Smart phone risks

All that texting, tweeting, emailing, e-reading and surfing the net on a smartphone has its risks.  Physiotherapists are seeing a significant increase in injuries related to using handheld devices. Do you grip the smartphone on your palm between four fingers and the fatty pad below the thumb, and use your thumb to type on the tiny keypad? That can aggravate arthritis and lead to tendonitis of the thumb and other ailments.

Take healthy steps and safety measures to avoid potential injury when using a mobile phone or handheld device.

And that’s smart safety!

For additional information or guidance, contact your safety office.

Elevator emergencies

When an elevator lurches to a stop between floors, your gut response may be to panic. Don’t. Just breathe and take these steps. Press the call or alarm button — all elevators have them. Some elevators have an emergency telephone. Using these will alert building maintenance that there’s a problem with your elevator. If no one answers your call, try banging on the door to get the attention of people outside to let them know you’re stuck inside.

Don’t try to get out on your own. You never know when a stuck elevator could start moving again. Wait for trained emergency personnel to arrive.

Try to relax. No matter how quickly building maintenance is called, you’ll still have to wait for them to come and fix the problem.

And that’s smart safety!

For additional information or guidance, contact your safety office.