Canadian Occupational Safety

October 2013

Canadian Occupational Safety (COS) magazine is the premier workplace health and safety publication in Canada. We cover a wide range of topics ranging from office to heavy industry, and from general safety management to specific workplace hazards.

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6 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com Back strain accounts for more lost days than any other workplace injury By Amanda Silliker A lthough police offi cers are at a high risk of experiencing traumatic events in their work, they are no more likely than the general population to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), found a study by the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) in Montreal. This study also confi rms that symp- toms associated with the development of PTSD in police offi cers can be pre- vented with specific and adapted intervention. These symptoms include dissociative reactions, emotional and physical reactions, a state of acute stress, depressive symptoms and emo- tional coping responses to stress. "Providing police offi cers with inter- ventional support shortly after and in the weeks following a traumatic event improves the chances of preventing PTSD," said André Marchand, lead author of the study. "The strategies for adapting to trauma, such as develop- ing a stress-resistant personality and volunteered for this study. Among the participants, 64 per cent had to draw their guns, 11 per cent fi red their guns and 28 per cent used another weapon. A feeling of powerlessness in rela- tion to the traumatic event was reported by 80 per cent of the police offi cers, and 59 per cent felt a reaction of intense fear. More than one-half of the police offi cers said they experi- enced anger, 17 per cent felt guilt and two per cent felt shame when the trau- matic event occurred. While the majority of back strain injuries were reported by men, women were actually more likely to have a back injury. The number of women fi ling back strain injury claims jumped notably in the last three decades. In 1980, 15 per cent of all claims were fi led by women. By 2012, that number had increased to 40 per cent. WorkSafeBC speculated the cause could be that "the characteristics of the jobs men and women are undertaking have become more similar over time." It also pointed out that the increase in injury refl ects the growing partici- pation of women in the labour force and the expansion of workers' com- pensation board coverage for the province's service-producing sector. Age also plays a role in back strain. Injuries peak in workers age 35 to 44 as a percentage of all claims, and then decline as workers age. Between 2003 and 2012, one-quarter (26 per cent) of claims sustained by workers between ages 35 and 44 were from back strain. By comparison, back strain injury accounted for 19 per cent of total inju- ries for workers aged 15 to 24, and 11 per cent for those aged 65 and older. Overexertion is the most common cause for back strain injury, accounting for between 67 per cent and 70 per cent of back strain injury claims between 2003 and 2012. The second largest contributor was falls (11 per cent to 12 per cent). By COS staff N ew data from British Columbia's workers' compensation board shows the high toll back pain is taking on individuals and organizations. One in fi ve workers in the province have back problems, and it accounts for more days lost than any other type of injury, according to WorkSafeBC. Between 2002 and 2012, back strain injury affected between 12,000 and 15,000 workers in B.C. annually — totalling more than 140,000 claims. In the same time period, back strain injury also accounted for three deaths, which arose from medical complications from the treatment of the original injury. And the injury numbers aren't tailing off. The agency said it was "cause for concern" that there had only been slight declines in the proportion of workdays lost and claims cost related to back inju- ries between 2003 and 2012. The agency also looked back at numbers over the last 30 years and found back injuries have remained pretty consistent in relation to other injuries — between 1980 and 2012, 22 per cent to 26 per cent of all time-loss injuries in B.C. were related to backs. New Brunswick reviewing WCB legislation By COS Staff N ew Brunswick is embarking on a three-year, multistage review of its workers' compensation legislation. It's the fi rst time in more than two decades there has been a comprehensive review, said Danny Soucy, the province's post-sec- ondary, education, training and labour minister. "The objective of this review is to ensure that the system appropriately addresses the needs and realities of current and future workplaces, and strikes the right balance between adequate compensation for injured workers and employers' fi nancial interests," said Soucy. The fi rst stage of the review will include a discussion paper and stakeholder consultations with a focus on the fol- lowing components of the Workers' Compensation Act and the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commis- sion Act: • the calculation of benefi ts under section 38.11 (9) • the determination of the merits of introduc- ing a dispute resolution mechanism relating to processes and procedures • the governance structure and mandate related to the appeals tribunal. obtaining social support, can be improved through prevention components of police officer training programs." The descriptive analysis results show that police offi cers have dif- ferent adaptation methods and strategies at their disposal in order to deal with a critical work-related event. The police offi cers stated that talking to their colleagues, obtaining peer support and taking part in leisure activities are particularly helpful after a traumatic event. "The police offi cers involved in this study even advise their colleagues who experience this kind of event to con- sult a psychologist and are themselves open to the idea of receiving psycho- logical support if need be," said Mélissa Martin, co-author of the report. Eighty-three policemen from the Service de Police de la Ville de Mon- tréal (SPVM) and other police forces who had experienced a traumatic event Police offi cers less at risk for PTSD than previously thought HEALTH & SAFETY NEWS ■ Back . . . . . . 24% ■ Fingers. . . . 11% ■ Leg . . . . . . . . 9% ■ Shoulder. . . 8% ■ Multiple body parts . 7% ■ Ankle . . . . . . 5% ■ Other . . . . 36% Per cent of time-loss cases accepted by WorkSafeBC WHERE DOES IT HURT? Injuries to body parts in B.C. The descriptive analysis results show that police offi cers have dif- ferent adaptation methods and strategies at their disposal in order to deal with a critical work-related event. The police offi cers stated that talking to their colleagues, obtaining

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