Canadian Safety Reporter

CSR | November 2014 | News ©2014 thomson reuters canada ltd ISBN/ISSN: 978-0-7798-2810-4 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher (Carswell, a Thomson Reuters business). Canadian Safety Reporter is part of the Canadian HR Reporter group of publications: • canadian hr reporter — www.hrreporter.com • canadian occupational Safety magazine — www.cos-mag.com • canadian payroll reporter — www.payroll-reporter.com • canadian employment law today — www.employmentlawtoday.com • canadian labour reporter — www.labour-reporter.com See carswell.com for information Safety Reporter Canadian www.safetyreporter.com Published 12 times a year by Thomson reuters canada Ltd. Subscription rate: $129 per year customer service Tel: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) Fax: (416) 298-5106 E-mail: carswell.customerrelations @thomsonreuters.com Website: www.carswell.com one corporate plaza 2075 Kennedy Road Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1T 3V4 Director, Carswell Media karen Lorimer Publisher John hobel (on leave) Acting Publisher/Managing Editor Todd humber Assistant Editor Mallory hendry (416) 649-7898 mallory.hendry@thomsonreuters.com Contributing Editors Liz foster sabrina Nanji sarah dobson Liz Bernier Jeffrey r. smith Marketing Manager Mohammad ali mm.ali@thomsonreuters.com (416) 609-5866 Circulation Co-ordinator keith fulford keith.fulford@thomsonreuters.com (416) 649-9585 the research revealed the extent to which working envi- ronments can adversely affect employee health and well-being, with open-concept offices rated as one of the unhealthiest envi- ronments in which to work. According to Bryna War- shawsky, public health physician for Public health ontario, infec- tion is most commonly spread through proximity and shared surfaces. "Generally, respiratory in- fections spread by either being within two metres of somebody — being close enough that some- one could cough or sneeze on you — or through contact with the environment. so if i coughed into my hand and touched a surface, someone else touching that surface throughout the day would be at risk of introducing that infection into their mouth, nose and eyes." The 'sneeze zone' According to the Canadian Centre for occupational health and safety (CCohs), widely ac- cepted minimum requirement ranges for workstations — 107 cm by 152 cm — are well within the so-called sneeze zone. in addition to frequent hand washing, Warshawsky recom- mended the regular disinfection of shared workplace spaces. "in a work environment there is lots of potential for interac- tion," she said. "it's important for employers to be clear about what sick policies are and to make sure they're not punitive. you don't want people to feel compelled to come to work when they're so ill that they're contagious. if your policy is such that employees are essentially penalized for taking sick time, you're going to encour- age people to come to work when they're ill and cause the spread of disease in the workplace." robyn Benson, national presi- dent of the Public service Al- liance of Canada (PsAC), said providing an adequate sick leave benefit is one of the single most important things an employer can do to maintain the health and safety of employees. "it's an insurance policy every employer, every company should have for their employees," Ben- son said. "employers have an obligation to look after their em- ployees and that means provid- ing sick leave." But when it comes to creating a healthy working environment for employees, the spread of cold and flu isn't the only concern for employers considering their sick leave policies. in addition to feeling their physical health was influenced by their working environment, employees surveyed by Canada Life Group insurance reported mental health was equally af- fected. of the employees work- ing in open-concept offices surveyed, 28 per cent reported their working environment causes stress. "We spend the majority of our time at work, so it's not surpris- ing that the type of environment you work in can have such a sig- nificant impact on your health and wellbeing," said Paul Avis, marketing director at Canada Life Group insurance. "With illness already prone to spreading in office environ- ments, it's crucial to offer a workspace that cultivates good health and well-being rather than damages it. it's particularly concerning that a quarter of em- ployees feel their mental wellbe- ing is being negatively affected by their work environment: stress is a major cause of long- term absence and can be hugely detrimental to both employee and employer." stress affects both an employ- ee's physical and mental health. According to the Canadian Men- tal health Association the body undergoes a series of changes in reaction to stress, commonly re- ferred to as the "stress response." the three stages of stress re- sponse include the mobilization of energy, the consumption of energy stores and the draining of energy stores. immediately after recogniz- ing stress the body releases adrenaline, resulting in in- creased heartbeat and breath- ing. if the source of stress is not eliminated, the body begins to release stored sugars and fats from its resources. this can lead to exhaustion, anxiety and memory loss as well as make the body more susceptible to in- fection in the form of colds and flu. if the source of stress remains unresolved, the body's need for energy becomes greater than its ability to produce it, and the body can become chronically stressed. employees suffering from chronic stress can experi- ence insomnia, errors in judg- ment and personality changes. Chronic stress also puts employ- ees at risk of developing more serious sicknesses such as heart disease, ulcers or mental illness. According to Benson many employees are part of the so- called "sandwich generation," responsible for taking care of not only their children but also their parents. Attempting to maintain a work-life balance while taking on so many responsibilities is a huge source of stress, she said. "there's a real need for mak- ing sure employees benefit from an adequate sick leave provi- sion," Benson said, emphasiz- ing the importance of creating a workplace environment that takes into account the need for maintaining both physical and mental health. "every employer should pro- vide sick leave for its employees, and that provides wellness in and of itself." OPEN SEASON < pg. 1 Employees should wash hands, disinfect shared spaces With illness already prone to spreading in office environments, it's crucial to offer a workspace that cultivates good health and well-being rather than damages it.

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