Comfort at your Workstation:

The latest Ergonomic Principles

featuring

Shanna Dunbar, BSN RN COHN-S

Founder and President, Workplace Health, Inc.

Safety and risk management can be a challenge for any sized business. Do you know the best most cost-effective programs that will improve employee health and productivity? One of them is to improve the ergonomics in the workplace. Shanna (SHAW-na) is going to unpack some of the secrets she has learned throughout her 30 year career.

Shanna Dunbar, RN, COHN-S, brings over 25 years of occupational health experience. She is the

founder and President of Workplace Health Inc. focused on improving the health and productivity of employees using proven Total Worker Health® techniques.

She is a Registered Nurse and board certified in Occupational Health Nursing as a Specialist. She is the immediate past President of the Ohio Association of Occupational Health Nurses (OAOHN). She holds a Certificate in Workers’ Compensation Administration and Management from the University of California. Her educational preparation at UCLA in Kinesiology brings a particular expertise in Ergonomics and job analysis. She is a 2015 graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, cohort 8. She is a past co-chair of the Healthy Ohio Business Council, Northeast Ohio.

She has worked with employers in Occupational Health since 1986 and has promoted cost-effective program management in Employee Assistance, Substance Abuse Prevention, Injury and Illness Prevention, Disease and Disability Management, Workers' Compensation Risk Management, Injury Care and Case Management, Medical Surveillance and Transitional Work.

She is a specialist in implementing programs that improve the health of employee populations using a Total Worker Health® approach. Creating a strategy that not only protects workers, but promotes employee health and well-being serves many purposes. Besides improving employee health & productivity, it stabilizes rising health care costs and creates an employee well-being culture that can become a magnet for recruiting and retaining top talent for your organization. Shanna comes alongside your company to evaluate and create a master plan to improve employee health and productivity.

Q: Can our employees use space heaters at work?

A: It depends! Space heaters, AKA portable electric heaters, although not ideal, are often found in the work environments. Some employers prohibit them, but if you decide to allow, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Your local fire department may prohibit them, so check with your local Fire Marshall first 
2. They must be approved by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory like UL or FM. OSHA's Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) Program - Current List of NRTLs | Occupational Safety and Health Administration
3. They must be listed and labeled for commercial or industrial use (not listed for household use) 
4. They should be located so that they cannot be easily overturned
5. If they tip over, they should automatically shut off
6. Because of the amount of electric current drawn by space heaters, they MUST be used only where they can be plugged directly into outlets – NO EXTENSION CORDS OR POWERSTRIPS
7. Must be 3 feet or more away from all combustibles
8. The room must be occupied, turn them off when they leave
9. They should be inspected frequently. Check the outlet, check the plug and the heater itself.

That’s a lot of requirements, but if you allow them all must occur. The NFPA has a lot of resources and fact sheets Safety with heating equipment | NFPA and don’t be afraid to call your local fire department or your State Fire Marshal. 

It’s a good idea to share this information with your employees because it pertains to home usage as well. Check out the https://dfs.dps.mo.gov/safetytips/space-heater-safety.php 



Stay Warm and Safe!

Cari Gray is an Industrial Safety Consultant Specialist with the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC).