Workplace Safety

4 Common Dehydration Myths Debunked

dehydration_myths_webOur bodies need water to function properly, regulate our temperatures, help us digest food, and protect our joints and organs. And, in the hot summer months, it’s especially important to drink lots of water while you’re enjoying the great outdoors, exercising, or working outside. Know the truth about dehydration can help you stay healthy, so we’re debunking four common myths about being hydrated.

Myth #1: Dehydration isn’t as serious as everyone says.
Sure, the most common dehydration symptoms include mild headaches and sluggishness. But, dehydration can become severe and require immediate medical attention. According to the Mayo Clinic, serious symptoms include swelling of the brain, kidney failure, seizures, and even death. If dehydration symptoms aren’t caught early and treated with extra fluid, you can develop dizziness, confusion, and extreme thirst. Other serious symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and irritability. Symptoms of severe dehydration should be taken seriously, and medical attention should be sought immediately.

Myth #2: You should drink eight glasses of water a day.
We’ve all heard this rule, but how much truth does it hold? There is no scientific evidence to support the well-known theory of drinking eight eight-ounce glasses of water a day. Still, your body does need a steady supply of water to operate efficiently and keep you healthy. The Institute of Medicine recently determined that men should drink around three liters, or 13 cups, of total beverages every day, and women should drink around 2.2 liters, or nine cups. These intake levels include more than just water and can apply to coffee, tea, fruit juices, and even foods like watermelon and cucumbers, which have high water content.

Myth #3: Staying hydrated means only drinking water.
Yes, drinking water is an important part of staying hydrated. But, it also takes minerals, electrolytes, and essential fatty acids to keep the water you’re drinking where it needs to be in your body. Electrolytes and trace minerals help transport water to the blood cells, where they then activate enzymes. Those enzymes help with digestion and other bodily processes. Without enzymes and essential fatty acids, cells can’t properly absorb and hold the water they need. So, make sure you’re taking in the elements you need by eating mineral-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Cook with high-quality sea salt, which can deliver up to 60 trace minerals and help manage water flow in your body. And, don’t forget to include whole foods that are high in essential fatty acids, such as flax seeds and walnuts.

Myth #4: There’s no such thing as too much water.
Typically, your body flushes out any extra water it doesn’t need. But, if you’re drinking more than 12 liters of water in 24 hours or exercising heavily, it’s possible to disrupt your body’s natural balance and end up diluting too much electrolytes. The condition, known as hyponatremia, occurs when the level of sodium in your blood is abnormally low. Hyponatremia is rare, but anyone can get in trouble if they drink water in excess without replacing essential minerals and electrolytes. Overconsumption of water is most likely to occur in long-distance runners, and can lead to serious complications. So, don’t force yourself to keep drinking water if you’re feeling full. And, if you’re drinking lots of water during heavy exercise, be sure to add adequate salts and electrolytes to balance it out.

Staying hydrated will help you avoid heat illnesses this summer, so make sure to drink plenty of fluids and eat fruits and vegetables that are high in water content.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Safety Month 2014: Two Communication Tools

SafetyMonth_June2014_webJune is National Safety Month, and this year the theme from The National Safety Council is “Safety: it takes all of us.” The message is focused on continuous risk reduction.  With that in mind, this is a good time to focus on working as a team to improve safety.

How do our actions impact our co-workers’ safety? How can we inspire or inform our co-workers in working safely? A commitment to continuous risk reduction means asking these questions, speaking up, and working together to take care of safety issues in the workplace. Here are two communication opportunities you can participate in to promote a safe workplace.

  1. Communicating About Near Miss Incidents
    Near miss reporting is a way to recognize hazards before they lead to an injury. A near miss is something that could have led to an accident, but the person was “lucky” not to have been in the wrong place. By reporting near misses and communicating with your co-workers, you can begin to eliminate risks. If everyone understands the preventative goal behind discussing these incidents with one another, this communication strategy can be a good way to prevent future accidents.
  2. Mentor Others
    Another way to continue this year’s theme of “Safety: it takes all of us” in the workplace is by being a mentor.  If you have a group who has learned to look at near misses and take care of risks, have an ongoing plan to share what that group has learned with the team and new employees.  Assign mentor employees to watch new employees perform risky activities, and explain the history of safe practices. Promote everyone’s participation in the group’s safety culture. In the end, the development of this culture of recognizing and eliminating hazards together is the strongest way to continuously reduce the risks associated with the workplace.

Safety Month is every June in the U.S., and serves as an annual reminder to focus on safety prevention and best practices. For more tips on staying safe at work, check out our special section of the Movin’ On Up Blog.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Secure Your Social Media

Password_May2014_webSocial media now plays a role in your job search and in the HR world. It’s important to protect your information. Social media security issues often arise as a result of weak passwords. Hackers can easily access your account and hijack your information if you’re not careful about how you choose your passwords.

In 2012, the top three most common passwords were “password,” “123456,” and “12345678.” No matter how many precautions you take to protect your social media networks, if you don’t take the time to protect your password, you may be easy prey for savvy hackers looking to gain access to your accounts.

Passwords and Account Settings

One way to start securing up your social media accounts is by updating your passwords and account settings. It’s important for your safety and online identity to protect yourself by making a few easy changes to your password and account settings.

When it comes to passwords, you’ve got to create sequences of words and letter that are very unique. It’s also important to change up your passwords frequently.

How to Keep Track of all Your Passwords
I know it seems like a daunting task to re-create a unique password every month, not to mention keep track of it, but it could pay off in the future to have safe and protected social media networks.

Having trouble remembering all those different passwords? Try using a password manager application that organizes and protects passwords and can automatically log you into websites.

Worth the Investment
With graduation around the corner, you’ll be glad your sites are secured. A recent CareerBuilder study of 2,100 hiring managers and human resource professionals found that nearly two in five companies use social networking sites to research job candidates. And one in five hiring managers said they found something that has caused them not to hire a candidate. By keeping your accounts secure you lower your risk of fraudulent posts that could be damaging to your reputation. So remember, during your job searching process, the importance of keeping your social media accounts secure and cleaned up.

What have you done to secure your social media accounts? Share with us in the comments section below.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Workplace Violence: Three Measures To Stay Safe

workplaceviolancepic_webOccupational violence is a scary subject. We spend a majority of our time at our job and being safe is something many take for granted. This isn’t to say that it is inevitable that a violent uprising will overtake your place of employment, but being prepared or aware of the potential is important.

According to OSHA, more than two million American workers are victims of some form of workplace violence ranging from verbal abuse, bullying, and more serious physical assaults. Workplace violence also doesn’t necessarily mean it has to occur at the workplace; conflicts between co-workers outside of the office also fall into the definition. So, how do we avoid or at least curb the potential threat? Below are three measures you can take to stave off the danger.

1.    Read up on the policies and procedures.
Many employers have sections on workplace violence in their handbooks. These policies protect employees from liability and are almost always enforced without prejudice. If you are unsure of your company’s policy or procedures on handling occurrences, ask your supervisor or a representative of your HR department. Following these procedures can ensure your safety as well as that of your co-workers.

2.    Be aware of your surroundings.
Look for signs of distress from your co-workers. If a co-worker seems to be struggling with their day-to-day life, makes threats or mentions getting back at their employer, or exhibits irregular behavior out of the ordinary, these could be signs of instability. If you are concerned for a co-worker, don’t attempt to console them, instead notify a supervisor in private of your concern.

3.    Avoid danger.
If you’re placed in a situation with a hostile individual, don’t panic. Respect their personal space and don’t exhibit any body language or tone of voice that makes you seem like a threat. By placing obstacles between you and the person, and staying four to six feet away from a point of exit, you have the opportunity to flee if the circumstances require you to remove yourself from the situation. Never use physical force unless it is for defense against an assault. Once again, notify your supervisor if such an event occurs.

No one is immune to workplace violence, but a little bit of preparation and being aware of measures to prevent such occurrences just may protect you from harm in the event you are placed in an undesirable situation. Share your practices to avoid workplace violence in the comments section below.

Guest blog by: Mike Smith

Eyestrain: 3 Ways to Save Your Sight

Blurred vision, excessive headaches, itchy red eyes; these are just a few common symptoms of eyestrain. Formally referred to as asthenopia by ophthalmologists, it is a condition that we commonly encounter when concentrating on a visually intense task.

One of the most common causes of asthenopia is our daily exposure to technology. According to a recent survey conducted in 2012 by The Vision Council, U.S. adults spend four to six hours a day in front of the warm glow of electronic devices, and 70% of those surveyed reported some degree of eyestrain associated with this level of exposure. But, with technology being our connection to the world and an integral part of many careers how do we save ourselves from technology becoming a real pain in the eyes? Here are three simple methods to reduce the stresses on what many consider our most valuable faculty.

  1. Give It A Break
    Excessive use of monitors or televisions can cause the muscles in the eye to tighten, which can result in irritation or worse, blurred vision. By looking away or performing a task that requires activities that are less visually strenuous, you allow the muscles to relax. An easy way to achieve this is a method called the 20-20-20 break. Every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and look at something 20 feet away.
  2. Don’t Go Towards The Light
    If at all possible, lower the level of your ambient lighting. By reducing the amount of surrounding light, your eyes won’t continually try to regulate the amount of light entering the eye. If you are like many, you may bake under a fluorescent sun. If you can’t adjust the light in your surrounding environment, lowering the brightness on your screen can reduce glare and the strain of reading.
  3. The Spectacle Of Spectacles
    Consulting an eye care specialist and having regular eye exams may relieve internal factors that may be causing eye stress. You may potentially need a pair of prescription glasses that are specially made to optimally view objects at intermediate distances. If you have acute vision, computer eyewear may help. With special tints and coatings, these lenses soften glare caused by direct and indirect light.

Unless there is an event that knocks us back into the Stone Age, our world will continue to advance into the future of technology and the potential of it being unnecessary is very unlikely. And since vision is imperative for much of your daily life, do yourself a favor and take care of your eyes by reducing the stress that you expose them to. If you have techniques that you use to provide some visual relief let us know in the comments section below.

3 Ways to Stay All Ears: Protecting Yourself from Hearing Hazards

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, nearly 30 million people annually are exposed to hazardous noise levels and since 2004, 125,000 workers have suffered significant and permanent hearing loss.

Loud noises, the constant drone of machines, as well as hazardous poisons referred to as ototoxic chemicals can cause significant and irreparable hearing damage. Hearing loss can result in many workplace complications including an increase in stress, reduced productivity, and an increased risk of workplace injuries. Fortunately, hearing loss can be preventable. So how do you protect yourself from losing such a valuable faculty? Here are three prevention and safety suggestions to ensure that you stay all ears.

  1. Wearing proper ear protection
    Hearing protection devices (HPD’s) are a simple way to put a barrier between your ears and the ruckus of the workplace. OSHA requires employers to have an “effective hearing conservation program“ available to employees. This program requires employers to provide sound level sampling, informational material to inform workers of the hazards, and appropriate protective gear.
  2. Regular Hearing Checkups
    Another requirement for applicable employers is the implementation and maintenance of continual audiometric testing. These checkups are important and allow for employees to monitor their hearing and the effects that workplace noise has on it. By keeping an eye on your ears you can take preventative measures if hearing loss begins to develop.
  3. Read the Materials Safety Data Sheets
    Ototoxic chemicals are substances that can permanently damage the inner ear if you’re exposed to them. Industries that have potential exposure to dangerous chemicals should have materials safety data sheets available to employees in the form of a book or online. If you’re concerned that the chemicals you handle everyday may have an adverse effect on you, review the safety materials provided by your employer.

Hearing is important and without it, many daily tasks can be hindered by an impairment. Hearing loss is preventable but you have to do your part. If you have tips on how you protect your ears, share them in the comment section below.

Play It Safe to Reduce Bloodborne Pathogen Risks at Work

blood_sharps_June2013_webIf your job includes exposure to blood or other potential infectious materials, awareness of preventive measures and universal precautions are the first step toward safety. Here’s a brief FAQ on bloodborne pathogens (BBP), infectious microorganisms present in blood that cause disease in humans, to help get you up to speed on some of the best precautions.

What are universal precautions?
It’s best to treat all blood and body fluids as if they are infectious. Having the same procedure at all times makes it easier to follow and creates safe habits, so as an employee it’s important to know where these guidelines are in your company and follow them.

Guidelines for universal precautions include:

  • Wearing impervious gloves
  • Wearing gowns, eye protection, and masks as necessary
  • Cleaning areas in contact with body fluids with appropriate cleaning solution, like a 10 to 1 ratio of water and bleach.

What are engineering controls?
Engineering controls are items that isolate or remove BBP from the workplace, such as sharps disposal containers or needleless systems. Prevention is key in limiting exposure to BBP, and using the right equipment can make that easier. Make sure you understand where disposal containers for exposed items are located and what the process is for handling contaminated materials. Use gloves, gowns, eye protection, and masks accordingly and make sure they are of good quality, free of tears, and not expired or worn out.

What are work practice controls?
Having the right equipment or engineering control is great, but the next step is work practices. Work practices are the way you do things to prevent that exposure. This means being aware of and understanding your job duties and procedures in order to conduct yourself in the safest way possible. Consider things like how specimens are handled, how laundry is done, and how cleaning is completed.

For more information on bloodborne pathogens, check out this fact sheet from OSHA.

Have you experienced any innovative practices to prevent the dangers of bloodborne pathogens? Share your experiences in the comments section below.