MORE THAN A THOUSAND EYE INJURIES OCCUR IN NORTH AMERICA WORKPLACES EVERY DAY

Why are these injuries occurring?

«  Three out of five happen because a worker was not wearing eye protection at the time of the incident.

«  About 40% of the injured workers were wearing some type of eye protection but it was the wrong kind and failed to protect them adequately.

«  The leading cause for incidents while wearing eye protection is the lack of side shields.

«  Studies reveal that flying or falling objects and sparks are the cause of 70% of eye injuries.

«  Nearly 60% of the objects causing eye injuries are smaller than a pin head.

«  Nearly 20% of all eye injuries are caused by chemicals splashing or being sprayed.

«  40% of eye injuries occur within the craft trades and 30% occur within operations.

«  50% of the injured workers were employed in manufacturing and 20% were in construction.

What we can do to prevent these injuries?

«  First: make sure you choose the proper eye protection.

«  Second: make sure the eye protection you have selected fits properly and is clean.

«  Nearly 20% of eye injuries happen to workers wearing face shields or welding helmets while grinding, while only 6% happen while wearing goggles.

The first quarterly Mingle of the year kicked off at Sport Central on Thursday, February 19, 2009. As usual, we had a fantastic spread of tantalizing appetizers ranging from onion rings, mini quiches, spring rolls, samosas to sautéed jumbo prawns and chicken wings with every sauce imaginable. Since balance is important in everything we do, an assortment of fresh fruits and veggies completed the mix.

Even though it took a little while to get everyone to participate in the Fransen Speed Meeting activity (a spinoff of speed dating), once we had everyone in two rows facing each other, there was no holding back as each person connected with the other through a series of getting-to-know-you questions prepared by the Social Committee. Throughout the afternoon, five lucky people won some nifty staplers that are environmentally friendly and actually use no staples!

Have you been enjoying the variety of the Charity snack tray recently? We have been experimenting with some new snacks such as the Toblerone bars, sunrype snack bars, exploding gum, salmon jerky, and a plethora of nuts. Richard and I do our best to get to Costco on a regular basis and are always open to suggestions on what you would like to have in the Charity Snack Boxes and Drink Trays.

A friendly reminder to all team members – the snack boxes and drinks in the fridge are financed using the honour system and will continue only if everyone contributes their $1 for each snack. Please keep loans to a minimum and keep in mind that it is never acceptable to take drinks for meetings unless you are paying for each drink immediately.

From Feb 16 – Apr 16, the snack boxes will support Engineers without Borders.

Fransen Sunrunners are pounding the pavement in preparation for the Vancouver SunRun this coming April. All ages and experience levels are welcome to join the team. The SunRun will take you on a scenic tour of Downtown Vancouver, False Creek, and part of Yaletown along with 50,000 other Vancouverites. For more information on the SunRun, check out www.sunrun.com and talk to Bindy Grewal. If you join the Fransen Team, 50% of your fee will be reimbursed. As an added bonus, you get a souvenir t-shirt to keep!

Western Canada’s premier conference on international development is right around the corner! The 6th annual Engineers Without Borders Bridging the Gap (BTG) conference will take place on Saturday March 14, 2009 at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel. The theme of the conference will be “Collaborating for Human Development: The hidden power of our choices”, which will explore the roles of individuals, corporations, NGOs, and government and how they can come together to address the problem of extreme poverty.

The 500 attendees will have a full day of interactive workshops, speakers, and panel discussions. The conference will close with a keynote address from Dr. James Orbinski, who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 as president of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).

Fransen Engineering is a proud supporter of Engineers Without Borders and will help subsidize the ticket cost to this exciting conference! For more details, please contact Harish Raisinghani or Mark Abbott and check out www.bridgingthegap.ewb.ca

In addition to Fransen’s ongoing support for EWB, proceeds from the snacks in the Fransen staff rooms will be going to EWB for the next two months! Thank you in advance for your support!