SAS Urban Survival Handbook (70 page)

Aircraft cabin crew
Stewards and air hostesses are not only on their feet, they have to ferry trays and push trolleys, often when the plane is flying at an angle. However, their constant activity tends to counter some of the effects of standing. Longhaul routes, with consequent ‘jet lag’ problems, not only affect sleep patterns but interfere with menstrual cycles. Dehydration caused by flight conditions dries skin and hair and can also cause or aggravate sinus and other conditions. Drinking plenty of water during the flight is even more important for cabin crew than for their passengers!

Shop assistants
If stuck behind a counter, make sure you have a chair or stool to relieve pressure on your legs, ankles and feet. If selling on an open floor take the opportunity to move around—not just to greet customers and make a sale but also for the sake of preserving your own health.

Petrol station and car park staff
Forecourt attendants do a lot of standing, but they and people who work in car parks are also continually exposed to petroleum fumes, contact with oils and exhaust fumes. Ensure that enclosed spaces are well ventilated and position yourself where you can get as much fresh air as possible, when not attending to clients—this may be difficult at roadside stations as passing traffic provides even more dust and pollution.

REPETITIVE STRAINS

These are exactly what the name suggests, injuries caused by repeatedly making the same demand on tendons, muscles and joints—such as using a hand screwdriver all day or pounding on a keyboard. They include a number of conditions, from ganglions (small round swellings which are usually painless) to inflammation of tissue, of tendons and of tendon sheaths, and can lead to osteoarthritis.

Repetitive strain injuries have been around for a long time, especially in jobs which require the same small movements to be carried out at speed as, for example, in a production line. However, the victims, usually unorganized labour (so that no action was taken to change the system) often gave up their jobs and were replaced by others.

It was not until the introduction of word processors and computer keyboarding and the appearance of repetitive strain injuries in white-collar workers (especially journalists and others motivated to draw attention to the problem) that it was widely accepted—although there are still some people who deny that the condition exists!

Proper ergonomic working conditions in offices which prevent undue pressure on wrists, elbows and fingers make it less likely that the condition will develop, but the length of time spent at a keyboard should be limited and broken up by periods doing other types of work.

The problem does not usually occur with old-fashioned manual typewriters, partly because the physical actions are more demanding so that muscles are more generally used. Speeds are usually slower and typists stop to change paper, to make corrections and to carry out other office activities.

THE UNHEALTHY OFFICE

Offices might be expected to be much safer than industrial premises—no dangerous machinery, risky processes or toxic chemicals, no working at heights or in difficult conditions.

In fact, all these hazards CAN be present in the office environment—from guillotines to ozone emissions, and from cramped conditions to electrical dangers.

Inadequate ventilation, poor lighting and high noise levels are common in many offices. All add to stress levels and undermine both health and work efficiency.

‘Sick’ buildings

The workforce in, or users of, some buildings sometimes report a higher incidence of illnesses than other similar places of work—for no identifiable reason. Offices, hotels and shops are among the types of building usually affected. Common symptoms which occur are:

• ◑ Irritation of the eyes, nose and throat.
  
• ◑ A feeling of dryness of the skin and mucous membranes.
  
• ◑ Skin rashes and itching.
  
• ◑ Mental fatigue.
  
• ◑ Headaches, nausea and dizziness.
  
• ◑ Recurrent coughs, colds and throat infections, hoarseness and wheezing.
  
• ◑ Recurrent gastrointestinal upsets.
  

There may be no obvious cause for some of these disorders, but there may be common features in these buildings, such as:

• ◑ Forced and closed ventilation system with air-conditioning.
  
• ◑ Windows cannot be opened.
  
• ◑ Lighting is ill-considered, or unsympathetic.
  
• ◑ Whole interior relatively warm, with no temperature variation from one area to another.
  
• ◑ Indoor surfaces often covered with textiles—carpets or fabric-covered walls and room dividers.
  
• ◑ Poor standard of hygiene with drinks machines or staff ‘kitchens’.
  

It has been suggested that the causes of ill-health may include chemical pollutants, from carpets, paints, furniture, office equipment and chemicals used with it—all of which can collect if ventilation is poor. Dust and fibres from furnishings and carpets, and bacterial contaminants, are also possible airborne causes. Low humidity, inadequate air movement, the lack of negatively-charged ions in the air, overheating, poor lighting and other undesirable environmental factors could all be contributory factors.

Apart from complete replanning of the interior of the building and its maintenance systems, there may be little that can be done to put things right—precise causes are often almost impossible to identify. Individuals can improve their own circumstances by managing to get a window open or at worst using a portable fan to combat stuffiness and high temperatures. The most effective action if you feel at risk is to change your job!

LEGIONNAIRE’S DISEASE

This is a serious illness, caused by a bacterium which is often present in both natural water sources and in domestic/industrial water systems. Like humidifier fever, Legionnaire’s disease is usually caught by breathing infected water droplets. Symptoms include a high fever with chills, headache or muscle pain – followed by a dry cough and pneumonia. Smokers, alcoholics and people suffering from cancer, chronic respiratory problems, kidney disease and diabetes appear to be more at risk, as are people over 40 – men more than women. The vulnerability of those who are already ill possibly accounts for the number of outbreaks in hospitals.

Cooling towers, air-conditioning plants, industrial sprays, showers – even indoor ornamental pools and fountains – are the usual sources of infection. To reach dangerous levels, the bacteria need special conditions, including: sludge, rust, scale, algae or organic matter in the water and a temperature in the range 20°-45°C (68°-113°F).

Risk of an outbreak can be reduced by keeping tanks well covered to keep out dirt, designing water systems so that water does not stand undisturbed for long periods, avoiding fittings that support the growth of bacteria and keeping hot water temperatures at 60°C (140°F) in the tank and circulating at 50°C (122°F).

IN THE CASE OF AN OUTBREAK

• ■
  Call in specialists to identify the source of infection
  
• ■
  Identify and contact everybody who is likely to be affected. If they develop the disease they need care and treatment. It can be fatal!
  
• ■
  Treat contaminated water as quickly as possible
  

Humidifier fever

Sometimes part of the ‘sick building’ syndrome, but a problem which can occur in otherwise satisfactory buildings, humidifier fever is a flu-like illness. It is caused by the inhalation of fine droplets of contaminated water from the reservoirs or holding tanks of humidifier systems. As well as being used in air-conditioning systems, humidifiers are used by some printing firms to stabilize paper size and condition.

Symptoms of humidifier fever vary from a mild disorder with headaches and muscle aches to an acute fever and cough with chest tightness and breathlessness on exertion. Symptoms usually appear four hours or more after the beginning of a shift at work and most frequently on the day of return to work after the weekend or a longer break. The body usually manages to overcome the symptoms after 12-16 hours, but the problem is that they recur on the return to work.

If humidifier fever is suspected, blood tests and samples from the sludge in the system can give confirmation. Preventing a recurrence, even with regular cleaning and servicing of the system, often proves difficult and it is best to replace it with one which does not produce water droplets.

REMEMBER

AVOID humidifier fever by using:

• ■
  Steam humidifiers, which produce no droplets. Their high temperatures also kill micro-organisms
  
• ■
  Compressed air atomizers, which do not use water reservoirs
  
• ■
  Humidifiers which use evaporation instead of spray (though these can also develop contamination in their reservoirs)
  

THE PUBLIC

Police officers, psychiatric nurses and social workers know that they may often have to deal with violent and difficult clients or members of the public and, like people in the armed services, must accept some physical risk as part of their job. They are usually given training to help them deal with people, but there are many other jobs that involve direct contact with members of the public that pose similar risks.

Bus and taxi drivers are now frequently protected by screens to prevent direct assault, but are still vulnerable when not behind that protection. The same often applies to staff in banks, booking halls and enquiry offices when interview or information desks are situated in the open without protection.

In many situations involving the public, feelings can run high and may lead to verbal abuse and actual physical violence—often as a release for pent-up frustration or through fear or embarrassment. Disputes, whether over tickets for a concert, in a restaurant or in a store, can result in similar physical assault. In such circumstances there may be some build-up to the situation and, if so, call for help or take some kind of defensive action (see SELF-DEFENCE).

An exposed location makes you vulnerable to psychopaths or troublemakers, who may have no particular argument with you other than a focus for their anger.

To minimize the risk, such attack locations should be contained in some way. Preferably there should be a wall to prevent approach from the rear. If this is not possible, a fixed screen should be erected. The site should be as close as possible to a door leading to a non-public area which can be easily secured against entry.

A help button should be placed below the desk so that assistance can be called if a situation seems likely to escalate or a sudden attack is made. A telephone should always be available, for direct contact with security staff or the police without having to go through a switchboard. Desks should be deeper than arm’s length, so that a blow cannot be directly delivered across them.

Anyone working in such circumstances must develop considerable tact in dealing with the public and keep calm in the face of provocation. Never return violence, though you should seek to contain it. Members of the public may come to your assistance if you are attacked but, before requesting such help, consider how much support might be given to your antagonist! You might provoke a riot!

Doctors

Doctors are exposed to the many diseases of their patients. Although doctors seem to develop considerable immunity, they are particularly at risk from the viruses that produce flu-like illnesses. However, it is stress which takes the largest toll. Not only do doctors have to cope with the strain of being responsible for their patients—often in life-and-death situations—but also with their social and emotional problems.

Many family doctors, interns or hospital housemen and women work excessively long shifts and are on call at unsocial hours. This can disrupt their own personal and social lives and increases the stress load. Nicotine, alcohol and drug abuse, despite their professional knowledge of the damage these can do, are sometimes a resort as a relief from tension, which can lead to or aggravate depression.

Doctors need to give particular attention to their own stress management and to take their own health seriously—all too often it is badly neglected.

Banks/finance houses

The competitive work of dealing-room staff on the money and commodity markets places them under continual high levels of stress. Coupled with high earnings, this may lead them to live the ‘high life’ in their free time. When recession hits or markets collapse their jobs can collapse too.

It’s not only the wheeler-dealers who come under pressure. The most staid bank manager is dealing with clients’ problems—not just handling loans and financial advice—and can be perceived as being the cause of them at times of foreclosure. This can lead to all kinds of psychosomatic problems, ranging from backache to loss of libido. The traditional round of golf can be the cure-all if it is simply used for relaxation and exercise—but not if the golf club becomes yet another place for client contact or competition. Wherever you relax or exercise, be discreet about your job.

REMEMBER

Handling cash: Shopkeepers, bank staff and anyone responsible for handling cash or paying in takings to the bank are all vulnerable to holdup or assault, adding to the stress level of their jobs. Strict security procedures should be followed. Never take risks. Companies and businesses should always have insurance cover and, if life or limb are threatened, heroism is NOT an option.