|
Alberta's
Occupational Health & Safety Code revisions go into effect April
30, 2004.
Changes to the code include the addition
of Part 14 which considers lifting and handling of loads and control
of hazards related to musculoskeletal injuries. This section of
the code is shown below:
October 2003 14-1
Part 14 Lifting and Handling Loads
Equipment
208(1) An employer must provide, where reasonably practicable, appropriate
equipment for lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying, handling
or
transporting heavy or awkward loads.
(2) An employer must ensure that workers use the equipment provided
under subsection (1).
(3) Workers must use the equipment provided for lifting, lowering,
pushing,
pulling, carrying, handling or transporting heavy or awkward loads.
(4) For the purposes of this section, a heavy or awkward load includes
equipment, goods, supplies, persons and animals.
Adapting heavy or awkward loads
209 If the equipment provided under section 208 is not reasonably
practicable
in a particular circumstance or for a particular heavy or awkward
load, the
employer must take all practicable means,
(a) to adapt the load to facilitate lifting, lowering, pushing,
pulling,
carrying, handling or transporting the load without injuring workers,
or
(b) to otherwise minimize the manual handling required to move the
load.
Assessing manual handling hazards
210 Before a worker manually lifts, lowers, pushes, pulls, carries,
handles or
transports a load that could injure the worker, an employer must
perform a
hazard assessment that considers
(a) the weight of the load,
(b) the size of the load,
(c) the shape of the load,
(d) the number of times the load will be moved, and
(e) the manner in which the load will be moved.
Occupational Health and Safety Code
Part 14
Musculoskeletal injuries
211 If a worker reports to the employer what the worker believes
to be work
related symptoms of a musculoskeletal injury, the employer must
promptly
(a) review the activities of that worker, and of other workers doing
similar tasks, to identify work-related causes of the symptoms,
if any,
and
(b) take corrective measures to avoid further injuries if the causes
of the
symptoms are work related.
The full code can be found at: http://www3.gov.ab.ca/hre/whs/publications/pdf/OHSC-1.pdf
|
|
Ergonomic intervention
improves health and productivity
(taken from the "At Work" newsletter of the Institute
for Work and Health in Toronto: http://www.iwh.on.ca/products/atwork2004/winter04/ergo_int.htm
)
Providing office workers with highly adjustable
chairs and ergonomic training can decrease soft-tissue injury and
have a significant impact on productivity.
Dr. Benjamin Amick III, an Adjunct Scientist at the Institute for
Work & Health and an Associate Professor at the University of
Texas Health Science Center, says his recent study shows there is
a "good business case" for implementing ergonomic interventions
in the workplace.
"Our study of tax collectors working for a state Department
of Revenue Services in the U.S. found that after receiving an adjustable
chair and ergonomic training, workers reported less soft-tissue
injury and pain," says Amick. "At the same time, their
productivity increased nearly 18 per cent over the year."
The study is the first to examine the link
between individual health and economic outcomes. It included about
200 workers in sedentary, computer-intensive jobs. They were divided
into three geographically-separated groups:
those who received a highly adjustable chair plus
ergonomic training
those who received only ergonomic training at a one-time session
a control group who did not receive
training until after the intervention was over
"The 90-minute training session was intended to improve workers'
understanding of ergonomic principles and provide them with the
skills to conduct an ergonomic self-evaluation," says Amick.
After the session, the workers were encouraged to make changes to
their workstations using the resources provided to them by the organization.
In order to understand the impact of the interventions
on injury and pain, participants filled in surveys about their symptoms
at the beginning, middle and end of each day during a five-day work
week. These one-week surveys were administered five times over the
course of the study. The workers also completed a work environment
questionnaire during the course of the study. Productivity was measured
by examining the volume of tax revenues collected by workers and
the number of sick leave hours each month.
The significant productivity gains can be attributed
to a reduction in workers' pain and more effective use of workspaces
rather than decreases in absenteeism.
Amick says the results indicate a win-win for workers
and employers. Workers have less pain and fewer soft-tissue injuries
and employers can realize a significant return on their investment
in an ergonomic intervention.
"The implementation cost of the intervention
including the chair plus training was about $1,000 U.S. per worker.
However one-year later, the benefit to the employer was more than
$25,000 per worker," says Amick. "The intervention paid
for itself in about ten days."
The health outcome results reported in this article
appear in the December 15th issue of Spine.
|
