Is your staff afflicted with OWES? This insidious malady, which exists in many North American workplaces, results in countless lost workdays, untold pain and suffering, as well as embarrassment. We've found it in our multi-facility healthcare organization. Let me explain to you what OWES is and what we're doing to combat it.

New Name for Timeless Hazard

OWES - pronounced "owies" - stands for "Own Worst Enemy Syndrome." Lots of employers have discovered it. Our moment of revelation came during a recent meeting of the office complex safety committee. The light went on when our Occupational Health Nurse presented the employee injury report for the preceding quarter. We noticed that a number of the injuries were essentially self-inflicted and did not result directly from performing job duties. These included:

• Tripping over own purse or lunch bag
• Sitting down and missing the chair
• Spilling hot soup or coffee on one's lap
• Walking into a wall or door
• Tripping over a curb or a cord strung across a cubicle floor
• Hitting head on an open file drawer
• Slipping on snow or ice while wearing smooth-soled or high-heeled footwear
• Being struck by an automobile while crossing the street inappropriately

The list goes on. OWES refers only to those injuries often attributed to the victim being "accident-prone," "klutzy," "clumsy," "uncoordinated" or some other equally unflattering adjective. OWES-related injuries don't include those resulting from horseplay, intentional violations of the law, fighting, intentionally injuring oneself or injuries incurred while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. Nor are we talking about those injuries resulting from failure to use appropriate PPE or to follow established safe work rules.

What Causes OWES?

OWES afflicts employees who have a diminished awareness of the world around them. This diminished awareness is caused by fatigue, distraction, boredom or simply a momentary wandering of the mind. While this condition is usually brief, it lasts long enough for an accident to happen. And it can happen to anyone.

Effect of OWES on a Company's Bottom Line

After speaking with several Employee and Occupational Health Nurses, we found that injuries resulting from OWES account for anywhere from 10-50% of all workplace injuries. Reducing even a portion of OWES-related injuries can positively impact our bottom line.

Preventive Measures

So how can we reduce the number of OWES-related injuries? We can be certain that no amount of new legislation, aggressive enforcement of existing legislation or establishment of new work rules, policies or procedures will help.

Our committee decided to address this hazard in our workplace with a campaign to remind employees that OWES is a serious problem and that to let one's mind wander for even a moment can have serious consequences. Our campaign includes:

• Catchy slogans, such as: "Work is a full time job," "Be aware of the world around you," "Distractions lead to fractures" and "Safety awareness - all the time";
• Staff meetings to discuss the problem and the incidents (without embarrassing the victim);
• Asking employees to discuss any OWES-related incidents, whether on or off the job (totally voluntary, of course). My favorite so far is the friend of ours who was on a stepladder in her kitchen. When she stepped back to admire her work, she found herself flat on her back on the floor with the wind knocked out of her.

For now, our campaign is focused on our office facilities. If we're successful in reducing OWES-related injuries there, then we may be able to expand it to our hospitals and clinics.

Conclusion

We're still in the early stages of our campaign. Over the next year, we'll review injury data to see if our campaign has had any measurable impact on OWES-related injuries. I'll let you know the results and pass along what worked, what didn't and any lessons learned along the way.

AVOIDING FUSARIUM

Hygiene Tips for Contact Lens Wearers

Clean hands, clear eyes

By Catherine Jones

Fusarium keratitis is an inflammation of the cornea caused by a type of fungus. It's a rare disease that cannot be transmitted from person to person. And approximately 200 cases of the infection and their association with contact lenses are currently being investigated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some of the people affected reported using Bausch & Lomb's ReNu® with MoistureLoc®, which has now been voluntarily pulled from the market. However, the CDC now reports that at least five types of contact lens solutions were used by lens wearers.

During the CDC's investigation process, the American Optometric Association wants to remind the public that contact lenses are a safe form of vision correction - there are only 200 reported cases of Fusarium keratitis out of 30 million Americans who wear contact lenses. Still, contact lenses are a form of medical device and wearers should follow lens hygiene habits for good eye health.

LENS HYGIENE

The Do's & Don'ts

By Catherine Jones

Do:

• Stop using Bausch & Lomb ReNu with MoistureLoc products immediately
• Clean your hands thoroughly before handling contact lenses
• Follow your optometrist's guidelines for cleaning and storage of contact lenses
• Consider rubbing the lenses with your fingers to reduce germs and the chance of infections, even if your solution is approved for using
  without a "rub and rinse"
• Use the proper storage cases for your lenses
• Keep storage cases clean and replace them every three months
• Remove lenses and see your doctor immediately if you develop these symptoms:

• • Redness around the eyes
  • Irritated eyes
  • Pain around the eyes
  • Increased light sensitivity
  • Fuzzy vision
  • Tearing or discharge

Don't

• Use saline solution or rewetting drops to disinfect lenses
• Reuse old solutions
• Moisten lenses with saliva
• Use tap water to clean lenses
• Use lenses not prescribed by a doctor

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