Newsletter - Norfolk Chamber of Commerce
Transcription
Newsletter - Norfolk Chamber of Commerce
Newsletter Spring 2015 Goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis, on blossom Shoulder Breadth Measuring By Monica Walker From 1st April, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will no longer allow helicopter operators to carry passengers whose body size would not allow them safe exit from the nearest push out emergency window writes Monica Walker, Senior Occupational Health Nurse Advisor. This led to the creation of a passenger size working group to decide how to measure the offshore workforce. They consulted with the CAA, academic experts, employers and employees to explore how best to measure the workforce and, a shoulder width measurement was deemed the preferred solution. Shoulders are musculoskeletal in nature and therefore do not change significantly with compression (unlike the abdomen for instance). Shoulder measurement is done easily and reliably with minimal equipment and both men and women can be easily measured. be pulled up as this may affect the final measurement. The measurer will ask you to stand in a certain way and the measurement will be taken. The size of the survival suits and layers of clothing worn on a flight have been taken into consideration in how measurements are calculated. Each measurer will have been trained by someone who has attended the Train the Measurer course in January of this year, and will have a unique measurer number which will be indicated on the certificate issued following measurement. You will then be classified as XBR (Extra Broad) or Non XBR. XBR passengers will still be able to travel offshore but they will be allocated specific seats on each flight, the only difference being the position of these seats. Around 30% of seats on flights going offshore are classed as XBR. Measuring is simple and quick and a trained measurer uses callipers adapted specifically for this purpose. The measurer must have clear access to the upper arm so wearing a vest type top or being topless is a must. Short sleeves cannot For further information regarding shoulder breath measuring please contact RS Occupational Health on 01224 460044. In 2014, RS Occupational Health was acquired by DISA Global Solutions Inc. in a multimillion pound deal which added significantly to a strongly held position within the UK occupational health sector. Pictured from left, are: Jeff Boyles (Disa Global Solutions), Dr Andrew Goodge (RSOH founder), Fiona Willis (RSOH Co-founder) and Colin Woods (Disa Global Solutions). RSOH has marked the first anniversary of its acquisition by a Houston-based global employee health services provider Since then, the strengths, synergies and shared focus on quality by the two organisations have resulted in considerable growth in many key sectors. This has enabled both companies to be well positioned to capitalise on future growth and development opportunities. Commenting on the anniversary of the acquisition, DISA Global Solutions Inc. Vice President, Sales & External Operations Colin Woods said “This acquisition has been our springboard into the global marketplace due to RS Occupational Health’s strong reputation, diverse service offering, and the knowledge of their employees.” “Combined with the RS Occupational Health’s multiple locations and DISA’s existing operations in the UK, we have combined our strengths to position ourselves favourably as a major player in the North Sea region and continue to collaborate on expanding services nationwide. He added: “We are excited about the future of our organisations and the work we have ahead of us.” RS Occupational Health founder Dr Andrew Goodge added: “As we mark the first anniversary of the sale, it is clear that the move has delivered everything we believed it would. We have outperformed our predictions and gained clients to whom we would not have been in a position to supply a service previously.” Co-founder Fiona Willis added: “The level of investment and support from DISA has enabled RS Occupational Health to grow beyond expectations. DISA have remained committed to our core values of quality and customer service. The wealth of sharing of expertise between our organisations has brought many benefits and opened up opportunities both here in the UK and the USA.” RS Occupational Health Kicks Off New Series Of Knowledge Sharing Events The February 25th event took place at the company’s Aberdeen headquarters on the city’s Whitemyres Avenue and benefited from the expertise of RS Occupational Health senior medical advisor Dr Shirley Kong and Scott Baxter RMN, an Associate of Chapter 1 Consultancy Ltd. Building on the success of lunch and learn events held during the past two years, RS Occupational Health has kicked off a new season with a session on substance abuse in the workplace. Scott has 25 years of extensive experience working as a practitioner and senior manager in mental health, alcohol and substance misuse within the statutory, private and voluntary sectors. As a seasoned trainer, Scott presents regularly at universities, colleges, schools, within the voluntary sector, local and multinational energy organisations. Commenting on the first lunch and learn of 2015, RS Occupational Health business development manager Patricia Douglas said: “Substance abuse is an ongoing and important issue for workplaces in all sectors and this session focused on key areas such as current trends, legislation, our testing methods and implications for fitness to work.” She added: “Due to the high demand for this event, we are already planning a second session in April and details will be announced soon.” For any employer with links to West Africa, awareness of the ongoing risks associated with the Ebola virus is crucially important writes Marleen Leighton, Occupational Health Nurse Advisor. According to statistics from the World Health Organisation released earlier this year, there have been more than 20,000 cases of Ebola in West Africa, leading to almost 8,000 deaths. Previously known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, Ebola is a rare and deadly disease, caused by infection with one of the virus strains. The virus takes its name from the Ebola River in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) where it first emerged in 1976. Although its source remains unknown, researchers believe that the virus may be animal-borne, and bats have been identified as the most likely source. days later by diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Other symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, headache or confusion may also develop. Signs and symptoms may become increasingly severe and may include jaundice (yellow skin), severe weight loss, mental confusion, bleeding inside and outside the body and complications such as shock, and multi-organ failure. Ebola can cause disease in humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees) and there are five virus species, four of which are known to cause disease in humans. Three strains have been associated with large Ebola outbreaks in Africa. One strain (the Ebola Reston strain) is found in monkeys in the Philippines and China and has infected humans but no illness or death has been reported. Although there is currently no specific treatment to cure Ebola, early supportive care includes intravenous fluids or oral rehydration with solutions containing electrolytes. To help control further spread of the virus, people suspected or confirmed as having the disease should be isolated from other patients and treated by health workers using strict infection control precautions. Ebola is transmitted from one person to another through contact with blood and body fluids such as urine, saliva, vomit, sweat, and diarrhoea. The likelihood of contracting the virus is extremely low unless a person has had direct, unprotected contact with a person infected with Ebola virus and those most at risk are healthcare workers, family members and mourners who have direct contact with the bodies of the deceased. Precautions you can take to help minimise risk include; The incubation period for Ebola ranges from two to twenty one days and is most commonly eight to ten days. The initial signs and symptoms of Ebola are similar to other more common diseases found in West Africa (such as malaria and typhoid) and any patient showing signs or symptoms should be considered infectious until diagnosis. - Do not consume bush meat and only eat well cooked food Initial indications include fever, chills, fatigue, weakness and muscle aches followed approximately four to six To find out more please contact RS Occupational Health on 01224 460044. - Avoid high risk activities such as unprotected contact with ill people or their body fluids, funerals in affected areas and visits to facilities treating Ebola patients - Avoid contact with animals (including monkeys, forest antelopes, rodents, bats) dead or alive - Pay strict attention to hygiene including washing hands frequently and properly, using soaps or antiseptics - If you are sick do not travel, go to work or meet with others and seek medical advice immediately Staff Spotlight Originally from Venezuela, Dr Alex Mijares MD MFOM studied medicine at The Central University of Venezuela. His course included an occupational health module which sparked his interest in the subject and lead him to specialise in this area. Alex joined the team in 2014 as senior occupational health physician, bringing more than eight years of experience in occupational health in the public and private sectors nationally and abroad, including consultant and clinical lead at the Queen’s Hospital in Romford, Essex and director of the occupational health prevention service at Mercadona SA, Spain. Alex is a key member of staff at RS Occupational Health and is in charge of the clinical teams in Aberdeen, Inverness and Great Yarmouth. His role includes clinical governance of RS Occupational Health’s clinic activities, medical supervision (including leading and supporting clinical staff), and regulatory and legislative compliance. First Anniversary Marked With New Appointments RS Occupational Health recently celebrated its first anniversary since the relocation of its Aberdeen headquarters to larger premises at Muirfield House on the city’s Whitemyres Avenue. The move was fuelled by rapid business growth and a desire to capitalise on emerging business hubs in and around the city. Pictured, back row, from left, are: Neil Watters, Scott Baxter, Darren Fennell. Pictured, front row, from left are: Kayleigh Geddes, Emma Cunningham , Melissa Murray. RS Occupational Health recently marked the first anniversary of its move to new headquarters by welcoming a number of new staff members to the Aberdeen team. Aberdeen HQ Since the relocation and subsequent acquisition by Houston-based DISA Global Solutions Inc, the company’s headcount has continued to grow with five new faces recently joining the team. Scott Baxter and Neil Watters have been appointed business development executives, Darren Fennel senior business support administrator, and Emma Cunningham and Kayleigh Geddes have joined the administration team. Melissa Murray has moved from the post of administrator to business support administrator and Monica Walker has been promoted to the Great Yarmouth position of senior occupational health nurse advisor. In addition, the Inverness clinic has welcomed Susan McKenzie to the role of occupational health nurse advisor. Commenting on the announcement, Fiona Willis said: “We have gone through significant changes during the last 12 months and this anniversary was an excellent time to reflect on how these have had a positive impact on our business. We have very quickly grown into our Whitemyres Avenue premises due to the ongoing expansion of the team to meet the needs of our growing client base, and we look forward to continuing this positive trend in the future.” Further new appointments are expected to be announced before the end of the year. Inverness Muirfield House Whitemyres Avenue Aberdeen AB16 6HQ Unit 1A, The Courtyard Main Cross Road Great Yarmouth NR30 3NZ 10 Lotland Street Inverness IV1 1PA T 01224 460044 E [email protected] T 01493 249009 E [email protected] T 01463 513100 E [email protected] www.rsoh.co.uk www.disa.com