Project
Updates
Of
Interest...
The
most recent edition of the BC Nurses Union newsletter
“BCNU Update” focuses on a wide range of OH&S issues.
Do
you have news for the Health & Safety Update?
Email your stories,
comments and suggestions to update@ohsah.bc.ca
NAOSH
Week, May 1-7, 2005
How do you plan on celebrating?
Project Update
Development of an Automated Pill Crusher
Who
Has Had Chickenpox?
Find out how to protect yourself if you have never been infected
OSHTIP
of the Month
Shift Work and Sleep
OHSAH’s
print newsletter, The Health and Safety News is now available online.
Read about safer needle technology legislation in Canada, patient handling
best practices, varicella vaccinations and much more.
This year, the North American Occupational Safety & Health (NAOSH) Week is May 1-7, 2005. This annual event is designed to focus the attention of employers, employees, the general public, and all occupational health and safety partners in Canada, the US, and Mexico on the importance of preventing illness and injury in the workplace.
The theme for this
year’s NAOSH week is "Equip. Educate. Empower." The
Development of an Automated Pill Crusher
Pill
crushing occurs frequently in healthcare. A manual pill crusher is usually
used; however these crushers have been associated with several risk factors,
including exertion of high forces, awkward postures and repetitive movements
that can contribute to injuries of the hands, wrists and shoulders.
OHSAH has been working to research, design, develop, test, and manufacture a new automated pill crushing device, to alleviate many of the above listed concerns. This was a joint collaboration between the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Health Technology Research Group and OHSAH and involved considerable participation and feedback from healthcare workers.
OHSAH has worked with an external engineering company to produce eight automated pill crusher prototypes for pilot testing in long-term care facilities. Due to engineering difficulties that led to increased cost, the pilot project has ended in all facilities, although we received considerable feedback. OHSAH is currently evaluating options to have an automated pill crusher available to BC healthcare for affordable costs including working with a potential manufacturer of the developed product and evaluating a separate pill crusher already on the market.
Find out how to protect yourself if you have never been infected
Who
doesn’t remember staying home from school as a child with the fever
and itchy spots that came along with chickenpox? Long a rite of passage
in childhood, it seems more obvious to ask who hasn’t had chickenpox!
In fact, 1 in 20 healthcare workers have NOT had chickenpox in their lifetime.
Unfortunately, this means that you are still at risk of being infected
later in life. As a healthcare worker, you have a higher risk of being
exposed to the virus when you work closely with patients.
Chicken-pox is highly contagious and the Varicella-Zoster virus that causes chickenpox can be transmitted before symptoms begin. The symptoms of chickenpox are never comfortable. In addition to fever, aches and pains, and a rash of red itchy spots, chickenpox poses other risks to adults who have never before had the virus. Now there is a free, safe, and effective vaccine to protect healthcare workers who have never been infected. In British Columbia, the Ministry of Health provides a vaccine free-of-charge to healthy healthcare workers who are not yet immune to the chickenpox virus.
For more information
on obtaining the vaccine, contact your occupational health nurse or regional
occupational health and safety representative.
Shift Work and Sleep
Shift work is a necessity in healthcare. However, working rotating, night and occasional night shifts has been associated with reported nodding off on the night shift which may result in increased accidents and injuries. OSHTips contains a literature review on shift work and sleep, which includes strategies for improving sleep.
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Tel: (604) 775 - 4034 or toll free (800) 359 - 6612
Fax: (604) 775 - 4031
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