Canadian Occupational Safety

20 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com JOB STAND-UP Workplace setups can affect workers' long-term health By Linda Johnson For many workers, standing all day is simply part of the job. So are the sore feet and heavy legs they come home with at the end of every workday. ose aches and pains may disappear with a good night's rest but, over time, prolonged standing can lead to seri- ous health problems, according to experts. Workers who stand every day can develop l o w back pain, stiff ness in the neck and shoulders, swelling of the lower legs, pooling of blood and varicose veins. Standing also increases the risk of carotid atherosclerosis, or harden- ing of the arteries, as well as the risk of musculoskeletal disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome. As with any fi xed position, standing causes muscles to fl ex, exert- ing pressure on tissues and blood vessels and obstructing blood circulation, says Dhananjai Bor- wankar, technical specialist with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) in Hamilton. "Nutrients and oxygen needed by tissues can't get in. Waste products can't get out. So muscles and other supporting structures in those areas that need blood tend to get fatigued a lot quicker," he says. As a result, it's important to fi nd ways to increase workers' physical movement during the day. One good way is to rearrange tasks to provide opportunities to walk more, says Borwankar. For example, a person operating an industrial press could be required to walk to another area every so o en to get more raw materials. " at could be almost like a work break. They're still working, but they're varying their tasks so they get a little bit of movement. ey're not fi xed," he says. When workers can't get away from their stations, they should try to move on the spot, says Mike Harnett, direc- tor of operations at WorkSMART Ergonomics in Vancouver. Even taking a very short break — which may last a few seconds, perhaps a minute or two — to get away from the stationary position will make a diff erence. When standing and leaning over a workstation, for instance, a person simply needs to stop and do a back extension in the opposite direction. This balances out the pos- tural demands on the body. "It's better to have several micro-breaks during the day than two long breaks," she says. "If you have to sit or stand for more than an hour, that's too long. You need to incorporate a micro-break at that point." Movement matters On some assembly lines, Har- nett says, people work shoulder to shoulder. is makes it impossible to move or stretch and change pos- ture. Employers need to understand the importance of making sure each worker has some space on either side to allow them to move when there's a break in activity. When there's not much opportunity to move during work hours, using allotted breaks or lunchtimes to go for short walks outside is a good way to improve circulation, says David Mijatovic, ergono- mist in musculoskeletal disorder prevention at the Occupational Health Clin- ics for Ontario Workers in Toronto. Elevating the legs also helps, by lying down or putting them up on a chair. Mijatovic also rec- ommends workers get Congratulations to the following OHS professionals who have recently been granted the Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP)® Professionnel en sécurité agréé du Canada (PSAC)® designation. The Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals is a self-regulating, self-governing organization accredited by the 6WDQGDUGV&RXQFLORI&DQDGDWR,623HUVRQQHO&HUWL¿FDWLRQ%RG\DQGE\%6,0DQDJHPHQW6\VWHPVWR,62 4XDOLW\0DQDJHPHQW6\VWHP Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals/Conseil canadien des professionnels en sécurité agréés %0LVVLVVDXJD5RDG0LVVLVVDXJD21/1$ZZZEFUVSFD Athavale, Rajiv Balderson, Daryl Barnett, Meghan Berry, Stan Binette, Brenda Bjelland, Troy Black, Timothy Bredin, Patrick Brode, Dennis J. Brown, Crystal Brunelle, Justin Burke, Laura Burton, Candice Campbell, Amy Cholewski, Richard Christenson, John Comeau, Aaron Condon, Robin Connelly, Christina Cowdrey, Patricia Cribb, Lacey da Silva, Giovanni Daly, Janis Davis, Candice Davis, Darrel deJong, MIchael DiPenta, Heather Donaldson, Eric Douglas, Paul Downs, Ron Eshleman, Suzanne Finn, Deidra Flaherty, George Foxton, Deanna Fuller, Rebecca Gaunt, Blake Geldreich, Ray Genoway, Phil Georgopoulos, George Gray, David Gray, Tim Green, James Groot, Ryan Guidolin, Melanie Guzmicky, Michael Harris, Ron Hart, Darrell Hawksby, Trevor Ho, Jenny Kin Ling Hodges, Allen Hodgson, Greg Jabbar, Khalig Raza Jasper, Mark Jordan, David Kimmie, Christopher Krahn, Krista Kriz, Patricia Lawrence, Nigel Lee, Jon Li, Ellick Lu, Tina Lundberg, Kylee Luyckx, Ted MacFadgen, Don Maclean, Tracy McCracken, Brendan McInroy, Adam McKay, Charlene McMahon, Peter McMaster, Rhonice Millis, Teri Mosby, Catherine Nickmann, Matt Nowack-Thompson, Scott Olynick, Randy Pagani, Cleaven Patton, Donald Pektzilikoglou, Joachim Phillips, D. Paul Reid, Paul Risser, Jesse Robinson, Jaime Ross, Neil Rossi, Robert Saindon, Jacques Santiago, Sigfrid Shukla, Maneesh Simpson, Ian Sinclair, Dean Stevenson, Tasha Stoddart, Nicole D. Subotin, Denise Sulkhova, Antonina Swanson, Jaret Sweeney, Deanna Theodore, Jason Thorn, Andrew Tiv, Sovannara Verma, Paul Waite, James Waite, Jeffrey Wark, Kelly Wilcox, Angela Williams, Erin Williams, Art Williston, Shane Wilson, Kathleen Wiseman, Andrea Wolanski, Coreen Young, Sharon

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