10th Edition Newsletter

Good morning! As Christmas approaches, we thought it's only natural to consider the health and safety of Santa Claus himself. After all, he works tirelessly to deliver presents to children all around the world in just one night. So, in honor of the jolly old man in the red suit, we decided to delve into the topic and leave a few presents of our own scattered throughout. So, if you’re ready, let’s put on our holiday hard helmet and jump right in!

THIS WEEK’S TIPS

Tips you’ll find in this weeks edition:

• Santa Safety Concerns

• Sled Safety for You and Your Family

• Zoonotic Disease Prevention

• New and Upcoming Regulations

HOLIDAY SAFETY
HO HO HOOO, OH NO.

We’ve all seen the Christmas movie where Santa falls off the roof and a new guy takes over the role. Or the one where an overly excited store employee, who thinks he’s an elf, goats Jolly Old Saint Nick into a fight. The role of Santa is one rife with workplace health and safety concerns that no one ever talks about. Until now!

Researchers in 2015 took a look into the The occupational health of Santa Claus. Their research took the entire job of Santa into consideration, from sleigh safety to workshop ergonomics, work schedule to cardiovascular health and heat safety to mental health.

Sleigh Safety

If you're part of the transportation industry, understanding the inherent hazards is vital. Unlike professions such as pilots, truckers, or captains, Santa faces unique challenges during his sleigh rides. The longstanding tradition of households leaving brandy for Santa poses a hazard, even if he's just a passenger, relying on the reindeer as sleigh operators. Sleighs lack modern safety features like belts, airbags, and crumple zones, emphasizing the need for Santa to upgrade to 21st-century safety standards. Given the known high risk of injury in sleigh driving (and sledding), prioritizing safety measures becomes imperative.

Questions arise about the absence of a copilot and radio operator on the sleigh, especially considering the congested airspaces above major cities Santa traverses during his present-delivering journey. However, the dedicated Santa tracker by NORAD suggests that these missing roles may not hinder creating the necessary clear airspace or groundspace for Santa's dual-use vehicle.

Work Schedule Challenges

While many may view an irregular work schedule as a benefit, citing time off, slow seasons, and extended vacation periods as reasons for its desirability, research suggests otherwise. Worker health and wellbeing tend to suffer when faced with routine work schedule instability. Psychological distress, diminished sleep quality, and heightened unhappiness are linked to such instability. Given the seasonal nature of Santa's work, this presents an unavoidable yet significant challenge for everyone in his industry.

Moreover, the well-known practice of working extensive seasonal overtime, as Santa, classified as a shift worker, experiences a workload peak leading up to Christmas, poses considerable health risks. Even relatively low amounts of "extra hours," exceeding 10 hours per day, can elevate the risk of heart attacks by up to 60%. This extended work duration correlates with various health issues, including workplace injuries, high blood pressure, increased alcohol and tobacco consumption, heightened stress levels, mental health disorders, obesity, and depression. Industries surpassing the recommended 8-10 hours per day maximum also face personal problems, workplace accidents due to fatigue, low morale, and high turnover rates, deserving closer attention.

Cardiovascular Challenges

Santa's portrayals in popular media often depict him with several cardiovascular risk factors. Exhibiting a high body mass index, a large, round belly, and a significant percentage of body fat, Santa exemplifies classic obesity. Additionally, his known consumption of alcoholic beverages in substantial quantities and occasional smoking contribute to these risk factors. The adverse conditions of his work environment likely play a role in these health issues, exacerbated by his penchant for late-night snacking on unhealthy foods like cookies, further escalating his cardiovascular risks.

Compounding these concerns is the fact that Christmas, occurring near the northern hemisphere's winter solstice, subjects Santa to working in total darkness during the holiday season. Research indicates that night shift workers, like Santa, tend to engage in increased snacking and struggle to maintain a healthy exercise balance. This poses a significant worry for Santa's cardiovascular health. Coupled with the demanding workload requiring the accomplishment of numerous tasks within a limited timeframe, Santa faces a potential recipe for a heart attack or stroke.

Travel Challenges

Santa's global sleigh journey, spanning all 24 time zones within approximately 36 hours, presents significant health challenges, particularly in dealing with jet lag. The absence of daylight during his nighttime stops raises concerns about potential health impacts. If Santa relies on medicinal supplements for coping, considerations of unwanted side effects arise, ranging from stimulants' negative effects to potential issues with circadian rhythm regulation. Prolonged exposure to jet lag, linked to increased mortality rates in older populations of mice, emphasizes the need for Santa to navigate these challenges cautiously to safeguard his well-being during global travels.

Heat Stress

Santa, accustomed to polar climates, faces heat stress in equatorial and southern regions during his global gift-giving journey. Wearing a fur-lined suit and potentially working in hot, confined spaces through chimneys intensifies the challenge. Despite the need for heat acclimatization training due to the varied weather conditions and strenuous tasks, it's doubtful such measures can fully protect against heat stress. Consequently, heat-related risks, including exhaustion or even stroke, are inherent in Santa's traditional duties. According to NIOSH, a deeper look into this is needed.

Age Concerns

We all know Santa is old. Often portrayed as around 70 in popular media, the original St. Nicholas dates back to the year 280, making him over 1700 years old. Although Santa's depictions have remained consistent as an older gentleman since the 1930s, there's no documented succession planning. Older workers like Santa, facing age-related discrimination and challenging jobs, often struggle to stay productive and face workplace injury risks. Despite uncertainties about Santa's participation in a workplace health promotion program for older workers, dismissing concerns about his age and health is, at best, an unsupported assurance.

Mental Health

Santa is renowned for his perpetually cheerful demeanor, even in challenging situations, and exhibits extraordinary mental faculties, seemingly possessing:

• Near-omniscience, knowing when individuals are awake and discerning between good and bad behavior.

• Unparalleled vision, seeing people while they sleep.

• Remarkable detective skills, determining who's naughty or nice.

At first glance, one might dismiss concerns about Santa's mental health. Yet, upon closer examination, the question arises: If Santa is nearly omniscient, why maintain written records and check them twice to assess niceness or naughtiness? Is it adherence to industry standards, or does it indicate compulsive behavior?

Recent evidence ties work stress to common mental disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder. Furthermore, Santa, under U.S. government scrutiny since 1955 through NORAD, may have endured mental health challenges due to prolonged surveillance.

Ergonomics

The workshop, where elves, not Santa-sized individuals, craft toys, raises ergonomic concerns due to the size disparity. Despite lacking elf size data, the need for an ergonomic assessment to prevent musculoskeletal issues in Santa's unique work environment is emphasized. Santa's slow adoption of evidence-based practices, sedentary lifestyle, and insufficient medical checkup evidence pose health risks. The article stresses the importance of quantifying and addressing occupational hazards for Santa and Christmas creatures to prevent potential disasters.

Illness (We added this one).

We all know that not every Santa at the mall is the real Santa, merely helpers for the real Santa. But everyone once in a while we’re sure the genuine article makes an appearance which brings up the concern of germs. A line of kids to see Santa, more like a line of hand foot and mouth mixed with the flu (when do kids not have the flu?). While it’s possible over the years Santa has been exposed to every germ imaginable building a resilient immune system, there is also the belief that he’s fully vaccinated to ensure he stays healthy over the holiday season while also protecting the elves.

Speaking of elves. Without any medical knowledge on Santa’s helpers, you would have to make the conclusion that their immune system and biology is slightly different from ours (and Santa’s). Which makes us wonder what common illnesses they contract and spread, and how it effects Santa.

Lastly, we have to look at the close working and living proximity to the reindeer. The concern for a zoonotic disease exposure could be high based on a 2019 research paper looking at disease spread of captive reindeer. Not to mention the number of known diseases that are already known to spread from deer, moose, elk and caribou to humans. The closer the proximity of the living conditions between Santa and the reindeer, the greater the likelihood for potential disease transition and possible mutations leading to novel diseases affecting the aging, overworked, overweight, jolly guy in the red suit.

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WORKPLACE INJURIES
No more Hats!

I’m sure you’ve already heard the news, but just in case you haven’t. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced the replacement of traditional hard hats with more modern safety helmets for its employees during inspections. In 2020, head injuries constituted nearly 6% of non-fatal occupational injuries, with half caused by contact with objects or equipment and 20% by slips, trips, and falls. Traditional hard hats lacked side impact protection, chin straps, and ventilation, posing risks of falling off and heat retention. OSHA's Safety and Health Information Bulletin highlights the improved design, materials, and features of modern safety helmets, offering better overall head protection, including face shields, goggles, hearing protection, and communication systems. OSHA recommends their use in various industries and environments, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing safety and health in workplaces.

Like Captain Planet but for Cranes.

U.S. crane industry organizations, the NCCCO Foundation and the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (CCO), have joined forces with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) through the OSHA Alliance Program to enhance crane safety. The formal agreement aims to keep the industry informed about OSHA's safety-related initiatives. Key participants, including T.J. Cantwell, Executive Director of NCCCO Foundation, Thom Sicklesteel, CEO of CCO, and Doug Parker, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, OSHA, signed the agreement in Washington, DC. The alliance will focus on sharing alerts, encouraging industry participation in OSHA events, organizing safety discussions, and promoting awareness of OSHA regulations and resources in the crane industry. Training initiatives and collaboration on operator qualification, certification standards, and job site responsibilities are also part of the agreement to improve safety. More info on the Alliance can be found here.

NEW REGULATIONS
Emergency Regulation Takes Effect NOW.

The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board has approved an emergency temporary standard on respirable crystalline silica, effective from December 29, 2023. Proposed by Cal/OSHA, the standard aims to safeguard California workers in the stone fabrication industry from silicosis, a severe disease caused by inhaling silica particles. The emergency standard includes specific requirements for tasks with high exposure, such as cutting, grinding, and polishing artificial and natural stone. Key provisions mandate wet methods, proper waste handling, air monitoring, and the use of protective respirators. The standard also emphasizes communication, housekeeping, exposure assessment, regulated areas, and reporting of silicosis cases. Since 2019, the California Department of Public Health has documented 95 cases of workers contracting silicosis, resulting in 10 fatalities from the disease.

As we previously covered, the long terms effects of silicosis are not to be taken lightly. Even if you’re not required to take protective measures from silicosis, it might be a good idea if you did anyway. You can view the new employer requirements and responsibilities here.

New Electronic Form Submission

With the new year right around the corner, high-hazard industries need to be ready for some changes. Starting January 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor is set to mandate specific employers in designated high-hazard industries to electronically submit injury and illness information to OSHA. Notably, employers in these industries are already obligated to maintain such records. The newly enacted rule, effective immediately, outlines submission requirements due by March 2, 2024. Establishments with 100 or more employees in specified high-hazard industries are required to electronically submit information annually, including their Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report) to OSHA. This electronic submission is in addition to the mandatory submission of Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses). The collected data will be made publicly accessible on OSHA's website, offering diverse stakeholders insight into a company's workplace safety and health record. OSHA anticipates that this transparency will contribute to reducing occupational injuries and illnesses. More info on this change can be found here. While a full list of forms now required to be electronically submitted can be found here.

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NEWS
Your Virtual Water Cooler

• Hard Hats and Chuckles: Innovating Safety in Construction!

• 'Tis season to slow down and stay safe amid rush.

• Silicosis: An explainer and research roundup.

• Safety Perspectives From Region 6: 2023 in Review and What to Expect in 2024.

• Safety product manufacturer issues recall for tool tether attachments.

• What you need to know when working in snow or low temperatures.

• Feds's threat to decertify state hospital over safety is not the first.

• Six out of ten aquaculture workers are worried that their job is affecting their health, finds survey.

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