Recognizing occupational and environmental hazards
Session details
Date:
Time:
Location:
Zoom videoconferencing
Didactic presentation by:
Victoria Arrandale
Session objectives
At the end of this session, participants should be able to:
- Describe the common types of occupational hazards
- Identify the occupational exposure limits that may apply to an individual worker
- Develop questions that will help to better understand a worker’s occupational exposures
Session resources
Computer workstation ergonomics
This guide will help determine if your computer workstation is a good fit for you. It provides suggestions for basic tools to set up and maintain a healthy computer workstation. This guide is not designed to address specific injuries – in that situation, a professional should be consulted. Source: WorkSafe NB
Didactic presentation: Recognizing occupational and environmental hazards
In this presentation, Dr. Victoria Arrandale discusses common types of occupational hazards, questions that can help you understand a worker’s occupational exposures, and exposure limits that may apply to an individual worker's job.
Download the PDF(1.08 MB)
OHCOW ventilation checklist (COVID-19)
The following checklist can be used as a guide. Pertinent questions are suggested that can be used to assess the suitability of ventilation in the workspace/building that are to be occupied. Source: Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers
Online Self-Management Program Ontario
The program aims to help improve patient self-management of chronic conditions, improve health literacy and provide the opportunity for individuals living with chronic conditions to take control of their health and live healthier and more fulfilling lives. Regional Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs exist across the province of Ontario within the 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs). Source: Online Self-Management Program of Ontario.
Ontario Pain Clinics
How and where to get treatment for pain that lasts longer than three months. Source: Government of Ontario
Overcoming the Challenges of Remote Home Office Assessments
Blake J., Taylor C. (2021) Overcoming the Challenges of Remote Home Office Assessments. In: Black N.L., Neumann W.P., Noy I. (eds) Proceedings of the 21st Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2021). IEA 2021. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 221. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74608-7_2
Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) model
The Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) model is a model that emphasizes occupational performance shaped by the interaction between person, environment, and occupation. Source: OTTheory.com
Personal security alarms for the prevention of assaults against healthcare staff
Perkins, C., Beecher, D., Aberg, D.C. et al. Personal security alarms for the prevention of assaults against healthcare staff. Crime Sci 6, 11 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-017-0073-1
Screening and Diagnosis of Celiac Disease
Celiac disease (CD) is an immune mediated injury to the small intestine that is caused by ingestion of gluten (a name for multiple proteins in wheat, rye and barley) in genetically susceptible individuals. In Canada, CD occurs in approximately 1:100 people. The disease can be difficult to diagnose because it presents with a variety of symptoms (see Table) at any point in life. Prevalence of CD is higher in specific associated conditions. Source: Canadian Celiac Association
Setting up a temporary home office
Working at home in the middle of a COVID-19 pandemic means having no time and little opportunity to set up ergonomically sound workstations. So what can office workers do to make their kitchen table workspaces as comfortable as possible? We turn to Dr. Dwayne Van Eerd for advice. Source: Institute for Work & Health
SMART goals in physical and occupational therapy: overview, writing tips, and resources
This resource is provided as an example of how to create SMART goals and should not be considered an endorsement of the source organization. Source: eviCore healthcare.
Telework / Remote Work / Working From Home
It is becoming more and more common for people to do at least some of their regular work from home or another location instead of going into the office. Technology has made it possible for a worker to stay at home but be connected to the office by telephone, computer, and internet. This type of arrangement is known by many terms, including telework, telecommuting, remote work, or working from home. Source: Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
What is a lone worker alarm and how can it help protect employees?
Managing lone workers in health and safety can be a challenge and with 2020 bringing about a new focus on homeworking, it is no longer select professions that have to worry about how their workers are coping when they are not being supervised. Source: HSE Network
About presenter
Dr. Victoria Arrandale is an assistant professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto and a registered occupational hygienist (ROH). She also leads a working group on data and intelligence as part of Ontario’s Occupational Disease Action Plan, an initiative to align the province's health and safety system activities related to occupational exposure and disease.
Arrandale’s research focuses on the measurement of workplace exposures and the assessment of exposure in occupational epidemiology. Her work has examined exposures in a variety of workplaces including mining, construction, nail salons and electronic waste recycling facilities.
Case presentations
Most of the learning in ECHO happens through presenting and discussing case presentations. If you have a case you would like to present, please submit a completed case presentation form to the ECHO OEM project coordinator.
Physicians presenting a case may bill OHIP for case conferences (billing codes K707 or K701).