Disclaimer:

This program is intended to provide general instruction on the a general stretching plan to avoid workplace muscle fatigue and discomfort to an average working, aging body.  These types of exercises may not be appropriate for all individuals. Before beginning this or any other type of exercise program, consult with your physician and/ or physical therapist to determine what exercise program is suitable for you.  If at any time while performing these exercises you experience any pain, numbness, and/ or tingling, discontinue performing these exercises and contact your physician immediately. 

1. Reach for the Sky – Stand up tall and reach with both arms up to the sky (with one hand gripped around your opposite wrist) look straight up towards your hands. When your arms are fully extended hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then gently side bend your trunk to the L side and hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then to the R side and hold for 3 to 5 seconds. Repeat 1 to 2 times.  Great stretch to reduce upper back/ neck and shoulder fatigue and stress.

2. Cat Back Stretch – Stand and reach with both arms straight out in front of you at shoulder level (gently hold both hands together), arch your back forward and hold this position for 3 to 5 seconds.  Now add side bending  and rotation towards your L side and hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then repeat on the R side.  Repeat 1 to 2 times.  Great stretch to reduce upper back, neck and between shoulder blades fatigue/ stress and soreness.

3.  Standing Trunk Extension (Backward Bend)  Standing up tall put your hands on your hips/ lower back and while looking straight ahead, gently bend backwards and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Repeat 3 to 5 times.  One of the most important stretches to prevent lower back injury (keeping the discs in your lower back healthy), reduce fatigue and pain to the lower back.  Do frequently throughout the workday, at least every hour if your sit for most of your workday.  A great tweak to this stretch is to look back and over your shoulder holding for 3 to 5 seconds, and do this towards the side of pain in your lower back/ hips/ buttock muscles.

4.  Standing Trunk Side Bend  Stand up tall and bend towards your L side reaching with your R hand overhead and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Repeat other side, bending towards your R side with your L arm overhead and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Repeat 1 to 3 times.  If you feel any pain in your lower back and/ or shoulder bring your arms down and place them on your hips.

5.  Standing Trunk Rotation  Stand up tall and reach with your R hand over your L shoulder, twisting your body towards the L side.  Hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Now reach with L hand over R shoulder twisting your body to the R and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Repeat 1 to 3 times.

6.  Chin Tuck  Stand up tall as in military attention, keeping your chin tucked down (looking straight ahead) and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Repeat 2 to 5 times.  You can do this either with or without your hand as a guide.  Don’t push on your jaw as this can stress your TMJ  joint.  Best stretch to get rid of your headaches!!  You can tweak this stretch by adding extension and/ or looking over your shoulder towards the side of pain.  Just bump into the pain and slowly back off…repeat until your headaches are gone!

7.  Neck Stretch (3 Positions A, B, and C)  Place your L hand on top of your R shoulder, gently pull down and tip your head towards your L shoulder while looking straight ahead, hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Repeat other side.  With L hand holding R shoulder down gently look down and over towards your L shoulder and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Repeat other side.  With L hand holding R shoulder down tip your head towards your L shoulder and then gently look back over your R shoulder and/ or twist your head to the R side holding for 3 to 5 seconds.  Repeat other side.  Repeat 1 to 2 times.  This is a great stretch to do first thing in the morning in a warm shower to reduce neck/ shoulder stiffness.  This stretch really helps to reduce your risks (or is a must in the treatment) of elbow, wrist and hand MSD/CTD problems too!

8.  Wrist Stretch  Hold R arm out in front of you at shoulder level (fully extended) with palm up.  With your L hand gently pull your R fingers back (all fingers, except the thumb) to feel a good stretch to your R forearm.  Hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then pull your fingers across the front of your body  and hold for 3 to 5 seconds, lastly rotate your hand to the outside and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Repeat other side.  Repeat 1 to 2 times.  Great stretch to reduce wrist/ hand/ forearm fatigue and prevent or treat “wrist tendentious and/ or carpal tunnel”.  Repeat this stretch frequently, especially for your dominant hand.

9.  Elbow Stretch  Hold both arms out in front of you at shoulder level with palms down facing the floor.  Next make a fist with both hands and tip both of your fists down towards the floor as in photo a and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  You will feel the stretch on the back of your forearms.  This is a great stretch to prevent or treat “Tennis elbow/tendonitis of the elbow”.  Now turn your fists in towards each other and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Lastly do the same turning your fists to the outside/ away from each other and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Photo b shows the elbow stretch with an overpressure.  Hold your R arm out in front of you with palm down and fingers extended (out straight).  With your L hand gently pull your fingers back until you feel a forearm stretch and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Add rotation to the inside and outside, holding for 3 to 5 seconds at each position.  Repeat 1 to 2 times.

10.  Shoulder Stretch (Posterior capsule)  Reach your R arm directly across the front of your body at shoulder level and with your L arm gently give an overpressure to your R arm (just above your R elbow).  Hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Repeat other side.  Repeat 1 to 2 times.  You can tweak this exercise by changing the angle of your shoulder across your body, either above or below shoulder level at an angle.

11.  Doorway Chest Stretch  Stand in a doorway with your feet staggered (one in front of the other) and your arms as shown in the photo with palms facing away of you and looking straight ahead (as making a field goal post). Hold this position for 3 to 5 seconds.  Tweak this stretch by turning your head to the R side and hold for 3 to 5 seconds and repeat by turning your head to the L side and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Repeat for 2 to 3 times and then switch your feet staggered position and repeat other side for 2 to 3 reps. If this posture of your shoulders and arms hurts/ bothers your shoulders just hold your arms down away from your sides with elbows straight and palms facing the door.  This is a great stretch to reduce stiffness to your neck/ chest/ shoulders/ trunk and hips.

12.  Hip Flexor/ Calf Stretch  Stand facing a wall, leaning forward towards the wall with your hands at approximately shoulder level and your left foot toes pointed either straight forward or slightly toed in.  Slowly raise your right knee as high as you can comfortably toward the wall and hold for 3 to 5 seconds and then back toward the floor (knee extended) as if you were walking up the stairs and repeat 3 to 5 times.  You can tweak this stretch by adding a side to side motion of your leg in the forward flexed hip and knee position end range (frontal plane) and also tweak rotation left to right side (transverse plane) in this forward flexed hip and knee position.  Repeat with the other side as noted above.

This stretch will also work on your core strength and stability!  Your lower back, knees, hips, feet and total body with shout for JOY and Thank You!

13.  Quadricep Stretch  Stand up tall and pull your R foot up towards your  buttocks (gluteus maximus) and hold your R foot with your R hand for 3 to 5 seconds, repeat this for 1 to 2 repetitions.  Try to maintain your knee position pointed straight down towards the floor which increases the stretch to your quadriceps and also hip flexor muscle.  Repeat other side.  This stretch reduces the biomechanical stresses to your knee, hips and lower back.

14.  Hip Adductor/ Groin Stretch  Start with your feet wider than shoulder width apart and feet pointed forward or with a slight toe out posture.  Slowly bend forward reaching down towards the floor (between your feet) with both hands while breathing out and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Now slowly reach both hands towards your R foot and hold for 3 to 5 seconds and lastly repeat this stretch reaching towards your L foot for 3 to 5 seconds. Repeat this stretch for 1 to 2 repetitions (You can also come up straight and reach for the sky with both hands between each change of position with this stretch too).  You can further tweak this great hip stretch by; Staggering your feet, and toeing your feet in or out.  This stretch reduces the bio-mechanical stresses to your lower back, knees, and hips and will allow you to have more fun in your daily life at work and at play!

15.  Hamstring Stretch  Stand up and extend your R leg in front of you onto a chair against the wall for stability (or you can use the stairs), gently pull the toes of your R foot back towards your head as in photo a and reach both of your arms in front of you towards your feet (to help your balance and safety, you may want to do this stretch by a table/ wall/ or steady object).  Hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Then roll your R foot/ leg to the inside and hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then roll your leg to the outside holding for 3 to 5 seconds.  Another way to tweak this stretch is by reaching with both of your arms to the inside and outside of your R leg, while continuing to slowly rotate your leg.  This is an outstanding stretch for your hips, trunk, and entire body (Especially important for those who sit for most of their workdays).  Repeat other side. Repeat 1 to 2 times

16.  Sitting Piriformis Stretch  Sit up tall and cross your R leg over your L knee.  Turn your body to the R and gently pull your R knee up towards your L shoulder and hold for 5 to 10 seconds.  Repeat 1 to 2 times, and repeat other side.  Key stretch to prevent or treat lower back pain, sciatic pain, and hip and knee pain.  If you have sciatic nerve pain or lower back pain you must really be diligent in watching your seated and standing posture habits to reduce toe out, knees out sitting, or crossing your legs/ sitting on your feet and reduce your time in these postures each day… WorkSmart!

17.  Seated Twist (Rotation) Stretch  Sitting up tall reach your R hand and put this on the outside of your L knee and gently twist towards your L side.  Hold for 3 to 5 seconds. Repeat other side.  Repeat 2 times.  You can also tweak this stretch by reaching with your arm instead of holding your knee.  This is an excellent stretch to improve hip, shoulder, and trunk flexibility while reducing stiffness.

18.  Standing Calf Stretch (on stairs)  Stand up tall on the stairs while hanging onto 1 or 2 rails and slowly back up to allow your heels to fall towards the floor (have your toes pointing straight ahead), feeling a good stretch in your calf and hamstring muscles.  Hold for 3 to 5 seconds, then shift your weight towards the R side and hold for 3 to 5 seconds and then shift your weight towards your L side and hold for 3 to 5 seconds.  Repeat each side 3 to 5 times.  You can tweak this stretch further with a slight toe in or out posture of your feet or by stepping one foot up 1-2 stairs and repeating this same stretch (really increases the stretch to your hip flexor muscle also).  This is a great stretch for your calf (hip flexor if you raise 1 foot up 1-2 stairs) and will help reduce daily wear and tear to your entire working, aging body.

These are the stretches that will improve your working bodies vitality as we age.  They will also reduce the daily wear and tear and risks for injury, reduce stress, and improve our energy level to your working body.  Remember to do any one of these stretches more frequently during the workday or at home to reduce fatigue, or discomfort to your body.  Taking Bio-Ergonomic “Pit Stops” throughout your workday to reverse the postures you do frequently or to reverse and break up the sustained postures we do daily will keep your body healthy and feeling better for LIFE.  You and your family are worth the effort!

Disclaimer:

This program is intended to provide general instruction on the IMPACC Industrial Athlete WorkSmart Stretching Plan to avoid workplace muscle fatigue and discomfort to your working, aging body.  These types of exercises may not be appropriate for all individuals. Before beginning this or any other type of exercise program, consult with your physician and/ or physical therapist to determine what exercise program is suitable for you.  If at any time while performing these exercises you experience any pain, numbness, and/ or tingling, discontinue performing these exercises and contact your physician immediately.

Erik Nieuwenhuis MS, PT    “The WorkSmart and Get Fit Guy”

A suspicious person is either one who is exhibiting non-typical behavior, or who is in an area or doing something that would not be considered part of one of the various jobs.

What is Suspicious Behavior?

This can be difficult to define in many cases, but we do have the core businesses here to help us understand what is normal and what is not. First, if a person is wandering around the property without the required PPE and they are not checking in or out they may fall into the suspicious category.  The list below gives you some other indicators that things may not be right.

• Wearing heavy clothing in warm weather (e.g., a trench coat in 90 degree weather)
• Asking question that are not common about the location of something, security measures, or how to get chemicals or other items.
• Attempts to conceal the face by turning away if approached, (e.g. turning quickly to pretend to be looking at a bulletin board.)
• Lurking/hiding in poorly lit areas or building shadows.
• Nervous glances around them both before and behind.
• Being evasive if asked questions or they attempt to change the subject.
• Offering too much information about why they are in a particular area. They provide details on their time leading up to “now” and trying to keep the details to thinks like, where they parked, people they know, or obvious story telling.
• Anyone carrying something that does not fit in with what they are doing. (A person carrying a suitcase into the plant)
• Unusual noises,  If you hear gunshots, screaming, sounds of combat, an explosion, abnormally barking dogs, or anything suggesting foul play, danger, or illegal activity.

What to do if you see a Suspicious Person

If you see anyone that is doing some of the items above or something else that gives you that “creepy” feeling please note the following:

• What are they wearing (take a good look, better details help the police)
• What are they like physically? (Body type, hair color, skin complexion, limps or other restricted movement, and height. It always is a good idea to pre-identify some places that people walk by and know what their general height is so you can compare.
• If they are using a vehicle note; make, color, license plate number, condition of the vehicle (dents, marks, miss-matched panels, broken windows, etc.) Also how are they driving?
• Unless confronted with the person avoid contact and call your supervisor immediately. If they do not answer do not hesitate to call 911. When asked give all the information you can in a clear brief way so they can act on the information.
• IF you are confronted with a suspicious person then stay calm as you can, use non-threatening language, don’t act overly interested and try to get out of any conversation as fast as it feels safe to do so. Retreat to an area where others will be present or to a room that can be locked then contact supervision and or the police.
• NEVER put yourself or other at risk by engaging, provoking, or playing the hero.

Maintaining Human Dignity and Case Integrity

Do not as a habit verbalize your own personal conclusions of the observed suspicious person/behavior to coworkers, family or friends. The behavior may be the result of mental illness, an accident, stroke, drug interaction, missed medication, Alzheimer’s, Cultural differences (normal for one is not always true for all). Transmit only the observable facts to your supervisor and the police. We have a legal duty not to slander a person or make spontaneous speculative conclusions.  Always be professional and keep in mind that you only know a small window of what may be going on.

The first category is the walking surface. The three factors relating to it are:

1. The coefficient of friction – walking surface vs. the sole of the shoe.
2. The presence of foreign substances on the surface, such as water, trash, food, ice.
3. The condition or state of repair of the walking surface, i.e., damaged or missing sections, the presence of a ramp or other change in elevation.

The second category is the individual’s shoe. The factors are:

1. The coefficient of friction – the sole of the shoe vs. the walking surface.
2. The presence of a foreign substance on the sole or heel of the shoe. Such material can be as easily found on the shoe as on the walking surface.
3. The condition or state of repair of the shoe, i.e., heel height, worn-down heels, worn-down soles, holes in the sole.

The third category is the physical condition of the individual. The factors are:

1. The method of walking. There is a wide variation in the way people walk, which is revealed in the length of stride, gait, manner in which the foot contacts the walking surface.
2. Distribution of forces. Individuals vary in the distribution of vertical, lateral, and longitudinal forces exerted in walking.
3. The physical condition of the individual. Physical disabilities may contribute to a slip or fall.

Prevention is the best option when dealing with potentially slippery surfaces, be aware of these slip and fall prevention strategies:

• Wear the proper footwear. Although it may not be glamorous to wear a pair of boots, it will give you traction, not to mention keep your feet warm. If you want to wear heels or other kinds of shoes, simply carry an extra pair with you to change into.
• Making sure your shoes are free of icy buildup by brushing or “knocking” them clean keeps you from bringing a slip indoors.
• If you think you are approaching a particularly slick area of snow or ice, don’t be afraid to explore the area with your toe to see how slippery it is before you put your full weight on the area. Better safe than sorry.
• Don’t carry large loads while walking on snow or ice – you are asking for trouble! If you do carrying a load on an icy walk and feel yourself falling, toss your load so that you can break your fall with your arms.
• Take small careful steps instead of large ones. Don’t forget to use the winter shuffle, keep both feet on the ground and move slowly.
• When getting out of a vehicle, step, don’t jump. When possible, use handrails, handles – anything that will help you keep your balance.
• Never run.
• Although your hands might be cold, don’t put them in your pockets when you are navigating wintry stretches. If you slip, you will need your arms to restore balance. If you fall, your arms will help you to break your fall and land safely.
• Help your elderly friends and relatives on snow and ice. Slips and falls can be extremely dangerous for seniors. If you are older, don’t shy away from asking others for a helping hand.

Gritting – the pros and cons

The most common method used to de-ice floors is gritting as it is relatively cheap, quick to apply and easy to spread. Rock salt (plain and treated) is the most commonly used ‘grit’. It is the substance used on public roads by the highways authority.

• Salt can stop ice forming and cause existing ice or snow to melt. It is most effective when it is ground down, but this will take far longer on pedestrian areas than on roads.
• Gritting should be carried out when frost, ice or snow is forecast or when walkways are likely to be damp or wet and the floor temperatures are at, or below freezing. The best times are early in evening before the frost settles and/or early in the morning before employees arrive.
• Salt doesn’t work instantly; it needs enough time to dissolve into the moisture on the floor.
• If you grit when it is raining heavily the salt will be washed away, causing a problem if the rain then turns to snow. Compacted snow, which turns to ice, is difficult to treat effectively with grit.
• Be aware that ‘dawn frost’ can occur on dry surfaces, when early morning dew forms and freezes on impact with the cold surface. It can be difficult to predict when or where this condition will occur.

Scott Fraser bio

• Buy luggage with wheels and a handle that’s sturdy and lightweight. (Check that the wheels aren’t wobbly or stiff).
• Don’t over-pack. Use several small bags instead of stuffing everything into one heavy suitcase.
• Lift with your legs instead of your back, bending at the knees and holding the luggage close to your body.
• If possible, use both hands to carry luggage.
• If carrying a shoulder bag, make sure you switch sides often.

For more information on travel

• TSA Travel Assistant 
• TSA Travel Tips

Using a lot of fillers when speaking, such as um and uh, in presentations gives the impression of unpreparedness and a lack of confidence in the material. To combat fillers your best friend is time and practice where you film or record yourself giving a presentation, counting the fillers, and working to eliminate them. There are a few techniques that you can use now to improve your next presentation.

• Leave your hands free to gesture. Studies show that use of fillers goes up when speakers can’t gesticulate freely.
•  So take your hands out of your pockets, set down your notes if you can, and leave props to the side when they aren’t needed.
• Slow down. Hear your own words and give yourself time to self-edit as you speak so you aren’t floundering for the next thing to say.
• Don’t forget to breath at a regular pace.
• Keep your sentences short and simple. Longer sentences mean more chances for you to slip in fillers.

Want to know if your email has been compromised in one of the large scale internet security breaches that have been in the news of late? Go to Should I Change My Password?, where your email account will be checked against an aggregation of compromised databases.

SM_Hoist & Crane Basics