During the cold winter season, workplace safety is particularly important. Workers find themselves in environments where the temperature is extremely cold, and the surface is icy or wet. Employers and employees both have to prepare and face the challenges of the winter season, in order to ensure safety. Many winter workplace injuries occur each year, but with education about how to avoid these injuries, workers can survive the winter season. Slip and Fall-related Injuries One of the most common workplace injuries involves slipping and falling on snowy or icy surface. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) most recent statistics on workplace injuries related to falls involving ice, sleet, or snow, indicates that in 2014, some 34,860 workplace …show more content…
Take advantage of handrails to keep you on balance and on your feet. Cold Stress-related Injuries In extreme winter weather, cold stress can cause the body to no longer maintain normal temperature, around 98.6 F (37 C), to keep it warm. The primary cold stress injuries include: Hypothermia: The Mayo Clinic describes hypothermia as condition that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce it, resulting in dangerously low body temperature. Frostbite: An injury involving the freezing of skin and underlying tissues, exhibiting symptoms of redness, prickling, coldness and numbness. Trench Foot: In the September 29th issue of the journal, Frontiers in Neurology, trench foot is described as a non-freezing cold injury (NFCI), resulting from cold exposure that causes sensory and vascular abnormalities in the feet. Prevention: Cold stress-related injuries can be avoided by practicing certain precautionary measures. Train employees and supervisors to detect early signs of cold stress, when to take workers out of cold even if it interrupts their task, allow rest and fluid intake and implement specific engineering
Problem Description A geriatric-psychiatric unit, is an inpatient hospital unit which treats elderly people who suffer from medical and emotional or psychological disorders. It deserves more attention to the fall
As people age, they face difficulties with seeing and also with mobility, declines in their physiological systems impact balance, range and speed. These physiological problems can result in falls, which tend to be really problematic for the elderly living alone at home. The Hendrich II Fall Risk Model (HFRM) was used on Mr. T.C to assess his fall risk; this tool is used in acute care facilities to estimate the risk for falls in adults (Hendrich, 2013). The client scored a 6, any score exceeding a 5 is considered a high risk for fall. Being a male is one of the predetermined risk points that make one susceptible of falling as well their symptomatic depression, both which the client falls under. The Get-Up-and-Go Test is also a predetermined risk factor of HFRM; it determines the client’s ability to rise from a seated position. It took the client 3 attempts to fully stand up from a seated position.
Prisoners were subject to freezing experiments as scientists looked for an effective treatment for hypothermia. Scientists also wanted to discover how long German pilots downed by enemy fire could survive the frozen waters of the North Sea. Some were forced in a tank of ice water at sub-zero temperatures for up to five hours. Others were left outside to freeze in the winter cold. Numerous victims lost consciousness and died when their body temperature dropped to 25 degrees Celsius. It was also found that humans could not survive immersion in the North Sea for more than two hours. By studying the effects of this cold exposure and meticulously noting the changes in the subject’s body temperature, heart rate, and muscle response...
The nurse would firstly identify if Mrs Jones is at risk of falls by conducting a falls risk assessment using an evaluation tool such as the Peninsula Health Falls Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT) (ACSQHC, 2009). The falls risk assessment enables the nurse to identify any factors that may increase the risk of falls (ACSQHC, 2009). The falls risk assessment tool focuses on areas such as recent falls and past history of falls; psychological status for example, depression and anxiety; cognitive status; medications including diuretics, anti-hypertensives, anti-depressants, sedatives, anti-Parkinson’s and hypnotics; as well as taking into account any problems in relation to vision, mobility, behaviours, environment, nutrition, continence and activities
The prevention of falls in the long term care facility is one of the most important interventions the health care team can do to ensure the safety of loved ones under their care. According to the Summary Data of Sentinel Events Reviewed by the Joint Commission (2016), there were 806 falls between 2004-2015 with 95 of those occurring in 2015 . As health care providers, we have a responsibility to incorporate interventions that will help protect the patient while under our care. Interventions as simple as ensuring the use of a gait belt by any team member that transfers the patient, to making sure all team members are aware of the medications that can make certain patients more of a fall risk, will help in the prevention of falls.
"Workplace Safety." Labour Program. Government of Canada, 17 Jan. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. .
The Quality and Education for Nurses (QSEN) project has set several goals for future nurses to meet in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitude (KSAs), one of which is safety (2014). The definition of safety according to QSEN is minimizing risk of harm to patients through system effectiveness and individual performance (QSEN, 2014). Since falls are such a huge occurrence in health care, preventing falls is critical for patient safety. The Joint Commission (2011) has also noted fall prevention as a National Safety Patient Goal (NPSG) 09.02.01 requiring hospitals to reduce the risk of harm resulting from falls.
worn down his "Grande Armee" was forced into a painful retreat through the deep freezing cold
Falls are the leading cause of injuries, disabilities, and deaths among community-dwelling older adults (Moyer, 2012). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2016), each year one out of three community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years or above falls at least once. There is a need to identify effective interventions pertinent to the primary-care setting to prevent falls among older adults living in the community. The guideline titled “Prevention of falls in community-dwelling older adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement” is focused on determining the effectiveness and harms of different fall-prevention interventions relevant to primary care for adults aged 65 years or above (Moyer,
Patient falls in the hospital is a serious issue and challenging problem that could lead to prolonged hospital stay, longer recovery time for patients, increased costs for hospitals, and a source of distress and anxiety for patients, nurses, and families. Patient falls can cause minor or major serious physical injury depending on the situation and the age of the client. In addition to the physical harms, patients can suffer from psychological injuries which make them lose their independence and confidence on themselves and build a lot of anger, distress and fears of falling.
The sheer energy of a gymnast alone can be felt by audiences of all ages, but what the spectators lack the ability to feel is the pounding of the bodies that bear the impact of the athletes in action. Gymnastics consists of a mixture of acrobatic performances of four different events for females, and six different events for males (Gianoulis 1). Gymnastics is demanding in a multitude of ways, including: physically, emotionally and mentally. It requires countless hours of dedication. The concerns of most gymnasts are moving up to the next level, or getting a more advanced skill, while the concerns of the doctors, coaches, and parents revolve mostly around the athlete’s health, which is put at stake for the adored yet dangerous sport. Injuries are common among both male and female gymnast alike, but due to the fact a female gymnast’s career peaks at the same time of major growth and development, a female gymnast’s body as a whole is more likely to undergo lifelong changes or affects (Gianoulis 2). Among the injuries of the mind blowing athletes, the most common ones affect the ankles, feet, lower back, wrist, and hands of individuals (Prevention and Treatment 1). From sprains, to the breaks, the intriguing sport of gymnastics is physically demanding on a gymnast’s body.
Patient falls is one of the commonest events within the healthcare facilities that affect the safety of the patients. Preventing falls among patients requires various methods. Recognition, evaluation, and preventing of patient falls are great challenges for healthcare workers in providing a safe environment in any healthcare setting. Hospitals have come together to understand the contributing factors of falls, and to decrease their occurrence and resulting injuries or death. Risk of falls among patients is considered as a safety indicator in healthcare institutions due to this. Falls and related injuries have consistently been associated with the quality of nursing care and are included as a nursing-quality indicator monitored by the American Nurses Association, National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators and by the National Quality Forum. (NCBI)
You can't have any exposed skin, or you'll get frostbite very quickly. But note that if you're properly dressed and active, hypothermia probably isn't going to be a problem unless you've out for a long time. The foremost danger is frostbite to the extremities, not your core
I will take a closer look at icing conditions on aircraft and give examples of icing related accidents. Body Icing, or ice buildup on the wings, is a particular problem for aircraft. When ice builds up on wings, it can disrupt airflow, robbing an airplane of lift and can decrease its angle of attack, which keeps it in the air. Wind tunnel and flight tests have shown that frost, snow, and ice accumulations (on the leading edge or upper surface of the wing) no thicker or rougher than a piece of coarse sandpaper can reduce lift by 30 percent and increase drag by up to 40 percent. Larger accretions can reduce lift even more and can increase drag by 80 percent or more.
Although workplace accidents are very common, the majority of them can be prevented. As a company, you are obliged by the law to protect your employees, so it is important to take the necessary actions that will minimize the risk of accidents (Intelligent HQ, 2015).