Canadian Occupational Safety

34 Canadian Occupational Safety | www.cos-mag.com TOOLS OF THE TRADE PRODUCTS & SERVICES The latest OHS innovations and industry updates CareLine puts a nurse in your pocket CareLine is a new service designed to enhance a company's health and safety program by putting a registered nurse (RN) in the pocket of each employee. Using proprietary software, CareLine connects specially triage-trained medical professionals with enterprise software tools providing immediate medical response via real-time video smartphone communication. The integrated cloud-based platform provides comprehensive injury management solutions to improve workplace medical care for employees and reduce employer costs. "(CareLine) is a new disruptive health and safety technology that will change the way workplaces provide medical care to people who are injured or become ill at work," said John Macnamara, chief health and safety offi cer at CareLine in Toronto. "It's a new way of providing better employee medical care at the moment they are injured. It provides invaluable help to those who are responding to the incident and helps them deliver the best care they can in the circumstances." A typical employee care scenario looks like this: an injury occurs, the worker presses the app and his information is sent to CareLine; a video triage with a RN occurs and the company is notifi ed; on-site treatment is directed by the triage RN; and directions to urgent care are provided as needed. In addition to live face-to-face medical care with a registered nurse, CareLine provides comprehensive incident management, including notifi cation and voice and video logs. Companies also receive their own portal with custom analytics, report templates and relevant regulatory reporting information. The technology has strong roots in the OHS fi eld, as CEO and president Paul Shelter spent 25 years working in safety and injury management at Fortune 100 companies and OHS offi cer Macnamara worked in safety for most of his career and served on the Tony Dean expert panel for the government of Ontario. Mobile app suggests solutions to poor indoor air quality The quality of air that individuals breathe at work can affect their health, comfort and productivity. The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) has collaborated with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) to develop a mobile app to help individuals fi nd solutions to indoor air quality problems in their workplace. The app, AirAssess – Improve Indoor Air Quality at Work, provides users with a questionnaire that answers simple questions about their current work conditions such as workplace stress levels, allergies and environmental factors. The answers to these questions provide key information to help uncover issues that may be related to the air quality in the workplace. Once the questionnaire is answered, the app will look for links and provide users with ideas to help their workplace take action on the possible air quality issues. "We are putting health and safety in the hands of workers. Assess your air, share the results, brainstorm solutions and breathe easier," said Valerie Wolfe, executive director, south central region, OHCOW. All jurisdictions in Canada include the general duty clause that requires employers to provide a healthy and safe workplace. This includes the provision of healthy indoor air. In addition, indoor air quality is implied in most building codes as design and operation criteria. Common issues associated with air quality include: improper or poorly maintained heating and ventilation systems; contamination by construction materials, glues, fi breglass, particle boards, paints and chemicals; and an increase in number of building occupants and time spent indoors, said CCOHS. Poor indoor air quality can lead to dryness and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and skin, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, hypersensitivity and allergies, sinus congestion, coughing and sneezing, dizziness, and nausea. People generally notice their symptoms after several hours at work and feel better after they have left the building or when they have been away from the building for a weekend or a vacation. Haven Technologies introduces noise-isolating Bluetooth earbuds ISOtunes PRO are earbuds by Haven Technologies that use Bluetooth technology to deliver sound, eliminating headphone cords. ISOtunes PRO are ideal for people who work in environments that require hearing protection but also allow music, such as lawn maintenance, light duty manufacturing or assembling and woodworking. The company partnered with the world leader in earbud tips, Comply Foam, to create "the best noise isolation experience while ensuring incredible comfort from the soft memory foam," said Haven Technologies. A custom-fi t memory wire comfortably wraps around the user's ear for a unique and secure fi t. Built-in noise cancellation technology eliminates solid state noises like engines and mowers for clear calls in loud environments. Users can appreciate their music in peace and quiet, no matter how loud the environment, said the manufacturer. ISOtunes PRO earbuds are tested to safety industry standards and are proven to block outside noise. They are approved in accordance with ANSI S3.19-1974 specifi cations. As such, they meet requirements from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the United States to be used as hearing protectors in the workplace. When used as directed, ISOtunes PRO offers a noise reduction rating (NRR) of 27 dB. Haven Technologies is also committed to protecting users' hearing. More than 25 million Americans suffer from noise induced hearing loss (NIHL), many of whom have been exposed to excessive noise at work. The earbuds' signature SafeSound technology ensures the user's hearing won't be damaged, even when used at maximum volume for the full battery life duration. The earbuds are water and sweat resistant and boast a 10-hour battery life. Honeywell warns of risks of fogging safety eyewear Honeywell's new white paper reveals how safety, productivity and an employer's bottom line are all affected when protective eyewear fogs up. "Fogging is the number 1 problem faced by safety eyewear users, and it's a costly hazard employers can't afford to overlook," said Daniel Birch, senior marketing manager for Honeywell Industrial Safety. "By understanding the risks... employers can better protect both their workers and their businesses." Think Lens Fogging's No Big Deal? Think Again: Safety, Productivity and Your Bottom Line Are at Risk outlines the factors that cause fogging: environmental heat and humidity (working outside in summer conditions or inside a steamy boiler room); worker exertion (heat and sweat produced around the eyes); transitions between warm and cool environments (from a wintry outdoor site to a heated vehicle); and lens washing (which erodes anti-fog properties on the lenses). "Maintaining a clear, fog-free view is vital to the well-being of workers and employers alike. When tasks are conducted with fog-obscured vision, workers risk not only eye injury but also bodily harm. It takes seconds — or less — for a potentially catastrophic event to occur: a slip or fall; getting struck by equipment or caught in machinery; or coming into contact with harmful chemicals or electrical current," the white paper said. Workers who cannot see properly due to fog are also more likely to remove their protective eyewear. This can not only leave the worker vulnerable to a plethora of hazards, but cause the employer to be in a state of non-compliance. Productivity is also negatively impacted when workers have foggy lenses. "When safety eyewear fogs, workers have little choice but to remove it and wipe it clear, which can lead to repeated interruptions throughout the shift," said the white paper. Honeywell's whitepaper details the advances in anti-fog lens technology. It recommends choosing permanent coatings with hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. It also suggests looking to anti-fog coating on a wide range of eyewear, from goggles to spectacles, to protect workers across a wide variety of applications.

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