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OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY

Camp Nurses Responsibilities

Barbara Gray, RN, MSW, MN

Easter Seals Ontario

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this

presentation are those of the presenter and do not

necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the

Ontario government, Ministry of Labour and it is not

intended to replace the OHSA or the appropriate

regulations.

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It is important to

remember that camp is

a workplace first.

A safe camp does not just happen, it is planned.

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ALL workers have the right

to work in a safe work

environment.

Young workers in Ontario

New & young workers (14 – 24) are 4 times as likely to be injured in the workplace during their first month of employment then experienced workers.

Between 2009 – 2013, 30 young people died in work related injuries and 30,000 sustained workplace injuries resulting in lost days of work.

Ontario Ministry of Labour

http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/

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Why are young workers more at

risk for workplace injuries?

Not enough experience.

Lack of confidence in raising concerns about

hazards to the “boss”.

Poor or no training at work.

Lack of supervision.

That critical part of the brain involved in

decision-making , the pre-frontal cortex, is not

fully developed until near the age 25 years or so.

ACA Healthy Camp Study

Campers & staff at both day and residential

camp had twice as many illnesses then injuries

Just under half of the illnesses were

communicable

Most injuries took place during scheduled activity

times

Residential Camps: most injuries took place in

the afternoon & evening and on overnight trips

Day Camps: most injuries took place in the

morning

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Most injuries occurred in the first week of camp

Trips, slips and falls accounted for most injuries. Lower extremity injury is the most commonly injured site.

Injuries occurred when staff/campers not wearing protective equipment

Staff were more likely to sustain a wound and frequently these wounds involved the use of knives during camp activities and in food preparation

The Occupational Health &

Safety Act • The main purpose of the Act is to protect workers

from health and safety hazards on the job.

• OHSA applies to almost every worker,

supervisor, employer and workplace in Ontario,

including workplace owners, constructors and

suppliers of equipment or materials to

workplaces covered by the Act.

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Ministry of Labour The Ontario Ministry of Labour plays a key role

in the province by promoting health and safety,

fair employment practices and stable labour

relations in provincially regulated workplaces.

“The Ministry of Labour has announced that they will be

doing enforcement inspection blitzes June – August

2016 at workplaces that hire young workers for the

Occupational Health & Safety Program and the

Employment Standards Program.”

What’s New, OML, April 2016

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The MOL has the mandate

to:

Conduct workplace inspections,

Investigate incidents, complaints and

work refusals,

Issue orders that require unsafe situations

be corrected,

For serious violations, ask for the

employer to be taken to court and, if

found guilty, fined.

Every job has hazards, no matter how safe it looks.

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Everyone in the workplace, from the

employer to the newest worker, has different, but

important responsibilities to keep

the workplace safe.

WORKPLACE SAFETY IS

BASED ON RECOGNIZING,

ASSESSING AND

CONTROLLING HAZARDS.

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Recognize the potential hazards at your camp.

Physical Hazards

Weather

Falls from ladders or heights

Electricity

Liquid/spills on the floor

Knives

The terrain

Natural disasters

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Chemical Hazards

Cleaning products

Flammable products – gasoline

Propane BBQ

Cooking fuel

Chlorine and other

pool chemicals

Ergonomic Hazards

Constant lifting

Poor lighting

Repetitive movements

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Biological Hazards

Blood & Body fluids – vomit, feces, urine, blood

Insect bites – mosquitoes, black flies, bees & wasps, ticks

Animal bites

Allergic reaction to plants – poison ivy, giant hogweed

Mold

Psychosocial Hazards

o Intimidation

o Verbal abuse

o Bullying

o Working hours

o Lack of sleep

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GHS stands for the Globally Harmonized System

of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals.

It is a comprehensive plan for providing

information on the safe use of hazardous

materials used in Canadian workplaces.

Information is provided by means of product

labels, Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and worker

education programs.

Globally Harmonized

System (GHS)

SDS Sheets

If a product is for sale to consumers but also is used in a workplace setting, an SDS still needs to be created for that product.

A SDS sheet is required for your cleaning supplies – bleach, comet, etc

Don’t forget your fire extinguishers, oxygen, propane

SDS sheets are available online.

The SDS sheets should be in a binder and located near where the chemicals/cleaners are stored.

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Critical Injuries “Critically injured” means an injury of a serious nature that,

(a) places life in jeopardy,

(b) produces unconsciousness,

(c) results in substantial loss of blood,

(d) involves the fracture of a leg or arm but not a finger or toe,

(e) involves the amputation of a leg, arm, hand or foot but not a finger or toe,

(f) consists of burns to a major portion of the body, or

(g) causes the loss of sight in an eye.

Occupational Health and Safety Act, R.R.O. 1990, REGULATION 834

http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/english/elaws_regs_900834_e.htm

o If a person, whether a worker or not, has been

critically injured or killed at the workplace, the

employer must immediately notify an inspector at

the nearest Ministry of Labour office, and the

worker health and safety representative or joint

health and safety committee (if any).

o This notice must be by telephone or other direct

means.

http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pubs/farming/ohsa/ohsa

_app_d.php

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The Camp Nurse is in an

excellent position to support

a safe work environment for

both campers and staff.

What can the Camp Nurse do to

prevent injuries & illness at camp?

o Identify health & safety risks at your camp and

communicate them with your Camp Director.

o Screen all campers and staff upon arrival at

camp.

o Tract all injuries and illnesses that occur at camp.

o Be alert for potential risks in the workplace – do a

regular walk around the camp looking for

potential hazards.

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o Provide staff training in preventing

the spread of illnesses at camp

through:

Teach proper hand washing

techniques.

Encourage coughing in your

sleeve.

Train you on how to clean up

spills, i.e. vomit, urine. Monitor the

wearing of safety equipment.

Have campers and staff sleep

with the greatest distance

between heads

Discourage sharing personal

items, water bottles, towels, etc

During hot days, ensure that the staff have enough

fluids and that high energy activities take place during

the coolest part of the day.

Maintain personal resistance – stay well rested,

hydrated and nourished

Create a weekly poster on a specific workplace safety issue and post it in an area frequented by staff.

Join the camp’s Health & Safety committee.

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How to cleanup spills Wear disposable gloves during cleaning

Wipe up the material with paper towels and dispose of used towels in a plastic garbage bag.

Rinse areas with water.

Use diluted household bleach (5 tablespoons of household bleach to 1 gallon of water).**

Wet surfaces with the diluted bleach allow the area to remain wet for 10 minutes, if possible.

Allow to air dry.

Remove gloves and discard in plastic bag.

Wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol hand gel immediately after removing gloves.

If a staff person is

injured… Provide First Aid or medical care as required

Report it to your employer or supervisor

Document the injury using your camps forms

If the camp staff are covered by WSIB, then

complete the necessary paperwork which is

available online or if the camp is privately

insured, contact the Insurance Company.

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First Aid Kits

All employers covered

by the Workplace

Safety and Insurance

Act are required to

have first aid

equipment, facilities

and trained personnel

in all workplaces.

http://www.wsib.on.ca/files/Content/D

ownloadableFileFirstAidRequirement

sreg1101/FAEng.pdf

Have a Safe & Healthy

Summer

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RESOURCES American Camping Association – Healthy Camp Study

http://www.acacamps.org/research/enhance/healthy_camp_enroll

.php

Canadian National Centre for Occupational Health & Safety

http://www.ccohs.ca/

Hand Washing http://www.coughsafe.com/soapincity/media.html

Health & Safety 101 – www.hs101.ca

Ministry of Labour

http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/index.html

Ontario Safety Association for Community & Health (OSACH)

http://www.osach.ca/

Passport to Safety – www.passporttosafety.com

Preventing musculoskeletal disorders:

http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pdf/is_ergonomics.pdf

WHIMIS 2015 http://whmis.org/

“Why don’t we do it in our sleeves.” http://www.coughsafe.com/

Working in the heat

http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/pdf/gl_heat.pdf

Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) www.wsib.on.ca