Every seven seconds a worker is injured on the  job. From offices to construction sites, employees can suffer an ergonomic injury. This can happen carrying too much weight, repeating tasks and sitting in an awkward position. Symptoms of ergonomic injuries include posture problems, intermittent discomfort, tendinitis, chronic pain and disability. If any of these symptoms go untreated, a person is susceptible to more long term problems or musculoskeletal disorders. Employees should take stretch breaks. Here are a few sample target areas: Hands and arms- open your hand and make a fist. On that same hand, slide your fingertips up your palm. Stop when your fingertips reach the top of the palm and the base of your fingers for a good stretch. Neck and shoulders- place both hands behind your head and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Back and legs-Hold one leg off the floor and keep [...]

Mental health is essential to a person’s overall health and well-being. Mental illnesses are common and treatable. Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the United States experience a serious mental illness in a given year that interferes with or limits one or more major life experiences. Approximately 1 in 5 youth aged 1-18 experiences a severe mental disorder at some point in their life. Here are some tips to help with your mental health: Switch up your exercise regimen. Try a new sport or exercise class. Working out with other people can enhance its stress-reducing benefits. Experiment! Try a new recipe, write a poem or paint. Creativity and overall well-being are linked. Smile! Smiling is good for stress and can help lower your heart rate and calm you down. Spend time with friends and family. People are 12 times more likely to feel happy on days they [...]

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. In 2016, research states that at least 3,450 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents involving distracted drivers, including those who were texting and driving. Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, playing with the radio, entertainment system or navigation- basically anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving. Texting is the most alarming distraction. Reading and sending texts takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. That's equivalent to driving 55 mph with your eyes closed the length of an entire football field. Driving safely requires your full attention. You increase your risk of crashing by engaging in any non-driving activity. To prevent tragedies due to distracted driving, motorists are urged to: Turn off electronic [...]

The third leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths is falls.  A worker doesn't have to fall from a high level to suffer fatal injuries. Construction workers are most at risk for fatal falls from height-more than seven times the rate of other industries-but falls can happen anywhere, even at a desk job. Falls are 100% preventable.Whether working from a ladder, roof or scaffolding, it's important to plan ahead, asses the risk and use the right equipment. Discuss the task with coworkers and determine what safety equipment is needed. Make sure you are trained properly on how to use the equipment. Before starting the job look around for any potential hazards. Set up equipment on level ground. Be sure to check the weather before beginning job. Never work in inclement weather. Make sure stepladders  have a locking device. Always keep two hands and one foot or two [...]

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Americans, claiming 647,457 lives, in 2017.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 50% of Americans experience at least one of the top three risk factors: high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and smoking. Other factors include obesity, lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating habits. This is a great time to discuss prevention and lifestyle changes you and your coworkers can take to improve health. For instance, offer healthy food options to employees, create a wellness program and offer incentives to employees for participating. Other benefits of this include: lower health costs, more productive employees, behavioral changes and tax incentives. Raise awareness of Heart Month and improve heart health with the following member-exclusive materials: 5-Minute Safety Talk: Managing Stress at Work Checklist: It’s Never too Late to Form Healthy Habits Quiz: Employee Wellness   To remain healthy, start at home. [...]

In these colder days, workers must be trained not only about cold-induced illnesses and injuries, but also to determine environmental or work site conditions that may cause cold stress. They should be especially trained in recognizing the signs and symptoms of cold stress or cold-induced injuries like hypothermia and frostbite.

As the weather gets colder, it's time to be aware of the signs of Carbon Monoxide build-up. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a gas that is odorless, tasteless and colorless that results when fossil fuels are not burned properly.

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Pancreatic cancer is currently the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and is anticipated to become the second by 2020.

Your skin is your body’s largest organ, so it’s not a surprise that skin cancer is the most common kind of cancer, with about 3.5 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer diagnosed in the United States each year. These cancers in the outer layer of your skin occur most where your skin is exposed to the sun, such as the face, ears, neck, lips and the backs of your hands. Melanoma, a more dangerous type of skin cancer that begins in the cells that make pigment, will account for about 73,000 new cases this year. You can reduce your risk of getting skin cancer by protecting your skin from overexposure to ultraviolet rays, which are emitted by the sun but also by tanning beds and sunlamps. The American Cancer Society notes the best way to avoid overexposure to harmful rays is to stay in the shade. [...]

"Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. When spotted early, skin cancer is highly treatable. Early detection starts with you!" May is National Skin Cancer awareness month. DEFEND! CATCH! TAKE ACTION! Knowing early signs of detection can be the difference between life and death. Here is where to begin: Perform Regular Skin Cancer Exams on yourself and loved one's by checking your partner's skin and taking note of all the spots on the body, from moles to freckles to age spots. Catch Suspicious Spots by using the ABCDEs of Melanoma.4 A - Asymmetry - one half is unlike the other. B - Border - Irregular, scalloped or poorly defined border. C - Color - Varied from one area to another; has shades of tan, brown or black; sometimes white, red or blue. D - Diameter - While melanomas are typically greater than 6mm ( the [...]