What is a company’s most valuable asset? The answer is simple, their employees! It is difficult for companies to truly understand how their employees are moving on any given day. Modjoul has the ability to provide data that not only allows companies to understand the body mechanics of their employees, but also reduces injuries within the workplace. The Modjoul solution has proven success by pairing our haptic response that serves as an on-the-fly reminder to employees when they take a risky bend; in-depth data that fully encompasses how the employees are moving; and the mitigation of MSD injuries in the lower lumbar region.

About Modjoul

Modjoul was founded in 2016 by our CEO Eric Martinez and COO Jen Thorson; both Eric and Jen were executives with AIG insurance and saw too many preventable workplace injuries and fatalities.  

Modjoul was founded on the principle that employees are a company’s most valuable asset and that data drives great decisions. It is nearly impossible for employers to really understand the body mechanics of their employees or whether they are truly working safely without Modjoul’s solution.  At Modjoul, we utilize and analyze data that will allow employers to provide a safer environment for their employees by reducing workplace injury. Here at Modjoul, we have got your back

The Future of Workplace Safety: Using Smart Technology to Reduce Ergonomic Injuries

Learning Objectives

• Understand how smart technology can be used in your workplace safety planning (IoT, Wearables and RFID)
• Learn the 6 benefits of data driven decisions
• See several examples of how technology can be applied to improve safety and ergonomics

Description

Data analysis from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and National Academy of Social Insurance shows Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) represented more than one-third of all workplace injuries in the past 10 years. Additionally, the average cost of an ergonomic claim in the US is over $30,000, making ergonomic injuries a large employer expense.

Ergonomics is often described as a “war of inches” and even minor adjustments can result in major beneficial outcomes. Outfitting employees with a smart workplace allows a better risk understanding through data to help minimize MSDs.

A smart workplace serves as a central piece in today’s workplace strategy. Using technology, employees connect and engage with their work environment using a data-driven approach, through a connection of networked platforms, software, IoT, and wearable sensors. It allows organizations to use evidence-based data to identify workplace safety opportunities, improve operations efficiency, pursue business objectives, and achieve goals.

As organizations navigate beyond the pandemic, a people-first approach is more top-of-mind than ever. Technology can help remove barriers to employee risk and improve productivity for the whole business, and this session will provide an innovative approach to maintaining

It’s hot out there and it’s only getting hotter. Are you and your employees safe in this heat?

Did you know that this year on April 8^th OSHA implemented a new national emphasis program focused on heat?

National Emphasis Programs (NEPs) are temporary programs that focus OSHA’s resources on particular hazards and high-hazard industries. Existing and potential new emphasis programs are evaluated using inspection data, injury and illness data, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports, peer-reviewed literature, analysis of inspection findings, and other available information sources.

According to OSHA “most outdoor fatalities, 50% to 70%, occur in the first few days of working in warm or hot environments because the body needs to build a tolerance to the heat gradually over time. The process of building tolerance is called heat acclimatization. Lack of acclimatization represents a major risk factor for fatal outcomes.” (https://www.osha.gov/heat-exposure)

The list of targeted industries is long and includes industries you probably thought of like construction, manufacturing, and farming. But also included on that list are bakeries, grocery, automobile dealers, nursing care facilities, and many more. The list contains well over 50 targeted industries. (Appendix A: https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/enforcement/directives/CPL_03-00-024.pdf).

So what can you do? Here are OSHA’s recommendations from Appendix D of the National Emphasis Program – Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards.

General controls include training, personal protective equipment (PPE), engineering, work practice, and administrative controls, health screening, and heat alert programs

Training:

• Hazards of heat-related illnesses.
• How to avoid heat-related illnesses by recognizing and avoiding situations that can lead to heat-related illnesses.
• Recognition of signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses.
• First aid procedures.
• Employer’s program to address heat-related illnesses.

Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment:

• Hats for work outdoors in the sun.
• For indoor work, loosely worn reflective clothing designed to deflect radiant heat, such as vests, aprons, or jackets.
• Cooling vests and water-cooled/dampened garments may be effective under high temperature and low humidity conditions. However, be aware that cooling vests can become an insulator when they reach the body’s temperature.
• In environments where respirator usage is necessary, consult with an industrial hygienist to determine the appropriate clothing to prevent heat stress while still protecting the workers.
• Consider the use of dermal patches for monitoring core temperature to better identify when workers need to be removed from the work area.
• Consider the use of heart rate monitoring to better identify when workers need to be removed from the work area. Both sustained (180 bpm minus age) and recovery (120 bpm after a peak work effort) heart rates are recommended guidelines for limiting heat strain

Engineering Practice Controls:

• Use air conditioning
• Increase general ventilation
• Provide cooling fans
• Run local exhaust ventilation where heat is produced (e.g., laundry vents)
• Use reflective shields to block radiant heat
• Insulate hot surfaces (e.g., furnace walls)
• Stop leaking steam
• Provide shade for outdoor work sites.

Administrative and Work Practice Controls:

• Schedule hot jobs for cooler parts of the workday; schedule routine maintenance and repair work during cooler seasons of the year when possible.
• Provide adequate, cool drinking water on the worksite that is easily accessible and permit employees to take frequent rest and water breaks.
• Use relief workers and reduce physical demands of the job.
• Use work/rest schedules.

Health Screening and Acclimatization:

• Allow new workers to get used to hot working environments by using a staggered approach over 7-14 days. For example, new workers should begin work with 20% of the normal workload and time spent in the hot environment, and then gradually increase the time over a 7–14-day period. The same should be done for workers returning from an absence of three or more days, starting with 50% of the normal workload and time spent in the hot environment, then staging acclimatization over three consecutive days. Advise workers that certain medications can increase risk of heat stress. These include:
  • Amphetamines – sometimes prescribed for narcolepsy or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
  • Diuretics – water pills,
  • Antihypertensives – blood pressure medication,
  • Anticholinergics – for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
  • Antihistamines – allergy medications
• In addition, alert workers to the dangers of using illegal drugs and alcohol in hot work environments. Illegal amphetamines, such as methamphetamine, are particularly hazardous when heat stress is present.
• Some conditions, such as pregnancy, fever, gastrointestinal illness, heart disease, and obesity, may increase the risk of heat-related illness. Advise workers to check with their doctors if they have any questions. (Please note: the employer is NOT entitled to know whether workers have these conditions, but only whether workers have any health conditions that limit their ability to perform their job duties. In some instances, workers with chronic conditions may need extra time to become acclimatized or may need other accommodations, such as more frequent breaks or restricted work.)
• Encourage workers to consult a doctor or pharmacist if they have questions about whether they are at increased risk for heat-related illness because of health conditions they have and/or medications they take.

If you’d like assistance in developing your company’s heat stress program, give us a call at 864.297.4521 or Email Us. We’d be happy to help in any way we can. Life and Safety can help you develop your program, select the right PPE, deliver training, or any other element of your heat safety program.

Life and Safety is proud to announce the addition of Joe Woodman to our group of safety minded professionals.

Joe is a 38-year veteran of the emergency services and has served in that career as a firefighter, paramedic, technical rescue specialist, and rescue instructor. 

He received his bachelor’s degree in emergency health services in 1990 from the University of Maryland and his Master of Public Administration degree from Clemson in 2000.

He has developed and taught courses over a 20-year period for various schools including Greenville Technical College, UNC-Charlotte, The Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads Rescue College, and the South Carolina Fire Academy.

Joe has worked in extremely dangerous situations, participated in challenging and highly realistic training, and has far too often seen the consequences people experience when safety is not given proper emphasis. 

He has retired from that line of work and misses its challenges but looks forward to making a difference on the prevention side of the equation.

Life and Safety Consultants is proud to announce that three of our own have been selected to present at the Western NC Safety & Health School Conference beginning on November 4^th at the Biltmore Doubletree in Asheville, NC.

Our President, Don Snizaski, will speak on Surviving an OSHA inspection Monday afternoon. What to expect, what to provide the inspector, and how to respond to the findings are just a few of the topics that will be discussed.

Vice President, Jeff Spicher, is scheduled to speak on the Best Practices for Integrated Management Systems. Identifying key requirements, implementing the system, and maintaining the process are some of the key points that will be presented during this session.

Bobby Olsen, Senior Consultant and Arc Flash Manager, is presenting on the Arc Flash 2018 Standard. If you have questions or need insight on the changes to the NFPA standard then this session is for you.

Highways are about to get safer with a new DOT drug screen results online database. This Website will allow employers, law enforcement, and state driver’s license agencies to efficiently identify those who are not legally allowed to operate commercial motor vehicles due to their drug and alcohol program violations. The program will then provide drivers with the steps they need to take to get back behind the wheel. We have been told early enrollment will begin in October and mandatory enrollment begins January 6^th, 2020. Stay updated on the requirements with their website: https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Making sure your workplace is safe, is not only a tedious task but can cause employees to lose work hours to the paper process; walking around with a clipboard, reviewing the findings, sending it in, and filing.  Businesses are constantly looking for ways to better the work environment to make it efficient and safer. With our technology you can now access your contractors training transcript by scanning a code on their badge instead of relying on paper wallet cards or verbal confirmation. Skygana has introduced the QR code, which wipes the paper process away and lets personnel complete tasks like those described with a simple swipe of their phone. Read more in the article that our President, Don Snizaski wrote in EHS Today

https://www.ehstoday.com/safety-technology/qr-code-s-new-role-gathering-safety-information