Three months of wellness and safety

By Brian Sornson, state agency operations supervisor

Whether you’re searching for discussion topics for your safety committee meetings or ways to enhance your safety and wellness plans, the National Safety Council’s 2018 safety observance calendar is a great place to find information and ideas.

Be sure to mark these events on your calendar:

February: American Heart Month

Started by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, American Heart Month raises awareness and encourages action to improve heart health. To learn more, browse the American Heart Association's interactive library on cardiovascular conditions. And discover the "Healthy for Good" four-step approach: Eat smart. Add color. Move more. Be well.

February 2: National Wear Red Day

More women die from heart disease and stroke than from all forms of cancer combined. National Wear Red Day encourages women—and men—to know their numbers on five key risk factors: total cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, body mass index (BMI), and HDL (or good) cholesterol.

March: Workplace Eye Wellness Month

Preventing physical injuries to the eye is important. So is maintaining or even improving our eye health. If you work at a computer, practice the 20/20/20 rule to help reduce eye fatigue: Take a break every 20 minutes to focus for 20 seconds on something 20 feet away. Also, pay attention to workstation ergonomics, including proper monitor distance and lighting, to reduce eye strain.

April: Distracted Driving Awareness Month

During the 2016–17 policy year, 114 Oregon state agency and university employees sustained work-related injuries in motor vehicle accidents—a 22.5 percent increase from the prior year. The Oregon Department of Transportation hopes to combat what has been called an epidemic of distracted driving with its DriveHealthy campaign.

Find more information and resources for promoting overall health in the workplace on our safety and health website.