"My Chiropractor says I should find a branch that’s more ergonomically correct"     (Waisglass/Coulthart)

1999... A Year of Changes

1999 saw new workplace legislation implemented in BC and around the world. The BC WCB Ergonomic Regulations require all companies to have a comprehensive and on-going system to assess and control the risk of Musculoskeletal Injury’s (MSI). Companies must provide ergonomic education programs for all employees, and insure all workstations, equipment and tools are designed or re-designed to fit the tasks and the people using them.

BC Bill 14

• The BC legislature drafted its own regulations which came into effect in October 1999. The purpose is to enforce that all workers can and will voice their concerns about health and safety at work.

• Employees must be made aware of potential risk factors in their job, and report all injuries or risk factors to their Supervisor and/or the Health & Safety committee.

• Worksites with 20+ workers require a joint employer/worker safety committee. A safety representative can represent 10-19 workers.

• Committee members are entitled to 8 hours of paid training for courses per year, and time to attend and prepare for meetings. Committee meetings must be held at least once a month, plus time allowed for tasks done outside their regular meetings.

• Employers must respond in writing within 21 days on each Committee recommendation.

• Employers and Supervisors can be heavily fined or even jailed if workplace conditions are hazardous to the health of employees.

Success Stories

Red Wing Shoes, which employs over 1,000 workers, reduced their compensation costs from $4 million to less than $1 million, a 75% reduction over a four year period! The company attributes this dramatic decrease in such a short period to their new corporate philosophy— "modify the equipment to fit the worker, not the other way around." (Sound familiar? This has been our Company’s motto since we started 11 years ago!)

Algoma Steel’s worker re-entry program is saving the company millions of dollars in WCB costs and helping injured workers return to work sooner. Algoma went from paying $8 million in WCB penalties to receiving a $1.8 million rebate last year. In 1992 they had 300 people off work and collecting WCB. Today, there are 48 claimants!

"And the Doctor said to stay in bed until I feel better."

...The US follows suit...

Canadian health and safety officials watch as their American counterparts, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) introduces similar Federal ergonomic legislation in the US.

Calls for tougher, all-encompassing regulations are being met with cries of outrage from the corporate sector. But proponents of the legislation insist that any initial costs of the program will be more than offset by reduced compensation costs due to workplace injuries.

Highlights of the OSHA regulations which are causing concern among American Companies are:

• they will affect 1.9 million worksites.

• estimated cost of $4.2 billion per year.

• those who suffer ergonomic injuries will be entitled to have their workstations fixed.

The US Labour Department estimates, however, that the new rules could prevent injury to 300,000 workers annually and save employers $9 billion.

What BACK IN ACTION will   be Doing in 2000

We will continue to work closely with Provincial Ministries to ensure Bill 14 and WCB compliance.

We now also look to increased presence in the private sector both here in BC and across North America. Both our "Train the Trainers" ergonomics program and our employee workshops are in demand, and especially in the Western United States, as they now face legislative changes that Canada has already addressed.

We’ve expanded our Ergonomics Training program, as risk assessments and evaluations are now a mandated as well as a moral necessity. Our revised Trainer’s Manual includes "user friendly" materials to implement regulatory issues.

We are always working to update our product line and have recently designed a new, improved mousepad with palm rest. Our perennial best sellers year after year:

           Wacky but True:              Problems We Reviewed

Severe Neck Strain: Earrings repeatedly tangled in phone handset and cord. Chronic condition made severe with final tug to release the earring. (Straw that broke camel’s back!)

Tendonitis: Protecting large engagement ring caused ring, index and little finger to be held in contracted and elevated position. In two months, a poor working habit became a major problem.

Tendonitis: Long fingernails caused unnatural placement of fingers and hands. Gradual onset.

Severe knee ligament strain: Feet tangled up in chair rung (a persistent habit gone wrong.)

Chipped front tooth: Mouse cords tangled. An exasperated pull released the mouse and hit two teeth. The outcome was immediate pain due to long-standing problems with short cords.

Knocked Out. Overhead cabinet door left open. Immediate onset of symptoms from a long-standing risk factor left unattended.

Bursitis: Mouse used on monitor because documents used up available desk space. Shoulder bursitis and elbow tendonitis were the unfortunate results.

Hit by a Coffee Mug …Twelve Stitches Required. Remember that workplace stress can be a compounding factor in many office injuries and claims. Being unhappy or dissatisfied with work is a major occupational hazard.

Our most popular product, our palm support is...

• beveled & sloped to completely eliminate compression of your wrist, blood vessels & nerve pathways

• the metal base can span over work surfaces