pm = 1hour, 25mins sitting.
• Jill walks to the train station, stands for 5mins on the platform (thank goodness!) waiting for her train, and then sits for the next hour home = 1hour.
• When she gets home she organises dinner and settles down to two hours of her favourite TV shows, feeling exhausted and a litte irritable due to the ache in her lower back. She relishes this time out after a full days work – the only draw back is she’s sitting again… = another 2 hours.

That’s a day of 11 hours and 40 minutes sitting.

Do you do something similar? It might be behind the wheel of a vehicle or in a ‘cabin’ operating heavy machinery. You might even spend longer sessions than Jill during long shifts in the one seated position, often resulting in an aching back, sore neck and numb bum.

Have you ever considered the amount of stress that is placed on your back and spine sitting for so long? Have you ever considered that the fatigue you experience by the end of the day (or even earlier) is due to your bum and therefore lumbar region, back and spine being denied the comfort  and support it needs?

The average seat whether it be an office chair, pilot’s seat, truck seat, machinery operator’s seat and driver’s seat fails to provide appropriate pressure distribution where you make contact with the seat. You seem to have constant pressure on certain points of your bum and thighs which eventually cuts off blood supply to these areas, leading to a numb bum and legs, and even long-term circulatory issues. Do you ever find yourself squirming to find a better position, only needing to squirm all the more 10 minutes later?

If you are in machinery or a vehicle that experiences vibration (aircraft, trucks, cars, machinery, buses, etc.) due to engine vibration, rough roads or changing terrain, there is added stress to your body as it fights the vibration and gravity in search of stability. The body’s fight against these forces leads to fatigue and muscular pain. And did you know that being seated for long periods over time can contribute to spinal compression?

There are cushions available on the market that can help to relieve pressure by cushioning you correctly, absorb vibration (protecting your back and spine), and avoid heat build up. The leader in this field is AirHawk Cushions, who make cushions specifically designed for the aviation industry, mining industry, etc. and they have cushions to suit cars, buses, trucks, large machinery, office chairs, helicopters and planes, etc.

AirHawk Cushions have a unique design of interconnected air cells that mould to your individual shape – and you can adjust the amount of air pressure in them to suit you whenever you feel like it. The technology company behind AirHawk, ROHO has tested the air cell cushion and found it doesn’t compress like foam and gel cushions do over time.

The other asset of these cushions is that you can take them anywhere – they’re low profile and have washable covers. So Jill (our keyboard operator in the case study above) could use her cushion in the office, on the park bench, on the train, and even at home.

Check out AirHawk’s Website for more details.

So, what can you do as an employer to make sure your workers are safe? Here are a few ideas:

Have a Clean Workspace Policy:

Having tools, cords, boxes and other things out of place in an office or shop means there are many more chances that someone can kick something and hurt their foot, trip over, or have something fall on them leading to a serious injury. A good rule to implement is that every item of equipment should have a storage place that is easy and safe to access. Ensure the Clean Workspace Policy states that each item must be returned to its storage place when not in use.

While this may sound like you’re playing mum and telling your employees to ‘pick up their room’, you are actually training them to be responsible for their safety and that of others. A clean workplace is often a safer workplace.

Appropriate Safety Equipment:

Every career field has safety equipment that should be available and in use to keep your employees safer and healthier on the job.

In an office it may be ergonomically correct chairs and table items for those who are at a desk all day.

In a shop it could be protective face, eye, ear or even body gear to lessen the chance of serious injury on the job.

Ensure each worker has access to the proper equipment, and completes the mandatory training on how to use it correctly. You would be amazed at how many employees don’t know quite how to use the safety gear they have been issued.

Additionally, make it a policy that all workers use the gear provided. It’s also amazing the amount of workers who’ve had the training and have the equipment, but because of an “She’ll be right, mate” attitude fail to make use of it. During training, stress that it is company policy to use the safety equipment provided.

Proper Job Training:

Do your employees really know what they are supposed to be doing? Sure, they are nodding as you give instructions, but it is possible that they just don’t want to stand out as the one who doesn’t understand what is going on?

Make sure your instructions are clear. As different people learn in different ways it would be wise to supply workers with a variety of training methods.

Basically the human absorbs and processes information:

• visually (watching)
• auditorally (hearing)
• kinesthetically (doing)
• olfactorally (smelling)
• gustatorily (tasting)
• auditory digitally (talking to themselves or thinking)

Please excuse the geek speak! Obviously the ‘smelling’ or ‘tasting’ parts aren’t always a part of the industry you’re in… unless of course you’re in perhaps the floral or hospitality industries?

Have you ever had a trainee that you ‘told’ how to do the job – but they still didn’t get it? Basically, your instructions went in one ear and out the other? Or have you ever used equipment that you didn’t quite ‘get’ until you actually held the equipment and did a ‘dummy run’ before turning it on? It’s because the training you were provided with didn’t match the way your brain likes to take in information.

When supplying training cover the different styles of learning so you’re sure your worker has absorbed what you’re attempting to teach them.

• Show them how to do the job and offer them diagrams/charts showing the activity
• Tell them as you’re showing them
• Get them to hold the equipment and get the ‘feel’ of it
• Have them experience the smell of, or the taste of what they have to achieve (if applicable)
• Give them written instructions or ask them to explain the job back to you

If they are working with any sort of equipment, make sure they are completely trained on those pieces of equipment. You should also have regular refresher training sessions to make sure they know how everything works and are following the safe work practices they were originally taught. Many people create their own shortcuts over time, but these are not always the safest methods of working.

Making your workplace a safe one is not an impossible task. It simply takes common sense, an understanding of how to communicate with your workers, and a little action to back it up.

Here’s a look at the types of protections and why you may need them:

• Eye Protection – This is the most common, and often considered the most important piece of protective material in the workplace. Whether there is a threat of projectiles being tossed up from machinery, a threat of chemicals or other liquids splashing up from work being done or even large amounts of dust or air being blown in the face regularly, eyes must be protected. The eyes are very tender and can be easily damaged from a number of sources.
• Face – If there is a lot of dust, debris or other items being kicked up at work, you may want to opt for face protection to keep not only the eyes safe, but also the nose and mouth as a person is breathing. 
• Head – If things may be falling from above, or large pieces of equipment are being used, you may need to turn your workspace into a hardhat area and assure there is appropriate head protection for your workers.
• Foot – One of the biggest complaints about workplace injuries surrounds feet. Be it kicking hard objects or dropping heaving objects on the foot, many of these injuries can be prevented by using appropriate foot protection, such as steel-toed boots.
• Hand – No matter the job, usually hands are required to manipulate tools, machines or the materials being put into machines. In any of these situations, workers should have appropriate hand protection (i.e. gloves) to assure their hands stay in good health.
• Leg – Whether it’s because of the use of heavy equipment or because of the threat of low sitting items in the office, leg protection is a good idea. If there is a threat of chin or knee injuries you should consider this type of protection.
• Arm – In the same respect as the legs may need more protection, if there is a chance of hot or caustic materials splashing or flying on the arms of a worker, appropriate arm protection should be offered to keep them from being injured.
• Back – Is heavy lifting required in your workplace? Then make sure your employees are properly supported against the most common of workplace pains, back injuries. Not only should they be taught to lift properly, but also you should offer back support devices to add a little more safety. (Use of lifting equipment is still always a good alternative)
• Hearing – If it’s loud in the shop, it is actually damaging your hearing. If you work around loud noises every day, you may just think you will get used to it. But the truth is that when you start thinking you have ‘gotten used to it’, you actually will have done permanent hearing damage. A better option is to offer hearing protection (earplugs, earmuffs, etc) to protect the hearing of all in the office.

Structure and Commitment

• Demonstrate commitment by senior management
• Document accountability for all OHS functions
• Provide for OHS communications, consultation and cooperation
• Match competencies with allocated tasks or initiate training
• Develop OHS policy to detail approach
• Determine and set ‘safety culture’
• Verify all aspects of OHSMS to determine ‘real position’

Planning and Standards

• Identify risks, objectives, targets and performance indicators
• Plan improvement strategies
• Inform, consult and involve employees
• Set standards commensurate with operations
• Set targets that are measurable, achievable and realistic
• Integrate OHS with existing planning mechanisms
• Allocate responsibility for specific elements of the system
• Plan for the adoption of risk management principles
• Plan OHS programs resulting from evaluation of OHS statistics
• Plan for incident and post-incident management
• Identify information, instruction and training needs

Implementation

• Allocate human, physical and financial resources
• Integrate OHS with existing management procedures
• Allocate accountabilities for implementation of each OHS target
• Inform, consult and involve employees
• Implement risk prevention and risk management procedures
• Develop Standard Operating Procedures where necessary
• Provide information, instruction, training for each specific target
• Implement procedures for reporting and documentation
• Implement and test contingency (incident management) plans
• Implement post-incident management procedures and improvement strategies

Measurement and Evaluation

• Measure OHS performance indicators set in planning process
• Measure that set standards are being implemented
• Measure that management controls are working and effective
• Measure and evaluate incidents and accidents
• Evaluate what you have achieved against original targets

Review and Improvement

• Review operation of system and OHS program targets
• Identify areas for improvement
• Plan and implement corrective action
• Verify effectiveness of corrective measures

Rob is a commercial saturation diver for a company that performs underwater repairs on offshore drilling rigs. Below is an E-mail he sent to his sister. She then sent it to a radio station that was sponsoring a worst job experience contest. Needless to say, she won.

“Hi Sue,
 
Just another note from your bottom-dwelling brother. Last week I had a bad day at the office.

I know you’ve been feeling down lately at work, so I thought I would share my dilemma with you to make you realize it’s not so bad after all. Before I can tell you what happened to me, I first must bore you with a few technicalities of my job.

As you know, my office lies at the bottom of the sea. I wear a suit to the office. It’s a wetsuit. This time of year the water is quite cool.

So what we do to keep warm is this:

We have a diesel-powered industrial water heater. This $20,000 piece of equipment sucks the water out of the sea, heats it to a delightful temperature, then pumps it down to the diver through a garden hose which is taped to the air hose.

Now this sounds like a darn good plan, and I’ve used it several times with no complaints.

What I do, when I get to the bottom and start working, is take the hose and stuff it down the back of my wetsuit. This floods my whole suit with warm water. It’s like working in a Jacuzzi. Everything was going well until all of a sudden, my bum started to itch.

So, of course, I scratched it. This only made things worse.

Within a few seconds my bum started to burn! I pulled the hose out from my back, but the damage was done.

In agony I realized what had happened. The hot water machine had sucked up a jellyfish and pumped it into my suit.

Now, since I don’t have any hair on my back, the jellyfish couldn’t stick to it.
However, the crack of my bum was not as fortunate.

When I scratched what I thought was an itch, I was actually grinding the jellyfish into the crack of my bum.

I informed the dive supervisor of my dilemma over the communicator. His instructions were unclear due to the fact that he, along with five other divers, were all laughing hysterically.

Needless to say I aborted the dive.

I was instructed to make three agonizing in-water decompression stops totalling thirty-five minutes before I could reach the surface to begin my chamber dry decompression. When I arrived at the surface, I was wearing nothing but my brass helmet.

As I climbed out of the water, the medic, with tears of laughter running down his face, handed me a tube of cream and told me to rub it on my bum as soon as I got in the chamber.

The cream put the fire out, but I couldn’t poo for two days because my bum was swollen shut.

So, next time you’re having a bad day at work, think about how much worse it would be if you had a jellyfish up your butt. Now repeat to yourself, I love my job, I love my job, I love my job.

Remember whenever you have a bad day, ask yourself, is this a jellyfish bad day?

May you NEVER have a jellyfish bad day!!!!!

Love
Rob”

Can you share your work’s HSE Noticeboard layout? And give us an idea of what you are posting up there? How you keep it organised and easy to read?

Kyle currently has two large pin boards side by side with multiple labelled sections:

• Safety
• Health
• Environment
• Publications
• Meeting Minutes
• Health & Safety Notices (Internal and External)

He has organised it this way to let people choose for themselves what they want to look at, rather than having to look at everything to find what they want – which leads people to start ignoring it.

Please share your ideas, and thanks to Kyle for the ‘open for comment’ suggestion.  ;-)

Kyle Masterman
Safety & Training Officer
Sinewave Electrical Contractors
http://www.sinewaveelec.com.au

“One of my students was given information about the CFA and how to contact them in case of a fire. Another student in the class was surprised to learn that there was only one number (000) for all emergency services in Australia. In his country there is a different number for each emergency service – and a very different policy on their use. He told us that in his old country if someone calls the fire brigade because they have a fire at home, the people who made the phone call are arrested. They are then interrogated to establish whether they started the fire themselves. My student said (before learning the difference here in Australia) that he would not have called the fire brigade here either, for fear of being arrested.”

Sandra says this is just one example of the many difficulties that some refugee’s are facing and the need for education about things we take for granted. Sandra finds a ‘hands-on’ approach works well with her students, so she takes them around the campus to identify potential safety risks, and shows them different examples of safety signs so they can become familiar with them.

Thank you Sandra for these insights and keep up your great work!

An OHS Action Plan Template, and the Core Elements of OHS Management  (both in PDF format – please click on the links to access)

Mike’s experience is in the Worker’s Compensation Arena both in Australia and New Zealand. He has worked with the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) in New Zealand, then with WorkAon (a third party claims administrator on behalf of New Zealand Employers) and has been involved with all aspects of claims management from managing worker’s compensation claims at the front end to catastrophic claims management.

Mike is currently the Injury Management Advisor with a WorkCover Agent who is contracted on behalf of WorkSafe, Victoria to manage worker’s compensation claims throughout Victoria.

Thank you, Mike!

Well, that’s my feet dancing because we’ve just put together our E-Guide titled “What Every Small Business Should Know About Workplace Health and Safety: Occupational Health and Safety Secrets for Small Businesses”.

We’ve made it as easy to follow and jargon-less as possible!

You can check it out at:

http://safetyconcepts.com.au/ohs/

You would think there would be heaps of places people could go to learn about how to create safe workplaces, promote health and prevent injuries. Yes there are government websites – but when was the last time you tried finding something on www.deir.gov.au or www.workcover.vic.gov.au ?  Its all there but boy what a battle finding it. Not sure about you but I’m too busy!

I remember my english teacher from high school, Mrs Clark telling me over and over – don’t write for yourself, write for the reader! And that means to make it interesting, easy to read and relevant to the person you are writing for. The same applies (and how) to websites and blogs. Frankly most OHS websites seem to be written by the IT department. Hey we can get more content on here – so lets do that. Never mind that no-one can find what they want, it must be good because we don’t get any complaints. Note to all – no complaints means you ain’t got any readers!

And there are books to read and courses you can attend. But again who has the time?

What our friends keep telling us they want to know is pretty basic:

• What regulations apply to my business?
• How do I get the tools I need?

Thats about it really.  Sure there are lots of other things people need from time to time but since we started helping people with Workplace Health and Safety advice two years ago these are still the most commonly asked questions.  

So we keep focusing on providing easy to understand tips, ideas and advice on Workplace Health and Safety. And we are always looking for great tools to make available at really low low prices.

For information about what regulations apply to your business type in “what your business needs to know about OHS” in our search window on the top right of the page.

For a great OHS toolbox try our templates – what a success story! Since we started offering those templates we have been amazed at the response. People keep saying “this is exactly what I have been looking for – all these templates and forms save me so much time”.  By making them only available over the web we can keep the costs down to silly low prices. Which also makes people happy.

We are so pleased with how hot that idea has been we are now looking for other tools and aids to add and make available for download. Let us know if you have any requests or ideas on what you could use in your business. It all helps us help you. Be safe!