EH&S News

Environmental Health and Safety

University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Editor: Robert DiCarlo Spring 1999 Vol. 5 No. 1

Inside This Issue

Humor in the Workplace

Eyewash Alert

Occupational Asthma

Training and Employee Feedback

EH&S Staff Notes

HUMOR IN THE WORKPLACE

Humor has been defined by the Random House Dictionary as a comic quality causing amusement...mental disposition or temperament...a freakish inclination.

Many educational and business organizations bring in humor consultants to conduct workshops on the topic of Humor in the Workplace and spend a day studying ways to make people relax so they will be more productive. Of course, after the workshop everyone returns to the humdrum of daily toils and all is forgotten.

Humor definitely has a place in the work environment. A recently released movie Patch Adams starring Robin Williams is illustrative of how a medical doctor used humor to make patients feel and heal better. The director of one medical facility made the movie required viewing for all medical staff.

There is a lot of science that can explain the physiological and psychological benefits of levity and laughter. It can be described with lots of technical linguistics, but we will not do that in this article. The bottom line about humor is that it makes you feel good...pure and simple.

People in the sales profession are instructed to leave customers with a smile on their face.

Some recent reports suggest that if a person is feeling dull and gloomy they can change their physiological and psychological disposition simply by biting on a pencil. It seems that the facial muscles used to smile/laugh are triggered. The use of the facial muscles somehow makes the body think it is happy and secretes all those nice feeling chemicals.

Some people have learned to fake it and laugh even when they do not feel happy. Miraculously they trick their body and mind into a happy state of being.

What does this have to do with the workplace? Well for one thing the National Safety Council and the United States Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has gathered data on occupational injuries. The number one occupational injury is caused by a Repetitive Motion Disorder. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a typical type of injury on the rise. One way to help reduce these injuries is to inject the workplace with a dose of humor.

According to a news release from the the US Department of Labor’s website on Occupational Illnesses... there were about 430,000 newly reported cases of occupational illnesses in private industry in 1997. Manufacturing accounted for three-fifths of these cases. Disorders associated with repeated trauma, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and noise-induced hearing loss, accounted for 4 percent of the 6.1 million workplace injuries and illnesses. They were, however, the dominant type of illnesses reported, making up 64 percent of the 430,000 total illness cases. Is that some type of touchy feely mumbo jumbo? No. Not exactly. It is based on the notion that when people laugh they relax, loosen up a bit and have to use their lungs and heart to get the necessary blood and oxygen into the body. The very act of laughter moves the oxygenated blood into the blood stream where it circulates throughout to the muscles, tendons and other vital places. Good blood circulation assists tired muscles to renew strength and vitality. Laughing is akin to stretching. It loosens up the muscles and allows the body to get a sense of rejuvenation.

Do what should come naturally to all of us...laugh. Yes, laugh at those things that are funny. And more importantly make yourself receptive to laughter by looking at the world in a somewhat more whimsical way.

A final reminder taken from the lyrics from a classic song: "life is just a bowl of cherries...don’t take it serious...it’s too mysterious".

EYEWASH ALERT

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) requires that eyewashes be activated weekly for at least three minutes to flush stagnant water from the lines and observe proper pressurization levels.

An eyewash must deliver at least 0.4 gal/min for 15 minutes and provide a continuous supply of potable water at 30 psi of flow pressure minimum. If you notice any problems with your eyewash station, please contact Physical Plant. ANSI also has training requirements for the use of eyewashes, which are covered in the Laboratory Safety Training seminars given by EH&S. Please appoint a responsible party in your lab to perform the weekly maintenance of your eyewash station.

OCCUPATIONAL ASTHMA

In our present day environment Occupational Asthma is on the rise. It is caused by sensitization from exposures in the workplace. A person who is diagnosed with asthma may have asthmatic symptoms due to workplace exposures. They would not be classified as having occupational asthma.

Chemical sensitization, animal dander, flour proteins, and animal scales are frequently causes of occupational asthma. It may be difficult to diagnos because many employees do not relate the effect to the cause.

When someone becomes sensitized to a substance their body may react to a small amount of exposure. Chronic exposure to the triggering chemical can cause permanent lung damage, chronic asthmatic symptoms, and possibly death. An asthmatic who is on a medicine should not work in an area where there is exposure to the triggering substance. Employees should learn to recognition and avoid harmful exposures as a way to prevent chronic health problems resulting from asthma.

UMass employees should be aware of how you use and apply hazardous chemicals in the workplace as a way to avoid unnecessary health risks.

TRAINING AND EMPLOYEE FEEDBACK

As part of our Right to Know training programs at EH&S, we listen to employees concerns regarding chemicals used in the workplace. We have some of employee’s ideas and suggestions to insure that students, faculty and staff do not get injured.

Here is some of the feedback that was brought out during the training:

1. The employees do not want any person on campus to throw hazardous waste into regular trash. For more information about hazardous waste and the procedures that we follow at UMASS, refer to the EH&S publication entitled Waste Management at UMass. Keep in mind that the trades and maintenance staff do not want to enter an area that is potentially dangerous. EH&S has a website to access Hazardous Waste Request Forms and Material Safety Data Sheet information. The address is: http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~safety
2. The maintenance or trades staff want all hazardous substances to be labeled in an effort to identify the potential hazards within the area. If there is a spill and someone gets splashed, the attending medical professionals need the information for treatment. Also, researchers should label all of the hazardous substances. Researchers should make sure that the Laboratory Safety Information Card is complete for each laboratory.
3. Some of our employees work around the rooftops where fume hoods are vented. These employees know the labeling system for fume hoods and vents which are part of the HVAC systems. All fume hoods are labeled with a sticker indicating the exhaust fan it is connected to. Each exhaust fan is labeled indicating the fume hood it is connected to. Employees who work on fume hoods should communicate with the lab personnel to insure that no one stores anything in the fume hood while maintenance is performed. All fume hoods are periodically checked by EH&S.
4. It is important to know the health effects of hazardous substances used by the tradespeople. MSDSs are available by tradespeople to distribute to the students, faculty and staff if requested. Someone may be sensitive to a particular substance and should be alerted prior to the potential exposure.
5. Many UMass employees request products that do not use aerosols to apply hazardous substances. Instead they request a substitute method of application such as brushing or dabbing. Aerosol cans should be the last method of application for substances that place air contaminants into the environment.
6. Supervisors should spend a few minutes with new employees to explain the potential health and physical hazards of the hazardous substances used on the job. When a new hazardous substance is introduced into the workarea, all employees should be provided with MSDS information. When sales representatives drop off hazardous substances that are to be used for trial purposes, the supervisor should make sure that the MSDS accompanies the product.
7. Employees should not try to clean up a spill when they enter a lab or other room where an unknown substance has spilled. Employees should know when to notify their supervisor, EH&S, or call 911 depending of the situation. Every employees should be vigilant and do only that which you are trained to do.

EH&S STAFF NOTES

Larry Davis, Health Inspector at Environmental Health and Safety has recently completed and passed the Registered Sanitarian Exam. The exam is a one day event that encompasses public health, food safety, sanitation, housing and diseases. The exam is administered by the National Environmental Health Association. The certification will enable Larry to better serve the needs of the University community by keeping abreast of the latest trends and technology in the field.

Larry has been employed with EH&S since 1980. He previously worked as a technician for a chemical engineering company where he performed research on a fluid bed reactor. He has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Bridgewater State College.

Environmental Health and Safety News

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Director: Dr. Donald Robinson