Drones & Disasters

©iStockphoto.com/goce

Drones are becoming more ubiquitous by the month, and disaster relief organizations are capitalizing on the technology.

American Red Cross and other emergency response stakeholders have released a report saying that drones have plenty of applications in disaster relief.

The report outlines some of the most promising uses for drones, including:

• reconnaissance and mapping;
• structural assessment;
• temporary infrastructure and supply delivery;
• wildfire detection and extinguishing;
• high-rise building fire response;
• chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive event;
• search and rescue operations;
• insurance claims response and risk assessment.

Drones can also be used in risk assessment, mapping and planning.

“When individuals, businesses and communities are able to understand and manage risks and plan effectively, they reduce overall damage and losses. Rebuilding and recovery are then able to begin more quickly, ultimately strengthening the resiliency of communities,” the report concludes.

Get Up, Stand Up! BJSM Report Recommends 2 Hours of Standing at Work

©istockphoto.com/Klaus Gombert

A report issued June 1 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine recommends that office workers stand for at least 2 hours during working hours, with 4 hours per day being the ultimate goal. The report suggests that workers break up prolonged periods of sitting by using sit-stand desks where available, identifying standing-friendly tasks and walking around regularly.

“For those working in offices, 65% to 75% of their working hours are spent sitting, of which more than 50% is accumulated in prolonged periods of sustained sitting,” the expert panel that compiled the report says. “The evidence is clearly emerging that a first 'behavioral’ step could be simply to get people standing and moving more frequently as part of their working day."

The group also recommends that office workers:

• Avoid prolonged static standing, which may be as harmful as prolonged sitting.
• Alter posture to alleviate possible musculoskeletal pain and fatigue as part of the adaptive process.
• Embrace other healthy behaviors, such as cutting down on drinking and smoking, eating a nutritious diet and alleviating stress.

In the report, the authors acknowledge that much of the evidence on which these recommendations are based comes from observational and retrospective studies, which makes it difficult to prove direct cause and effect. That said, the experts conclude, “While longer-term intervention studies are required, the level of consistent evidence accumulated to date, and the public health context of rising chronic diseases, suggest initial guidelines are justified.”

Download a PDF of the article on the BJSM website.

Fashion Tragedy: Documentary Focuses on Human, Environmental Costs of Fast-Fashion

The horrors of the Rana Plaza factory collapse shocked the world and brought into clear focus the risks garment factory workers in developing countries often face just to put food on their tables. In a new documentary, The True Cost, filmmaker Andrew Morgan takes a sweeping look at the human and environmental costs of the fast-fashion industry.

According LA Times/Tribune critic Booth Moore, the film includes interviews with designers, workers, owners and others across the supply chain that feeds the garment industry. "The film puts a human face on how the world’s 40 million garment workers are feeling the squeeze as developing countries, desperate for economic opportunity the business provides, fail to enforce wage and labor laws, while big fashion brands keep their hands clean," Moore writes.

Behind it all are consumers driven to excess. According to the film, 80 billion pieces of clothing are purchased worldwide each year. Three of the four worst garment factory disasters in history were in 2012 and 2013, yet the industry continues to set profit records.

“What we need now is a greater awareness of what’s at stake. It’s not just brainstorm time, because there has been pioneering already. To use a business term, now we’re ready to scale,” Morgan says.

To read more from Morgan about the film and what prompted him to make it, read this Wall Street Journal interview. Learn more about the movie here.

NTSB Produces First-Ever Video to Accompany Investigation Report

Failure to monitor altitude, missed procedures, errors in judgment, poor communication, fatigue and other factors played a part in the UPS cargo plane crash in Birmingham, AL, in August 2013. In a video that accompanies its official investigation report on the incident, NTSB summarizes the multiple contributing factors to the incident. This is the first-ever companion video from NTSB, a practice that it plans to continue in the future on other major incidents.

"People consume information and absorb lessons in different ways," says NTSB Chair Christopher Hart. "This video is another way to reach pilots and aviation safety professionals with the lessons we learned through our investigative work."

700 Good Reasons: How CVS Is Incentivizing Its Employees to Quit Smoking

©iStockphoto.com/Gattsura

Many employers are trying new ways to get employees to quit smoking. Healthier employees means better productivity, lower costs and reduced risks. CVS Health has come up with a new program to incentivize its employees to kick the habit, and its based on findings from a research study the company conducted in partnership with University of Pennsylvania. Called "700 Good Reasons," the CVS program asks participants to pay a $50 deposit, which they will get back upon successfully completing the program. They are also rewarded with $700 from the company.

The study is detailed in "Randomized Trial of Four Financial-Incentive Programs for Smoking Cessation," published in New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers found that employer-sponsored programs with financial incentives to give up smoking are more successful in both getting people to quit and stay smoke-free. Specifically, the study found that asking employees to put up their own money had a greater success rate.

"Last year, we made a commitment as a company to be tobacco-free as we strive to fulfill our purpose of helping people on their path to better health and that includes our colleagues," says Lisa Bisaccia, executive vice president and Chief Human Resources Officer, CVS Health. "The research we conducted with the University of Pennsylvania provided us with important information about what can motivate and help our colleagues stop smoking. We are excited to offer this innovative program to our colleagues who want to quit smoking as we foster a healthy workplace and workforce."

Watch a video summary of the study here.