Safety Manager

I have an employee who has a pacemeker and spends a considerable amout of time working in heavy manufacturing industry. He recently had an issue and had to be rushed to the emergency. We determined that he had an adverse reaction to someting in the customers site. Is there information available concerning typical hazards one might face in the manufacturing sector or issues like I.E.; Extreme temperatures, working heights, physical lifting. I realizing that there may not be standards set, but are there "rules of thumb" that I can use to set some limits.
My main concern is for my employee and his safety.
Thanks
clemcicconi

6 Comments

Employee

by Sue H. - 2012-02-29 01:02:29

I would suggest that you sit down with your employee and voice your concerns. Let him tell you the limitations for his particular pacemaker. With modern pacemakers there are very few limitations. I'm sure he would appreciate your concern.

Tell him to get on here too..we can help him directly.

Sue

QUESTIONS

by J.B. - 2012-02-29 01:02:36

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS WEB SITE TO GET ANSWERS TO SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS.
http://www.baptist-health.com/heart_center/tech_proc/pacemaker/default.aspx

SINCE THE EMPLOYEE OBVIOUSLY HAS SOME TYPE HEART PROBLEM IF HE HAS A PACEMAKER I THINK THE QUESTIONS ABOUT EXTREME TEMP., HEIGHTS AND HEAVY LIFTING SHOULD BE REFERRED TO HIS DR.

Do you have any hair?

by donr - 2012-02-29 02:02:41

Clem: If you do, when you finish w/ this issue, you will be bald as a billiard!

I've been on your side of the safety responsibility fence, so have a feel for what you face. Mine was in the ammunition manufacturing business for Uncle Sam's Army, loading high explosive projectiles.

The answer to the question you asked is undefined. You asked the equivalent question to "How long is a piece of string." If you research industry safety standards & "Heart conditions," you will probably find all sorts of stuff referring to previous heart attacks, hypertension, transplants, CABG's, etc, etc, etc. All of these issues are PLUMBING/PUMP problems - not a single one of them is electrical!!!!! The PM is an electrical device that corrects for ELECTRICAL problems w/ the heart. All the control functions of the heart are electrical - and can they ever go south on you in so many different ways it is difficult to count. If you find the 2012 Mayo Clinic book on the heart, they do not even mention the electrical aspects of heart problems - not even how it all works in a perfectly normal, healthy heart!

That's why THIS web site exists! We collectively have to take care of ourselves because the rest of the world barely knows we exist. There are centuries of practical knowledge in here in our collective minds/experience.

We are all individuals in the way we have had our original symptoms leading up to becoming a PM host; we are just as individual in how we function symbiotically w/ our little bionic buddies! We span the spectrum from scared little rabbits to nutcases who take on the world starting w/ a wrestling match w/ Arnold Schwartzenegger & all of his muscle bound buddies.

I've taken the liberty of cutting & pasting the relevant paragraphs from the link that J.B. gave you. Notice that it is not really helpful!

BEGIN QUOTE:
"It isn't difficult to live with a pacemaker. You can usually do almost everything you did before you got your pacemaker, and since you will probably feel better, you may do even more! One of the things you might do is exercise, which is a great way to improve your health. Also, see your doctor regularly to help ensure that you remain healthy and feeling good.

When you first get your pacemaker, you'll be given an ID card to carry. This ID card contains important information about your pacemaker. Show it to any doctor, dentist, or other medical professional you visit. Also, because pacemaker tend to set off security devices like those found in airports and libraries, you may need to show your card to security personnel.

Modern pacemakers are well protected from outside signals, so there are very few things that can interfere with your pacemaker. But if you ever feel symptoms that make you think a device is disrupting your pacemaker's signals, turn the device off or move away from it. Your symptoms should stop and your pacemaker shouldn't be damaged. To be safe, check with your doctor.

Appliances which should be safe to use include:

Microwave ovens and other appliances in good repair
Computers
Hair Dryers
Power Tools
TV's and Radios
Stereos
Electric Blankets and Heating Pads
Vacuum Cleaners

There are a few things to avoid that might interfere with your pacemaker. These include very strong magnets (like those used for an MRI), radio transmitting tours, ham radios, certain surgical instruments and cellular phones. When using a cellular phone, hold it on the ear farthest away from your pacemaker. Don't carry it in your breast pocket, even when it's turned off. Also, a running car engine generates an electrical field, so avoid leaning directly over the open hood of a running car.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call your doctor. It's very important for you to keep your appointments with your doctor or pacemaker clinic. Follow your doctor's recommendations about caring for your pacemaker, taking medications or doing other things to care for your heart."
END QUOTE

Now, how on earth YOU function w/i this guidance when you have a severe safety responsibility & a legal liability problem. Your underwriters will also tear their hair out over this. But: OTOH, they just might say that anyone w/ a PM is a safety risk too great to have on your payroll.

Let me give you a small example of the spectrum of problems PM hosts CAN have - They can still have periods where they get lightheaded & pass out - that's one class of us - their heart problems are one category of electrical defects. Then there are people like me who have NEVER even had an episode of lightheadedness. We have a different category of electrical defects. In short, you cannot classify us all the same.

Let me add that PM's are pretty darned reliable - very rarely do they malfunction! After all, they are built on the same technology as the control systems used for the Moon exploration program - and they are not even doubly redundant! Did you know that a human heart, at 60 beats per minute, beats nearly 3.5 MILLION times in a 30 day month? That little digital computer follows every one of those potential beats & makes sure that it takes place. FOR TEN years - or longer. And, there are those of us who are 100% dependent on their PM. It doesn't work, the host dies! That's how reliable they are. There are more than a few folks in here who are 100% dependent. One is over 80 & like me, pushes the envelope of what a PM host can/should do.

You might check w/ life/health insurance companies to find out how they view the liability issues for PM hosts.

Clem, I've written a tongue in cheek post called "limitations." It was in response to a frequent question from newbies about what they can & cannot do. I'll post in in the next comment. I don't think you can use it for your safety purposes.

Good luck w/ this one!

Don

Tongue in cheek on Limitations

by donr - 2012-02-29 02:02:46

Clem: I've posted this several time when folks ask what kind of limitations there are on us PM hosts. You will see several versions of it.

In practice, there are few limitations - we have to find out how we each react to potential threats to our PM's. BUT - there are some very real limitations - I've addressed them below.

Don

Begin Quote:
"Limitations? You want limitations?

XXXXXXXX: They've been out there in the open - you just didn't know where to find them.

Before the surgery, I was given a book to read that outlined all the stuff I couldn't/shouldn't do. Which scared the daylights out of me. Over the years, I've developed a more definitive, realistic list of limitations for PM hosts. Here it is as I sent it to some lady last week. Yours to read & enjoy. Hope it helps you cope w/ your responsibilities as a PM host::

Comment posted by donr on 2012-02-15 21:34.
XXXXX: You commented on limitations; Electric Frank gave you one - well, I've cobbled up a bunch of limitations that are pretty much absolute. Had I talked while writing these, I'd-a bitten my tongue - it was in my cheek. But... they are very realistic in the end. Read around in here & you will find out that we collectively lead a pretty normal life. BTW: I have copy & pasted them for you w/ almost zero editing - only enough to protect the guilty & punish the innocent. So, lighten up fly right:

Don

There are REAL limitations!
Comment posted by donr on 2012-01-27 10:42.
Lessee, now - a 57 yr old woman - yes, there are some limitations on activity w/ a PM! These are based on experience & practicality & some guessing because I do not know all of the reasons you have a PM.

The day before I had my PM put in back in Feb 2003 I read the manual they gave me & choked! I was about to become an invalid! Oh, woe, is me! Got out of the hosp 2 days later (I had problems not related to the surgery that they wanted to ensure were stable) & wife drove me home. Stopped at Home Depot on the way & picked up a bunch of lumber for our house we were building. Ate lunch at the local Cracker Barrel & ran a few other errands. All the while, I was looking for Arnold Schwartzenegger - I felt so good I was ready to take on the World. Normally, I'd look for new - born babies for a start, but today I felt so good, I was ready for Ahnald!

Then reality set in - I temporarily could not drive; couldn't raise the elbow above the shoulder; couldn't lift more than 5 lbs; couldn't take a shower & get the scar wet. All those niggling little things that follow any surgery.

Well, harsh reality set in as I slowly figured out what was real & what was a great, big, CYA horse blanket for the Medtronics Co. Here's what I learned:

1) I can no longer work as a pneumatic jack hammer operator for a highway crew demolishing concrete all day. Besides, I'll bet you couldn't either cause you don't smoke smelly cigars or have a big belly that flops out over the handle of the Jack hammer.

2) Operating a chainsaw all day is also a no-no. As is operating a gas-powered weed eater. But, OTOH, why should any 57 YO woman want to do those things anyway???? The book said the ignition MIGHT interfere w/ the PM, or if you have the RATE RESPONSE function turned on it MIGHT affect that. The ignition system DOES NOT affect my PM (Don't ask how I know) & I don't have the RR turned on. Besides, Who, in their right mind wants to do those things ALL DAY? Only Paul Bunyan, & you probably don't have a Big Blue Ox named "Babe." Also, Electric Frank, but he's another case - & he gave up part of the chainsaw work when he ran out of chains to saw & stuck to trees..

3) You cannot climb the Channel 5 TV tower & hug the antenna output - might affect the operation of the PM. Channel 1 is OK, however - IF you can find a channel 1 somewhere.

4) You should not enter the Thai National Kick-Boxing Championships. Short as those guys are, they can kick pretty high.

5) You should NOT run away, join the circus & become a member of the "Flying Walendas" trapeze artists.

5a) You should not run away & join the professional rodeo circuit as a Lady Bronc Buster, steer rider, bull dogger, or goat roper.

6) You should NOT take up Skeet or Trap shooting, using a 10 gage shotgun that you place against the shoulder where her PM is located. You can, however, if you use a pop gun that shoots a cork.

7) Do not take up African big game hunting using any rifle larger caliber than a US .22 rim fire.

8) You cannot get a job in a super magnet factory testing magnets that hold name tags on clothes at the site of your PM.

9) Last, but not least, DO NOT to join the Marines w/ a view toward earning a spot on a rifle drill team. Throwing that M-14 rifle up into "Left Shoulder Arms" will hurt like Heck when it smacks the PM site.

10) You cannot swing from the dining room chandelier by the arm on the PM side while eating a banana w/ the other hand.

11) Just remembered this one while talking w/ my "Baby Sister," who is 65 this year. It is not recommended that you swim around in the tank at Sea World in Orlando where they keep the pelagic sharks (Tigers, great white, hammerhead, etc). When I asked Medtronics about doing that, they said they didn't know if it was safe or not. Those sharks in particular can sense weak electrical fields emitted by their prey & they had no idea if the PM fields were strong enough to attract them.

Those are the REAL restrictions. All the rest are kinda nebulous. Given physical healing time - about 6 weeks, you can drive, do anything reasonable for a woman (or man) your age, & live a normal life.

If you read here long enough, you'll find out the things we all do & be amazed. You just have to creep up on them slowly to find out what affects YOUR PM. F'rinstance - I operate all sorts of corded & battery operated power tools - no effect on PM. I've operated all sorts of ELECTRIC hammer drills, breaking concrete - but they are relatively small & don't beat me up.

I have a large, green transformer box in my front yard that supplies electricity to my house. The input is about 13,000 volts & the output is 240 volts. Hence there are some pretty healthy electric & magnetic fields inside the box. I routinely sit on it while taking a break while working in the yard, & once, w/o thinking, I actually laid down across it on my chest w/o any ill effect!

I hunt deer & ducks - but limit fire arm use to .257 Roberts & 20 gage - not much recoil. I get near magnets all the time, but stay away from those that are right over my PM. I hammer, nail, do all sorts of construction at home & at daughter's houses. Less than a yr after getting my PM, I took an 18 mile hike w/ a bunch of teenagers - at night on rough terrain. PM did fine - I did not. tripped over a boulder & bruised a thigh muscle. Couldn't walk w/o crutches for a week. PM sneered at me for being a wimp & just kept on ticking, just like the Energizer Bunny!

To take tongue out of cheek - You have to stay away from MRI's unless you have a PM that is MRI compatible.

How tough is a PM & its leads? I took a Jeep Cherokee at 35 mph into the RIGHT shoulder 6 weeks after getting a new lead implanted. No effect on the PM system. Pretty well busted me up, however - 12 days in hosp.

It's too soon to worry about limitations of the PM. After about 6 weeks, you can start exploring the envelope & find out what YOU can do - it's really individual - using common sense.

Don

FOR DONR

by J.B. - 2012-02-29 10:02:08

I'm very sorry Donr for offering something that is not really helpful. Next time I submit my comments to you for approval before posting them.

By the way you, left off the part that may be helpful.

For J.B.

by donr - 2012-03-01 12:03:08

My apology for missing the important part. We probably have different perspectives on industrial safety matters & I wa perhaps a bit brash in making that comment. I just went back & scoured the entire article & could not find anything that would catch my attention & help me out as a safety manager facing this problem.

Pls give me the appropriate part to read; I'd like very much to know it. This is a critical issue to safety folks everywhere. Many of them have just not faced it & currently it is not covered very well in any manuals I have read. BTDT in the safety business.

Don

You know you're wired when...

Your favorite poem is “Ode to a Cardiac Node”.

Member Quotes

I am just thankful that I am alive and that even though I have this pacemaker it is not the end of the world.