Author: Shyamala Nathan-Turner

I came across a very interesting Staples.com workplace health and safety training survey the other day, it was of small-business managers and office workers about workplace health and safety.

What the survey showed, that I found very interesting, was that there is a workplace emergency training knowledge gap between managers and those whom they manage – and this should be a concern to us.

Specifically, too many office workers who answered the survey were not sure what to do during an workplace emergency. Nearly 70 percent of managers said their company has an emergency communication plan, but nearly half of the office workers weren’t sure a plan exists where they work, or said their company has no plan.

Half of the office workers said they participate in safety drills only once every few years or never, and only 19 percent of the office workers said they believe their company is prepared for a major medical emergency. More than 70 percent of both groups said their company is somewhat or very prepared for fires, however. Continue reading Does Your Business Have Adequate Workplace Emergency Training?

As summer approaches, working or being highly active outside, or participating in some types of indoor events can bring on heat exhaustion.

Heat exhaustion can happen to anyone and is caused by a loss of salt and water from the body, usually through excessive sweating.

It can develop slowly and usually happens to people who aren’t used to hot conditions or humid weather. There is a precondition that people who are already unwell, or not feeling themselves, are more likely to get heat exhaustion, especially if they are suffering from severe conditions of vomiting and diarrhea.

A dangerous and common cause of heat exhaustion is when the body produces more heat than a person can naturally can cope with.

If someone who is overly hot can be treated with general first aid quickly, they should start feeling better quickly. But if not treated, they could develop severe heatstroke, which can lead to death, so be careful and drink lots of water, as a basic precaution. Continue reading How To Manage Heat Exhaustion

Continue reading Safety Tips to Keep Your Family Safe This Summer At Your Cottage

Facts about Workplace Violence

Recognition of the dangers of workplace violence has reached peak levels in the last few years. A news report released on February 16, 2007 from Statistics Canada identified that almost 20% of all incidents of violence, including physical assault, sexual assault and robbery occurs in the victim’s workplace. In the US, 2 million workers are victims of workplace violence. Almost 10% of US fatal work injuries were attributed to homicides in 2005. In fact, homicides in the workplace rated #4 as the leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the US. These statistics are staggering and only serve to underline the importance of recognizing workplace violence as a serious threat within any organization.

Continue reading What Can An Employer Do To Prevent Workplace Violence?