Drivers ‘Do as I Say, Not as I Do’ Regarding Distracted Driving
Employers whose employees drive personal or company-owned vehicles for company purposes must address the issue of distracted driving. Education and training should be provided and policies and procedures should explain expectations and consequences.
Smart phones and other mobile devices are making it more tempting than ever for drivers to engage in distracting activities while behind the wheel, and national accident statistics illustrate the dangerous results.
According to the AAA Foundation’s 2011 Traffic Safety Culture Index, virtually all drivers (94 percent) agree that texting or emailing while driving is unacceptable, yet more than one-third admit to doing just that within the past month.
Not surprisingly, the age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 group, where 16 percent of drivers that age involved in fatal crashes in 2009 reportedly were distracted while driving. However, the 30-39 age group had the highest proportion of cell phone involvement with fatal crashes.
While statistics show cell phone use quadruples the risk of crashing, passengers are one of the most frequently reported causes of distraction. Young children are four times more distracting than adults, and infants are eight times more distracting. Eating, smoking, adjusting music and any other activities that require a driver to avert their eyes from the road are just as dangerous as texting or talking on the phone.
Eighty-eight percent of drivers consider talking on a cell phone while driving to be a serious threat to safety, yet two-thirds admit they had done so in the past month and almost one-third admit to doing it often or regularly.
To schedule a Saint Francis Medical Center physician to assess your workplace, call Jason Bandermann, MBA, referral services manager, at 573-331-5825.
Source Identification Is Key to Minimizing Blood Exposure Risks
Workplace health professionals, correctional service employees and others can take active roles in limiting the possibility of viral infection from exposure to blood and body fluids.
“The most important thing to do with a cut, needle stick or open wound is to wash it immediately with soap and water,” states Dennis J. Straubinger, DO, MPH, MRO, occupational medicine physician on staff at Saint Francis Medical Center. “Not alcohol or hydrogen peroxide or anything else. Soap and water is the only cleaning option you should use.”
If possible, identify the source of the blood and have it tested for hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV. Many body fluids, such as tears, gastric contents and urine, do not harbor these viruses and pose no risk. Exposures of blood to an intact skin area also are non-significant.
Significant exposures include cuts, needle sticks, puncture wounds and blood on open wounds. Individuals with significant exposures should see a physician promptly for evaluation. If there is a risk of HIV exposure, the ideal time frame for beginning antiviral medications is within three hours.
“If there has been an exposure and you can not identify the source, the doctor will assign a follow-up schedule of testing at six weeks, three months and six months,” Straubinger explains. “These tests look for any changes in viral markers. The most pivotal issue is to identify the source, because that clears the management pathway.”
To schedule a Saint Francis Medical Center physician to assess your workplace, call Jason Bandermann, MBA, referral services manager, at 573-331-5825.
Employers Are Seeing Green in Worksite Wellness Programs
With studies showing that nearly 90 percent of health care claims costs result from an individual’s lifestyle choices, employers around the country are finding the rewards of worksite wellness programs are worth the investment.
In addition to a predictable decrease in direct health care costs, companies with worksite wellness programs are seeing improvements in morale (56 percent), employee health (41 percent), reduction in workers compensation claims and health care costs (27 percent), absenteeism (8 percent) and increases in productivity (8 percent).
The most successful wellness programs include a medical self-care program geared toward reducing unnecessary use of health care services. A review of scores from published studies on worksite wellness found the return on investment to be $3.48 to $1 in reduced medical costs and $5.82 to $1 in reduced absenteeism.
To schedule a Saint Francis Medical Center physician to assess your workplace, call Jason Bandermann, MBA, referral services manager, at 573-331-5825.
Sources: American Institute for Preventive Medicine; National Business Group on Health, 2005; Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne (IPFW) Study, 2006