Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/101356
52 ��� JANUARY 2013 ��� WORLD FENCE NEWS Texas MedClinic shares preventative measures to help ensure workplace safety AUSTIN, Tex. ��� Texas MedClinic, in an attempt to increase workplace safety, has shared preventative measures that help to ensure workplace safety and encourage ways to avoid potential accidents that lead to strains and sprains on the job. Texas MedClinic physicians stress the importance of prevention with the notion that, unlike many illnesses, workplace accidents can be avoided. ���Workplace injuries can often be avoided through proper education and preventative measures, and our job as physicians is to share tactics we believe encourage health and safety,��� said Dr. Kristen Kocurek at Texas MedClinic. ���There are many ways to prevent injuries that can occur on the job, but they all begin with employers effectively communicating safety measures to their employees.��� Is your business or association positioned for the changing economy? 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Appointments may be made for personal appearances or telephone consultations. Jim Lucci World Fence News contributing editor Read Jim Lucci���s monthly column: The Human Link ��� Jim���s by-line: PROFIT IS NOT A DIRTY WORD!��� Past IFIA Convention speaker and presenter of Eastern International Convention keynote addresses COUPON Fill out (please print) and return to: James V. (Jim) Lucci Management Motivational Associates, Inc. 18 Hansome Place ��� Freeport, NY 11520 ��� MMAJandJ@aol.com Please call me. I���m interested in ____________________________________________________ Telephone________________________________ Convenient time________________________ Fax Number _____________________________ E-mail: ________________________________ Name __________________________________________________________________________ Name of Business/ Organization_____________________________________________________ Address_________________________________________________________________________ City ________________________________ State ______________ Zip _____________________ Lifting, pushing, and overreaching are common causes of strains and sprains. Any job that requires an employee to sit, stand, or bend in an awkward position for long periods of time can cause excess stress and strain on certain muscles. Most strains and sprains affect the back, arms, and shoulders, and many of these occur because of improper handling of materials. Some of the most important safety measures to help avoid strains and sprains on the job include the following: ��� Lift correctly by bending at the knees and lifting with leg strength, not the back. ��� Carry loads close to the body. Injuries can occur when workers try to pull or lift a heavy or awkward object without help or attempt to lift an object while twisting from the waist. ��� When carrying a load, avoid lifting upward unnecessarily. Keep as much of the load as possible at waist level. ��� Get help with heavy loads. Don���t try to move or lift an object alone that���s too heavy. Instead of lifting an 80-pound load, if possible, break it down into smaller parts. If the load can���t be broken down, find help from a mechanical device or lift it with another worker. ��� Make sure moving equipment works properly or it will cause unnecessary strain just trying to get it to work. If the wheels on a cart are not aligned, it is easy to strain arms, shoulders, and back. ��� Change work positions frequently. Chronic strain due to an unchanging work position can weaken the back, arms, and shoulders. Adjust working heights to prevent slumping or excessive reaching. ��� Stretch during the day to in- crease flexibility. Take breaks, letting shoulders and neck muscles go limp and swiveling the head or arms or flexing hands and fingers. When chronic strain happens, muscles become less able to withstand strenuous activity and grow more prone to injury. It���s important to take care of the entire body with exercise, proper posture, a sensible diet and adequate rest. If muscles or ligaments have weakened from lack of exercise or age, strain or sprains are more likely than if an employee is physically fit. Texas MedClinic devotes extensive resources to its occupational medicine program, including the care of injured workers. Physicians at Texas MedClinic strongly support early return to work by utilizing modified duty in the workplace to facilitate convalescence and re-integration into the workplace. Physicians at Texas MedClinic are trained to recognize and provide care to ensure employees can return to work as quickly as possible. Additionally, to facilitate communication and coordination with employer clients, each Texas MedClinic location has an occupational service representative to serve as a liaison between Texas MedClinic and their customers. Texas MedClinic has 14 locations in Texas, with of two of those locations in Austin. For more information about Texas MedClinic, clinic physicians, occupational medical or hours of operation, visit www.texasmedclinic.com. Texas MedClinic was established in 1982 by Dr. Bernard T. Swift, Jr., as a group medical practice that specializes in urgent care and occupational medicine.