In the News

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Safety Urban Legends: Fact or Fiction

A story, affectionately known as, "Cleaner Polishes Off Patient" made the email rounds not too long ago.

It's set in a South African hospital, where authorities became concerned because every Friday morning a patient in the same bed of the intensive care ward is found dead.

No reason or clue seems to exist as all of the machinery works perfectly but as weeks go on, the pattern and concern continues. Finally, it is determined that a cleaner - early every Friday morning - disconnects the plug from this bed's life support system, to use the electrical socket for the floor polisher. The cleaner is unaware of the death due to the noise of the polisher. The story ends with the authorities indicating that the investigation is complete and a new wall socket is being added.

The story, of course, is not true - but because a newspaper published something similar it was widely taken as true. Actually, someone took the article, which was incomplete, embellished details, circulated it and created yet another Urban Legend.

Everyone has probably heard at least one Safety Urban Legend. There is the one about the smoker and the exploding toilet, another of a cell phone sparking and igniting a gas station and yet another about the man who died at his desk in a crowded office but wasn't noticed for five days.

In a few cases, these Legends can be true. Did you know that microwaved water can actually violently erupt? In others, there may be scientific concern. Some experts do think that cell phones could cause explosions at gas stations. But in most cases the Urban Legends are largely fiction.

They're simply popular stories or folktales set in today's world and are often "too good to be true". These stories can be funny, sad or horrifying yet many seem to teach a lesson. Sometimes they embellish a true story, while other times they are a complete fabrication built around a "moral."

They can be identified as Legends because so many versions of the story exist and have been adapted to suit changing environments and times. They are often told as, "Absolutely true - this really happened to a friend of a friend."

For people involved in workplace safety, the important thing is to know how to test the veracity of potential Urban Legends. Key warning signs that you are receiving one via email are, "Dire advice and warning" and, "Send this to everyone you know" messages that accompany the story.

So, the key message: Validate any information that seems dubious before passing it along - by checking reliable websites, authoritative published sources and testing the stories with safety professionals. Remember to think to yourself: Is this story Fact or Fiction? Then, follow this common-sense rule, "When in doubt, don't send it out."

Hazard Alerts

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New warnings from the federal, provincial and territorial governments

Prevention and information are the watchwords this month as the various levels of government in Canada send out Hazard Alerts and safety bulletins.

New Brunswick

A New Brunswick municipal employee sliced his hand deeply while replacing the blade of a Zamboni ice resurfacer. The arena worker's injury brought a Hazard Alert from the WHSCC after the investigating officer determined that the root causes were the absence of a safeguard on the cutting edge and the lack of training and work procedures. The worker was removing an old ice blade but had failed to install the magnetic safeguard to sheath it. His Allen wrench slipped and the blade's edge sliced through his leather glove and cut him deeply. Full text of this alert HERE.

Saskatchewan The alert is more general in Saskatchewan but no less serious. Eight people have died in the province since 1994 from Hantavirus disease, which begins as a flu-like illness and can eventually kill. The risk group for infections includes farmers, grain handlers, hikers, campers and occupations with contact with rodents. Deer mice are a major carrier of the airborne disease. An information bulletin from Saskatchewan Labour outlines preventative measures, including rodent control and proper cleaning of infested buildings and work sites. Full text of this alert HERE.

Ontario Construction, industrial and mining workers in Ontario are being reminded to block their equipment from all forms of hazardous energy, including gravity. The goal is to avoid fatalities and critical accidents from equipment that moves or drops and strikes workers. The Ontario Ministry of Labour alert makes special mention of:

• raised blades of bulldozers
• raised buckets of backhoes
• raised boxes of dump trucks
• raised forks of forklifts
• punch presses
• hoisting equipment

The ministry also suggests that, because of the seriousness of the hazard, it is advisable to have an additional control - such as connecting the blocking to a mechanical, electrical or other type of device (interlock) that causes the power to be shut off until the block is removed and the power reactivated manually.

Manitoba A Work Safe bulletin from Manitoba Labour and Immigration warns demolition workers about exposure to lead. Lead particles can be inhaled and ingested and can severely damage the central and peripheral nervous systems, and cause other health effects. Workers are encouraged to have their demolition site tested for the presence of lead by bringing a sample to a qualified analytical laboratory. Lead is found in paint primers applied to iron and steel as well as lead pipes and shielding in walls. Harmful lead fumes can also be created when cutting lead-painted surfaces with a torch.

OSH Answers

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How much weight should a worker lift?

It's a plant manager's perennial dilemma. How can workers involved in lifting be as productive as possible without risking injury to themselves?

Back in 1981, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the United States published their first lifting equation in an attempt to answer that question. It determined that, under ideal conditions, a weight of 23 kg (about 51 lb) was safe for 75 per cent of females and 90 per cent of males.

As a rule of thumb, the equation has worked well. But it is a rare operation that offers "ideal conditions' for all its workers and workflow. Sometimes the object is far from the body. Other times, the lifting is so constant that the strain makes 23 kg a hazard.

So, in 1993, the NIOSH organization released a revised equation for manual lifting. It takes into account new research findings and other variables that were not used in the first equation. It is also applicable to a wider range of lifting situations.

Using a number of variables, including frequency, distance and grip quality, the formula can determine whether a task is dangerous or not. The variables themselves provide clear clues as to how the task can be reorganized to reduce the impact on the body.

Partner News

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New Brunswick's WHSCC reports on fatal Irving Oil explosion

It started with an unwelcome plume of smoke in a refinery unit and ended with the violent death of an experienced worker who lay in such heat that it took rescue workers two hours to recover his body.

But there was no immediate and obvious cause of the massive 1998 explosion that rocked the Irving Oil Refinery in St. John.

It was the morning of June 9 when a smoke plume and an oxygen-level problem was discovered in a pair of units that were part of a high-pressure process to turn secondary crude into high-octane gasoline. A worker was sent to investigate and was eventually joined by a team. No one realized the severity of the conditions.

After team members left for help, a massive, pressurized fireball ripped through portions of the refinery. The worker who first responded was dead and another was sent to hospital with minor injuries.

The WHSCC eventually determined that a furnace tube - previously weakened by stress and heat - suddenly ruptured, creating the deadly mix of air and chemicals.

CCOHS News

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Scholarship opportunities for Health and Safety Students

When Dick Martin was alive, he was one of the country's greatest advocates for the rights of workers and for improving people's environments in and out of the workplace. Now, Mr. Martin's legacy continues to make a mark in his chosen field.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) is honouring the memory of this Canadian pioneer with the Dick Martin Scholarship Award. Three scholarships of $1,000 each are available to students enrolled in an Occupational Health and Safety related course or program at any Canadian college or university. The course or program must lead to an Occupational Health and Safety certificate, diploma or degree.

The entry deadline for the inaugural Dick Martin Scholarship Award is January 31, 2003.

To be considered, post-secondary students must apply and submit an essay on a topic that best fits their aspirations in their chosen field. Entries will be judged on their understanding of the subject matter, the principles and values of Dick Martin and the role of CCOHS.

A long-time unionist, Mr. Martin was the first (and only) English-speaking person to be elected president of the 43-million member Inter-American Regional Labour Organization. He also played a key role in the establishment of April 28 as the National Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job. This day is now observed around the world.