American Apparel & Footwear Association Renews Alliance with OSHA

An Alliance between the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) was renewed today that aims to continue building on successes to help reduce workplace injuries and illnesses in the apparel and footwear industry, with a particular focus on ergonomics. The Alliance was first signed in February 2003.

"We're pleased that AAFA wants to continue working with us to make information on ergonomics best practices more widely available and to further strengthen safety and health in their industry," said Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jonathan L. Snare. "Together, we will continue to use our collective expertise to help foster a culture of prevention, especially for ergonomic related injuries."

Seven Suggestions for a Successful Safety Incentives Program

For years, stakeholders have been debating the best ways to implement a safety incentives program. Should the program be results-based or process-based? What should its objective be? What are appropriate prizes? What kind of return on their investment can companies expect?

To try to answer some of those questions, Occupational hazards this month takes a look at the elements of safety incentives programs that proponents seem to have reached some consensus on. The following points are meant to help you decide whether a safety incentives program is right for you, and also to guide you through the process of setting up such a program.

1. A safety incentives program is only one facet of a comprehensive safety program.
2. The end goal of a safety incentives program is to reduce accidents and injuries.
3. Reward everyone and reward often.
4. Awards must be genuine, meaningful, important and worth achieving.
5. Keep the program simple.
6. Peer pressure can be a valuable tool.
7. Upper management needs to be on board.

Providing Employees an Incentive for Safety

Do incentives have a place in safety? That question has been debated in our pages and in many other forums for so long that it has become the safety equivalent of a blue state/red state issue. You're either for or against them, and there is little ground for discussion or compromise.

To me, safety incentives are really another tool in the safety holster. They are not intrinsically good or bad. They are, however, easy to implement and, as a result, frequently abused. If a company has a "safety program" that consists solely of rewarding employees with cash or prizes if they go a month without a lost-time injury, then they are misusing this tool as surely as if they were hammering nails with a wrench.

Safety recognition expert Bill Sims Jr. notes in our article, "Seven Suggestions for a Successful Safety Incentives Program," that these programs "complement a well-rounded safety program. If you don't have return-to-work light-duty programs, accident investigations, safety committees, you have no business running a safety recognition program."

At their best, though, safety incentive programs reinforce the importance of safety, reward employees for safe work practices and provide a welcome dose of recognition for employees who too often go unnoticed unless they do something wrong.

Activating Executive Safety Leadership

Seven strategies for developing strong safety allies in the executive suite.

If you agree that active executive leadership is one critical component of achieving a strong safety culture and effectiveness, consider seven strategies that have worked with senior executives in companies worldwide.

1. Communicate as a leader, not as a safety technician.
2. Cultivate a mentor.
3. Think loss control.
4. Have a visibility strategy.
5. Make it easy for them to lead.
6. Set clear and realistic expectations of ROI.
7. Systematically chart and internally publicize successes,

Repetitive Stress Injuries and Ergonomics in the workplace

Reports of Repetitive Stress Injuries (or R.S.I.'s) have increased more than four hundred percent in the last seven years. More and more people are finding themselves victim to the recurring discomfort of nerve and musculosketal disorders. Most physicians agree, computer users are the main source of increase. It's not owning a computer that is unhealthy of course, but rather, the way in which you're using your computer.

What causes Repetitive Stress Injury?

R.S.I.'s are most commonly caused by repeated physical movements, such as working in a single position for long periods of time.

What are the symptoms of R.S.I.?

Feelings of pain, throbbing, aching, tingling, numbness, burning and stiffness are all indicators of possible Repetitive Stress Injury, even if they don't occur while you are working. The presence of symptoms does not always mean you suffer from R.S.I., but should be taken as a warning sign to visit a health professional and adjust your work atmosphere accordingly.

Usability & Accessibility Buyer's Guide 2005

The Usability and Accessibility market has grown rapidly in the UK over the past few years, with demand for quality services outstripping supply. To help you find the most appropriate partner / consultancy we have profiled 21 UK suppliers of usability and accessibility services in this Buyer’s Guide.

Optimal usability across websites, intranets and other platforms can bring tangible businesses benefits including increased revenues, improved retention rates and lower development costs. Many companies need specialist help, so this buyers guide is a great starting point to begin the transformation of your website.

There are 21 companies profiled ...

Laptop Stand On Wheels

OSHA Recommends reclining. You will not find another stand that cantilevers your laptop out over the edge of your desk, so you can recline. We have the only laptop stand that positions a laptop to comply with OSHA's recommendations of reclining and frequent changes in posture - and it doesn’t require an external keyboard or monitor. See the "Solutions" page to find out more.

The Laptop Stand On Wheels by Keynamics LLC allows for very comfortable laptop typing. The stand meets the guidelines of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), such as their emphasis on reclining and frequently changing your position as you work (that's where the wheels come in handy:) See OSHA's site at osha dot gov and search "Computer Workstations" - Our stand complies!

Both OSHA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have spoken out, on the problems that laptops deliver to you, the user. Among these problems, Keynamics has solved many, such as the need to raise your screen toward the plane of your eyes and the need to hold your wrists at a neutral posture. We allow you to achieve this neutral wrist posture, regardless whether you use our stand on top of your desk or off the front edge of your desk.

Girl gear

More women than ever are hearing the call of the wild and companies are taking notice with outdoor gear designed just for them.

According to a recent survey conducted by retail sporting goods giant REI, most active women seek out sports gear designed with them in mind, and many believe gear tailored to their body type can actually boost their performance.

Such enthusiasm has sparked increased sales of women-specific gear and, eager to please their customers, companies have unveiled a range of outdoor gear and gadgets tailored to the women's body and sense of style.

Can these running shoes outsmart you?

The German sneaker and sports apparel maker on Friday began selling the first model of its so-called intelligent footwear, a running shoe known simply as Adidas-1 that's built around an onboard microprocessor. Retailing for $250, the white and gold shoes have the capability, Adidas says, to automatically adjust themselves to respond to a wearer's changing needs for greater or smaller amounts of cushioning around the feet.

Any runner will tell you that the right shoes are key to success. The wrong fit or cushioning can hurt performance and cause injury, while the perfect shoe can help a runner tear up the pavement.

According to Adidas, a division of sporting goods conglomerate Adidas-Salomon, the sneakers use a sensor and magnet to feed information to the microprocessor, indicating whether a runner's cushioning level is too soft or too firm. The processor then actuates a motor-driven cable system built into the arch of the shoe that changes the amount of padding applied to the wearer's foot. Adidas said that changes in the cushioning are made gradually, so that all a runner is supposed to notice is that the shoes fit snugly.

Gambling on Luck-Based Benefits

Even if you can't make it to the local craps tables or you've spent your budget for Lotto tickets this week, chances are you're still doing your part for the new Roulette Economy, thanks to an in-cubicle gaming program sweeping the American workplace.

It's called the paid time-off bank, or PTO, and it's symptomatic of a workplace — not to mention society — that increasingly resembles a casino.

Slashed sick leave is part of a broad assault on labor — roundly ignored in the last election — across a downsized workplace as the burden of risk shifts from employers to employees, who, if anyone's listening out there, are livid about it, whether Republican or Democrat or independent. Companies are cutting or eliminating vacation leave (nearly a third of American women don't get any; a quarter of men), pensions, health insurance and ergonomics rules. Meanwhile, the Economist reports that corporate profits in the U.S. are higher than they've been in 75 years as benefits — including sick leave — shrink.