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When a good part of your waking hours are spent in an office, it&rsquo;s important to be aware of certain hazards, and what you can do to reduce your chances of injury.&nbsp;

Whether it&rsquo;s eyestrain from long days on the computer or back problems from slipping on a wet break room floor, take these precautions.

1. Slips and trips 
Cedric McCord, MD, of Doctors Hospital of Augusta in Georgia says the most common office injuries he sees are related to slipping or tripping. &ldquo;I&#39;ve done this a long time, and I see this problem over and over,&rdquo; he says.

Cleaners and wax treatments will lead to slippery floors, and drink spills can be a major hazard. So, if the floor is glistening, avoid the area or walk slowly. Tangled or exposed cords can cause you to trip, as well. Any electrical cords&mdash;think power cords for laptops and phones&mdash;should be secured&nbsp;away from the floor.

And McCord can&rsquo;t stress the importance of observation enough. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a term that we used in the Army when I was there for 29 years: situational awareness. If you&rsquo;re going to sit down, make sure the chair, especially when it has wheels, is where you think it is, or you will plop down on the floor,&rdquo; he says.&nbsp;These fallls&nbsp;can lead to leg and back injuries, he adds.

2. Poor ergonomics 
Many office jobs require spending long hours at a desk on a computer, where repetitive motions (typing, using a mouse, etc.) and a poor workstation set-up can lead to bad posture, pain, fatigue, numbness, and weakness.

A good working environment should include a chair that provides lower back support, allowing you to sit with your hips bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet flat on the floor. You should be able to hold your wrists and forearms parallel to the floor, and desk and chair edges should be rounded or padded.&nbsp;

Check the Occupational Safety and Health Administration&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations/checklists/evaluation" target="_blank">online guide</a>&nbsp;for&nbsp;setting up your workstation to adjust your equipment and&nbsp;avoid discomfort. If parts of your workstation can&rsquo;t be altered and you believe they&rsquo;re causing you pain, talk to your manager or Human Resources department to see if it can be evaluated.&nbsp;

3. Eyestrain and dry eyes 
When you&rsquo;re glued to your computer for hours on end, your eyes can become strained, dry, and irritated. To <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/eye-health/avoiding-dry-eye-triggers">ease these symptoms</a>, make sure your monitor is placed just below eye level and about 20 to 26 inches from your face. Increase font size on documents, which can make them easier to read, and keep eye drops at your desk for quick relief. 
&nbsp; 
McCord also recommends getting up once an hour for a few minutes and doing something that doesn&rsquo;t involve your computer. During this time, give your eyes the chance to focus on things at various distances.

Bright office lighting can cause strain, as well. If possible, dim overhead lighting in your area. To prevent screen glares, the National Safety Council (NSC) recommends pointing your computer screens away from windows, closing blinds, or using a glare reduction filter.

4. Strained back 
You knew that certain physically active jobs, like those in construction, can take a toll on your body. But you can pull muscles even at the office.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Overexertion is still a problem because folks have a tendency to want to move things,&rdquo; McCord says. &ldquo;Folks are picking up boxes of paper, or a delivery arrives at the office, and people want to move things around.&rdquo;&nbsp;

McCord advises that if something is heavy, especially if it weighs more than 40 pounds, don&rsquo;t try to move it yourself. Get help or see if there&rsquo;s a lifting assistance device available.

When you do bend over or reach to pick something up, use proper form. Avoid lifting from a standing position, and don&rsquo;t bend at your waist. Instead, make sure the object is close to your body and bend or lift with your legs. Keep your back straight and try not to twist once you&rsquo;re holding the object.

5. Lacerations 
McCord says he sometimes sees patients who have <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/first-aid-safety/how-to-treat-common-injuries">cut themselves</a> trying to open a box with scissors or box cutters.&nbsp;

&ldquo;When you get a cut, it should be evaluated and you should make sure your tetanus status is up to date,&rdquo; McCord says. &ldquo;A tetanus immunization is only good for about 10 years, and most folks that I talk to can&#39;t remember the last time they&#39;ve had one.&rdquo; See a healthcare provider if your wound is:

<ul>
	<li>To your face</li>
	<li>More than 1/2-inch long</li>
	<li>Deep in your skin</li>
	<li>Flapping open at the edges</li>
	<li>Bleeding profusely</li>
</ul>

If a visit isn&rsquo;t called for, clean the cut with soap and water (not hydrogen peroxide or alcohol) and cover it with a sterile dressing or bandage to avoid infection. Change it at least once a day.

6. Space heater hazards 
&ldquo;No one needs to get burned by a space heater,&rdquo; says McCord. &ldquo;It happens, but it shouldn&rsquo;t happen.&rdquo; If you keep an electric space heater at your desk, make sure you:

<ul>
	<li>Keep it at least 3 feet away from anyone or anything that may burn</li>
	<li>Place it on a flat surface</li>
	<li>Get the kind with a thermostat,&nbsp;overheat protection, and an automatic&nbsp;shut-off if it tips&nbsp;over</li>
	<li>Plug it directly into the wall&mdash;don&rsquo;t use an extension cord</li>
	<li>Turn it off when not in use&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

On the days when you&rsquo;re using the heater, set a reminder in your phone or leave a sticky note on your desk so you&rsquo;ll remember to power it down. If your cubicle neighbor uses a space heater, check it when you leave, or remind them to turn it off to prevent burns or fires.

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At CMI, we see a lot of traumatic deaths, parental death in particular. We see isolated accidents, we child abuse and prior to that I've seen a lot of combat deployment related trauma and we're actually developing some programming to work with children of military families as well. 

  

What Types of Trauma Are You Seeing in Patients?

It's more challenging for teens and adults, children, fortunately, don't know yet, that they should be ashamed for seeking healthcare for mental health issues and of course they shouldn't be ashamed, no one should be at healthcare. That said, what I'd like to do is instill hope. 

And most evidence based treatments are not an ending treatment, there are treatments that last for six months or so and we have specific goals and I'd like to have teens and and parents be very aware of what their goals are and how are doing and in tracking our progress toward meeting those goals so it's a very sort of face valid you're in control too. 

Let me if something is bothering you or if you're feeling like discouraged by this process. I think sometimes people can be concerned that we do magic or there's some type of secret stuff that we're thinking and I try to be very open and say exactly what I'm thinking to decrease that worry. 

  

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A &ldquo;heat dome&rdquo; has descended upon Western and Central Europe, fueling record-breaking temperatures as high as 106&deg; Fahrenheit. The extreme weather event, which occurs when the atmosphere traps sweltering air like a lid, has claimed more than 1,000 lives. In the United States, more than 110 million people are also under heat alerts in 28 states. As of July 21, cities across the country&mdash;from California to New England&mdash;are grappling with scorching temperatures well above 90&deg; Fahrenheit.

Though still unusual, heat waves have become increasingly common and extreme in recent decades. In the U.S. alone, there were 3,066 heat-related deaths between 2018 and 2020. The worrisome trend is expected to continue as the global climate shifts.

What is happening 
The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and gas, releases carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere where it accumulates. Like a blanket, this CO2 traps heat, warming the Earth and its oceans, which is disrupting the delicate balance of connected ecosystems.

As the planet warms, weather patterns are changing. Warmer air and melting Arctic ice weakens the polar jet stream&mdash;the strong band of winds that forms at the point where balmy air from lower latitudes meets the frosty air of the Arctic. Weaker winds cause the jet stream to lose strength and become wobbly, allowing the cold air normally trapped in the Arctic to descend into North America. In recent years, this has resulted in bizarre spring-like weather in the Arctic and freezing temperatures in Europe, adding to mounting concerns about the effects of human-induced climate change.

The temperature of the world&rsquo;s oceans and the Earth&rsquo;s atmosphere affects wind and precipitation as well as the circulation of heat. Global warming is influencing the severity, duration, and frequency of heat waves.

How extreme heat harms 
How does this affect the health of people? Extreme heat events can be dangerous&mdash;even deadly. &nbsp;

Heat waves can <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/first-aid-safety/headache-clammy-skin-signs-overheating" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">lead to heat-related illnesses</a>, such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion&mdash;and in the most extreme cases, heat stroke. Heat stroke occurs when the body is no longer able to regulate its temperature, causing it to rise quickly. Since the body can&rsquo;t cool down effectively, heat stroke, without immediate medical attention, can cause death.

Extreme heat can also exacerbate existing chronic health issues, such as diabetes. It&rsquo;s also linked to heart or respiratory conditions since high temperatures are often associated with higher levels of dangerous air pollutants.

While people can adapt to gradual changes in their environment, they are much more vulnerable to dramatic and unexpected temperature swings.

Extreme heat can affect people&rsquo;s ability to think and work productively. More than one billion workers around the world are exposed to extreme heat events, according to an August 2021 review published in The Lancet. Of these people, one-third experience negative health effects as a result, the researchers cautioned.

Certain groups are more vulnerable 
People who have more trouble regulating their body temperature are more vulnerable to extreme weather events, such as heat waves. Among those at greater risk: babies and young children, those who are pregnant, and older people.

People who work outdoors and athletes are also more likely to experience the negative health effects of extreme heat waves.

Underserved low-income communities where people lack air conditioning, access to cool public facilities or pools and other resources that could mitigate the health risks of heat waves are also at higher risk for heat-related illnesses. Those living in crowded cities are also more vulnerable to intense heat. Concrete and other human-made surfaces absorb more sunlight during the day and radiate this heat in the evening. The air quality where people live and their mental health also play a role in how susceptible they are to extreme heat events, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Since 1999, people older than 65 and non-Hispanic Blacks have had a higher-than-average risk of death from heat-related heart disease than the general U.S. population, the Environmental Protection Agency reports.

What can be done 
Climate change is coinciding with growth of the aging population. As extreme weather events happen with greater intensity and frequency, this group at high risk for health-related consequences is expanding, The Lancet review points out, noting that without strategies in place to protect against a hotter future, heat-related illness and deaths will increase.

More research is needed to better understand how climate change is affecting human health, the researchers advised. They added that early warning systems, which enable people to anticipate and prepare for extreme weather events can help protect community health.

Investment in green spaces and new technologies, such as cool roofs (which are designed to reflect more sunlight), can help cities withstand extreme heat. &nbsp;Other measures which can help:

<ul>
	<li>Greater access to air conditioning or cooling centers</li>
	<li>Strategic landscape design, such as planting trees or creating urban forests to offer more shade and lower temperatures in public spaces</li>
	<li>Heat alerts that prompt people to hydrate and avoid strenuous outdoor activity during peak sun hours</li>
	<li>Access to public drinking fountains, swimming pools, and spray pads</li>
	<li>Updated building codes to increase energy efficiency</li>
	<li>Investment in green energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels</li>
</ul>

Extreme Heat Wave Blankets U.S. and Europe 

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