EH&S News

Environmental Health and Safety

University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Editor: Robert DiCarlo Summer 1999 Vol. 5 No. 2

Inside This Issue

First Aid Kits

Safety Committees

Bicycles on Campus

Heat Emergencies and Hydration

FIRST AID KITS

First aid is a skill for life. As its name suggests, first aid is the help that you might give anyone who is injured or who suddenly becomes ill, before the "second aid" arrives. The second aid can be either First Responders, Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, and/or Doctors.

EH&S recommends that all laboratories have a First Aid kit. First aid kits allow the immediate care of sick and injured people. The following list of supplies is recommended by University Health Services:

• Assorted bandaids and adhesive pads
• Roller gauze
• Sterile gauze pads
• Non-adhering dressings
• Combine dressings
• Alcohol swabs (antiseptic)
• Adhesive tape
• Latex disposable gloves

No ointments or cremes should be used because they may actually hinder medical treatment.

The First Aid kit should be mounted on the wall by the door where it is clearly visible. A First Aid kit should be used as a primary means of aid to stem blood flow or to cover a wound to protect it from contamination.

Any injury or occupational illness must be reported to the employee’s supervisor and treated at Health Services for more complete medical treatment than available through first aid kits.

FIRST AID DOES NOT REPLACE A PHYSICIAN’S CARE.

IF EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED NEVER HESITATE TO CALL 9-1-1

Companies such as Fisher or Lab Safety offer a variety of First Aid kits or you can assemble one of your own.

SAFETY COMMITTEES

There are a number of Health and Safety Committees around the University Campus. Each of them is charged with reviewing and promoting health and safety issues that are specific to their area.

Do you know if your department has a Safety Committee? Do you know who the representatives of this committee are in your area? What are the issues they discuss?

Safety Committees are on campus to help promote the safety of each and every person on campus. Become involved and share your safety concerns with your representative.

Some specific safety committee responsibilities are:

• Provide support from the top level down to first line supervisors in terms of time, effort, and money.
• Provide realistic dates for correcting safety and health concerns.
• Support training on safety issues.
• Provide leadership and direction.

Make every effort to participate in safety committee meetings. "Talk up" the positive effects of safety committee activities, on a one-on-one basis or in a group.

BICYCLES ON CAMPUS

By wheel, wagon, or foot we all must share the same public ways around campus. Bicycles are allowed on campus, but those who use bikes must remember that common sense and courtesy to others should govern how they handle their bike and themselves.

Bicycle versus pedestrian accidents occur on this and other campuses. Cyclists need to be considerate of pedestrians and must use caution on or around walkways. Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 85, Section 11 specifically states that bicyclists must yield to a pedestrian.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 600,000 people suffer bicycle related injuries each year that require emergency room intervention.

Safe bicycle riding begins with planning. Make sure your bike and you are prepared to safely maneuver the highways and by-ways. Operating brakes, lights, reflectors and a helmet are a few of the essential pieces needed to make your two-wheeled trek a safe one.

When leaving your bike remember that bicycles on campus can only be placed in designated locations. Racks have been installed across the campus for your use.

First came the pedestrian. Then came the bicycle, the buggy, the car, and then the traffic. Now we have pedestrians on wheels.

More and more people are discovering the roads in and around Amherst and the University...the places to be, and the ways to get there! Motorist-only turf? - No. Roads belong to pedestrians, bicycles, and in-line skaters, too. Sharing the road is not just courteous, it's the law. And, it can save you from that awful, expensive and life-threatening crash.

In most areas around the University, sidewalks help pedestrians stay away from other traffic. But not all streets have sidewalks or walking paths. In some areas, in dimly lit neighborhoods and on darkened sidewalks and paths, pedestrians are often crossing streets or walking along them. Pedestrians, bikes, and skaters are even harder to see in the dark. Be especially alert at dawn and dusk. Motorists must yield to all pedestrians whether in crosswalks or not - whether it's marked, or unmarked. Period.

Older walkers may need more time to cross. Joggers and some walkers may not hear a motorist's approach - give them space. Bicyclists must still cross streets and roads used by motorists. In these intersections and turning zones, keep an eye out for bicyclists and in-line skaters.

Pedestrians who walk in the road where there are no side walks must face traffic. On the other hand, bicyclists and inline skaters must travel in the same direction as traffic. Remember, these legal users of the road are everywhere, coming from all directions, at all times.

The bigger your "vehicle," the more space you need to give to the smaller road users. Drivers should maintain a distance of at least three feet from bicycles. Skaters and pedestrians should be afforded even more space. Remember to stop at crosswalks. Look before you turn right on red and yield to pedestrians, no matter where they are.

All motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and in-line skaters must be aware of road safety, especially the consequences of drinking alcoholic beverages. The consumption of any type of alcoholic beverage while driving, riding, walking or skating is more dangerous than ever before. Don't drink and drive. Don't let your friends drink and drive. Everyone on the road is some body's loved one...maybe yours, so be safe, smart and sober.

HEAT EMERGENCIES AND HYDRATION

With the summer season upon us, the possibility of heat related health emergencies are also more prevalent. Temperature, humidity, and wind can combine forces to cause serious medical problems. This can be further compounded if physical activities are involved. Muscle activity causes the body's temperature to dramatically rise and a hot humid climate can keep the body from dissipating the increase in core temperature. Normally, the body maintains its internal temperature on hot days by sweating - up to 1 liter per hour. When strenuous activity is involved, the rate of sweat production can increase to as much as 3 liters per hour. It is easy to see why fluid replacement is an important method of preventing heat-related emergencies.

When the body sweats, important salts are also eliminated from the body. Therefore, a fluid such as one of the popular sports drinks (Gatorade, Sportsaid, etc.) should be included, along with water, as a fluid replacement regimen.

HYDRATION

• The body's need for water is only second in importance to its need for oxygen. Water accounts for approximately 55-60% of our adult body weight and approximately 70% of infant weight. A 10% loss of body water may pose a significant health risk, while 20% of body water loss may result in death. Aerobic exercise involves the generation of internal heat through performance of muscular work. As the core temperature rises, an increased amount of cardiac output (the volume of blood pumped by the heart in one minute) is delivered to the skin so heat can be dissipated in the form of sweating. Heat is lost principally through evaporation of sweat from the body's surface, which cools the individual at the price of losing vital circulating fluids.
• Prolonged strenuous exercise invariably leads to dehydration, which may lead to headaches, muscle cramps, lightheadedness, fatigue, confusion, lethargy, and persistent elevated body temperature. Advanced stages of heat exhaustion from exercise may lead to coma and even cardiac arrhythmia's and sudden death. These rare and extreme hazards can be prevented by knowing ways to avoid dehydration and hyperthermia (elevated body temperature) during exercise.
• To make certain you are consuming enough fluids to adequately hydrate your body, it is recommended that you drink 8-10 glasses of fluids daily (eight ounces per glass).
• Drink before, during, and after exercise and don't rely on your thirst mechanism to tell you how much fluid you need. Avoid items which contain caffeine (e.g., coffee, soft drinks and tea) or alcohol (e.g., beer, wine, etc.) for these can increase urine production and fluid loss.

HEAT INJURY PREVENTION

The following are actions to be taken to help prevent dehydration and hyperthermia during exercise.

• Adequate hydration before exercise or physical activity is the best prevention.
• Consume 8-10 ounces of water, 10-20 minutes before beginning a light workout.
• When exercising or involved in physical activity that lasts one hour or more, take breaks to consume additional water. Recommended intake is three ounces every 20 minutes.
• Avoid salt tablets. Sweat is composed primarily of water lost from the tissues in a greater proportion than losses of sodium and chloride. This means that the body is under pressure to correct the imbalance. For this reason, additional salt or salt tablets are undesirable prior to or after strenuous exercise. An individual should rely on the use of water alone to prevent heat injury or thermal stress.

Physical activity in full sun increases the risk of heat injury. Wearing a hat or cap guards against the sun's radiant energy and protects one from dehydration as well as sunburn.

If you become overheated moisten your skin by sponging or spraying with water to assist in the cooling process. Such cooling measures provide a form of external sweating which helps to dissipate heat without using internal fluid resources for evaporation. A few minutes of preparation before physical activity in the warm weather will help prevent heat related problems. Keep cool and use your head.

Environmental Health and Safety News

Telephone: 1- 413-545-2682

fax: 1- 413-545-2600

send e-mail to: safety@admin.umass.edu

http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~safety

Director: Dr. Donald Robinson