news & notes
BURN NOTICE
Every year the American Burn
Association (ABA) sets aside the
first full week of February as
“Burn Awareness Week.” For
this year’s theme on scalds, the
ABA has provided these prevention
resources on its website
www.ameriburn.org/prevention
BurnAwareness.php:
Cooking Safety for Older
Adults
Pediatric Scalds
Consumer Resources for
Burn Prevention
WMMIC-Strength in Members
February 2016
Background on burns
Know how to keep cool and safe
While most burns involve skin, chemical splashes can also burn eye tissue.
Workplace burn hazards include:
Hot liquids (for example, water or grease) or steam;
Open flames (often involving a fire);
Hot surfaces;
Contact with electricity, and
Contact with corrosive chemicals.
According to the ABA, “scald
injuries affect all ages,” but
“young children and the elderly
are most vulnerable.”
The ABA further reports that
“annually in the United States and
Canada, over 500,000 people
receive medical treatment for burn
injuries. Roughly half of these
injuries are scalds.”
Prevent burns by taking these precautions:
Identify burn hazards related to the task or work area.
Keep alert while working.
Avoid reaching over or across hot surfaces or substances.
Wear assigned personal protective equipment to prevent exposure to
chemicals and hot substances and surfaces.
Follow work rules carefully.
Read the data safety sheets (SDSs) for chemicals for burn information.
Be careful around electrical equipment.
Remember that steam can burn as well as hot liquids.
However, scald injuries can be
prevented with awareness training
and safety precautions.
Workplace burns need prompt, proper attention. First-degree burns are the least
serious. The affected skin may turn red and be painful. First aid involves:
1.
2.
3.
Applying cool water or wrapped ice packs;
Covering with a clean cloth or dressing; and
Taking aspirin or ibuprofen to relieve pain.
Second-degree burns are more serious because the burn goes deeper. The
affected skin will be red and blistered. First aid involves:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Removing clothing covering the burn, unless it’s stuck to the burned skin;
Applying cool water or wrapped ice packs;
Leaving blisters alone and not breaking them; and
Getting quick medical attention if the burn covers a large area or is on the
face, hands, or genitals.
Third-degree burns are the most severe and may be life-threatening. The
affected skin appears white or charred. You may see exposed bones and tendons.
Third-degree burns require emergency medical treatment. Don’t try to treat thirddegree burns or remove clothing that is stuck to the burned area. Instead:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Cover the burned area lightly with a clean cloth.
Elevate burned limbs.
Call for emergency medical assistance.
Watch for shock, and administer first aid for this condition if necessary.
news & notes
Office space
INCREASED STRESS
Avoid trips and falls
Workplace Options, a global provider of employee assistance
program (EAP) services, examined
data representing more than
100,000 employees’ EAP inquiries
from 2012 to 2014.
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University cites data from the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggesting that falling is not
only the most common office accident but also is responsible for the most
disabling injuries. Furthermore, office workers are two to two-and-a-half times
more likely to suffer a disabling injury from a fall than other workers.
Know the risks, and follow these tips for prevention:
While the number of cases dealing
with personal emotional health
issues remained relatively
constant over the period, those
related to stress, anxiety, and
depression showed an “alarming”
increase, according to the
provider.
Look before you walk, and make sure the walkway is clear. And never
About 4 out of every 10 cases
were related to personal emotional
health issues. The number of
cases around depression increased
58 percent between 2012 and
2014. Anxiety cases were up 74
percent, and cases of employee
stress increased 28 percent.
Clean up spills (even if you didn’t cause the spill), pick up objects
Commented Dean Debnam, CEO of
Workplace Options, “What this
analysis means for businesses
around the world is that if your
employees’ emotional well-being
wasn’t already on the top of your
list of priorities, it needs to be.”
walk while using a cell phone.
Close drawers as soon as you’re done with them.
Report hazards, including loose carpeting and electrical cords, to
someone who can have them fixed.
from the ground, and stay vigilant to fall hazards.
Don’t stretch to reach something while seated. Get up instead.
Use a stepladder, not a chair, to reach something overhead.
First-Aid Quiz
Would you know what to do if …
1. A co-worker gets a metal chip in his eye. Do you:
a. Flush the eye with bubbling (not high-pressure) water?
b. Cover the eye and let normal tearing action wash the object out?
2. You get a bad burn. The skin is red and blistered. Do you:
a. Apply ice to the burned area?
b. Cool the burned area with water and then cover it?
3. A co-worker has fallen from a ladder. Do you:
a. Try to get her to stand and walk to see if anything’s broken?
b. Leave her where she is and call 911?
4. A co-worker is pale, sweating, and complaining of shortness of breath. Do
you:
a. Call 911 immediately?
b. Have the person sit down and wait 10 minutes to see if the symptoms pass?
5. You discover a co-worker lying on the ground unconscious. Do you:
a. Cover the person with a blanket and elevate the feet higher than the head?
b. Check to see if the person is breathing?
6. You’re having lunch with a co-worker and he starts choking. Do you:
a. Start CPR?
b. Wrap your arms around his waist and pull up and in?
7. You cut your arm. It’s a deep cut, and there is a lot of blood. Do you:
a. Place your hand directly over the wound and apply pressure?
b. Apply a tourniquet to your arm above the cut?
Answers:
(1) a (2) b (3) b (4) a (5) b (6) b (7) a