Canadian Occupational Safety

November 2014 7 Kee Safety, Ltd., Concord, ON Toll-Free 1-877-505-5003 www.KeeGuard.ca Separating People from Hazards SM Permanent or Portable Rooftop Fall Protection • Install without welding, drilling or penetrating the roof membrane • Models also available for skylights, hatches, stairs and walkways • Modular design to fit virtually any flat or low-sloped roof configuration • Galvanized for corrosion-resistance KeeGuard ® permanent fall protection systems KeeGuard ® Contractor portable systems with environmentally-friendly recycled PVC bases. OHS Compliant! Kee (5340).indd 1 13-01-29 11:49 PM Short rest periods linked to shift work disorder By Kathryn Doyle N urses who often return to work with less than 11 hours between shifts are at high risk of sleep problems and severe fatigue, according to a study. Shift work disorder, a combination of diffi culty sleeping and excessive sleepiness while awake, is known to affect night workers, but there's been little research on people who rest less than 12 hours before returning to work for another shift at any time of day. "For now, all we know is that (these) 'quick returns' represents a possible work- related health risk, and that getting enough hours between work shifts should be an aim when scheduling work hours," said lead author of the study Elisabeth Flo of the University of Bergen in Norway. If quick returns impede sleep time and lead to sleep deprivation, they may be linked to the health issues typically associated with shift work, such as increased accident risk, sleep disorders, cancer, metabolic disturbances, peptic ulcer disease and coronary heart disease, she said. People who are excessively sleepy because they have a work schedule that keeps them awake when they would normally be asleep, and have been in that state for at least one month, have shift work disorder, Flo said. More than 1,200 nurses in Norway participated in the study which required them to complete work and health questionnaires from 2009-10. On average, the nurses reported having 33 instances of quick returns between shifts over the previous year. Nurses who reported more quick returns in 2009 were slightly more likely to qualify for shift work disorder or to have pathological fatigue. Nurses who reduced their number of quick returns between 2009 and 2010 reduced their risk of patho- logical fatigue by about 30 per cent. Quick returns were not associated with excessive sleepiness, anxiety or depression between year one and year two. "Workers on quick returns will likely need to attend to other activities besides sleep during their time off between work shifts, such as commuting, getting prepared for sleep and (then) getting dressed and eating before going to work," said Claire Caruso, a research health scientist for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the United States. "Therefore, for example, eight hours between shifts will not allow eight hours for sleep." It's not far-fetched to think quick returns could be an issue in other shift-based professions as well, she said. If possible, quick returns should be avoided altogether. Kathryn Doyle is a reporter with Reuters Health. (Justice Rosalie) Abella writing that the whole point of this legislation was not to discriminate against workers when they refuse to work because it would cause a risk to their health and safety," he said. "So (Dionne) had met the criteria, she was a worker and these concerns were legitimate. So, essentially, this is exactly what the program was set up to do — to prevent discrimination on the basis of unique risks to pregnant women." It really was a strong, powerful decision, said Bawden. "From a Quebec standpoint, it gives a lot of teeth to their occupational health and safety act, and especially to pregnant mothers," he said. "Outside Quebec… I guess the question is are we going to see pregnant women in Ontario or other common law jurisdictions availing them- selves of the right to refuse unsafe work on the basis of what's said here?" Contagious viruses are a frequently cited con- cern for pregnant women, said Ward Murdock, president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Canada in Fredericton. "The most common ones that we fi nd are exposure to viruses early on in pregnancy," he said. "We (also) get a lot of questions about lift- ing in the workplace and how much you should lift and whether it's safe to lift, hours of work in the workplace, stress and high demands." People who are standing for long periods of time may need accommodations in terms of more frequent breaks and being able to rotate their tasks. Workers with sedentary jobs will need to pay careful attention to ergonomics and adapting to meet their comfort level. Employers also need to consider environmental and exposure risks, such as chemical use. The implications of Dionne may not be far-reaching for employers in common law juris- dictions outside Quebec, said Bawden. "The utility might be a little limited, inso- much as it is a pretty discrete Quebec statute and Quebec is very different from the common law jurisdictions," he said. But employers should make every reasonable attempt to accommodate pregnant workers. "Employers need to just ask questions," said Murdock. "There's a lot of information out there on pregnancy and workplace safety, and a lot of employers really are not aware of that." Liz Bernier is a news editor with Canadian HR Reporter, a sister publication of COS. Workplace harassment declining: Survey T he percentage of Canadi- ans who have witnessed or experienced harassment in the workplace has noticeably declined in the last two years, according to a poll commis- sioned by Queen's School of Business in Kingston, Ont. One-quarter (23 per cent) of Canadians said they have personally experi- enced workplace harassment in their own life — which includes humiliation, threats, intimidation and unwelcome jokes or comments — down from 28 per cent in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of people who said they have witnessed workplace harassment has dropped to 25 per cent, down from 33 per cent in 2012. Four per cent of respondents said they are currently experiencing work- place harassment, or have in the last year, which is virtually unchanged from 2012. While more men said they have witnessed workplace harassment than women (30 per cent versus 20 per cent), the opposite is the case when it comes to personally experiencing it in their own work life. Roughly one in three females (31 per cent) has or is currently experiencing workplace harass- ment versus 22 per cent of males, found the survey of 1,501 Canadians. "It's encouraging that incidents of workplace harassment appear to be declining. It suggests that recent legislation and increased education against workplace harassment in Canada is helping," said Jana Raver, associate pro- fessor at Queen's School of Business. However, there is still much work to be done, she said. "Society has made great strides in virtually eliminating many traditional job-related risks, and now we must apply the same commitment to eradicat- ing workplace harassment, which is often less obvious." University educated employees are the most likely to report they have expe- rienced or are currently experiencing workplace harassment (29 per cent), compared to those who have a high school education or less (23 per cent), found the survey. The percentage of people reporting a male harasser has declined from 50 per cent in 2012 to 42 per cent in 2014, while the percentage reporting female harassers has remained the same at 23 per cent. However, the per- centage of Canadians who said they have witnessed workplace harassment infl icted by both males and females has jumped to 35 per cent from 27 per cent two years ago. worker's right to refuse unsafe work

• Cover