Maree Madden PhD 11 April 2011

+Health and Safety for Auslan Interpreters: How to avoid getting a pain in the neck (or any other places)

Maree Madden PhD11 April 2011

(C) Dr Maree Madden 2011

Source: http://yvkl.fut.guidegoods.net/w/georgia-perimeter-languageshd.html Accessed 23 March 2011 via Google Images.

+

Objectives

Define OOS

Describe some of the causes of OOS

List factors which can contribute to OOS

Demonstrate warm up and cool down exercises

(C) Dr Maree Madden 2011Source: http://ericsaintguillain.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/stay-focused-on-your-goal/ Accessed 26 March 2011 via Google Images.

+ OOS Definition

A collective term for a range of conditions characterised by:

discomfort or persistent pain in muscles, tendons and other soft tissues,

with or without physical manifestations

usually caused or aggravated by work and

is associated with repetitive movement, sustained or constrained postures and/or forceful movements (NOHSC, in Ewan et al., 1991:169).


Source: http://www.ohs.unsw.edu.au/ohs_hazards/overuse.html Accessed 23 March 2011 via Google Images

+Categories

There are five general categories of OOS:

1. Polymyalgia (pain in a number of muscles)

2. Syndromes including tendonitis (an inflammation of the tendon characterised by swelling and tenderness) and

3. Epicondylitis or “tennis elbow”(chronic tendonitis of the wrist and finger extensors at their insertion point at the elbow).


Source: http://www.virginiarsi.org/ Accessed 23 March 2011 via Google Images

+ Categories

4. Inflammations of joints and joint linings or friction between the tendon and tendon sheath

5. Disorders of muscles and ligaments (ligaments are strong bands of fibrous tissue which serve to bind together the bones entering into a joint) (Macpherson, 1995:288)

Other soft tissue injuries such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome


+Causes

OOS may result from:

tasks that impose a static load on the postural muscles of the neck and shoulder region (such as raising the arms),

as well as those involving static (low repetition) and dynamic (high repetition) loads on the arm and hand muscles. (Rempel, Harrison & Barnhart, 1992:838; Moore, Wells & Ranney, 1991:1434)


+ Stage 1

Aching and/or fatigue of affected limbs occurring during work. Settles overnight and on days off.

No significant reduction of work performance. Usually no physical signs, e.g., swelling or crepitus.

Usual signs may include muscle and tendon tenderness, fatigue and discomfort.

Can persist for weeks or months (Brown, Nolan & Faithfull, 1987)


+ Stage 2

Recurrent aching and fatigue occurring earlier and persist longer.

Symptoms fail to settle overnight, cause sleep disturbance and are associated with a reduced capacity for repetitive work.

Physical signs such as swelling may be present. Tingling and burning sensations, as well as pain and weakness, or loss of grip strength may also be present.

Usually persists for months. (Brown, Nolan & Faithfull, 1987)


+ Stage 3Persistent aching preventing the use of any

of the muscle group; fatigue and weakness at rest and pain occurs with non-repetitive movements.

The symptoms cause disturbance of sleep.

The person is unable to perform less arduous or light duties and experiences difficulty with non-occupational tasks.

Physical signs such as swelling, numbness, colour or temperature changes and crepitus are present.

The condition may last for months or years. (Brown, Nolan & Faithfull, 1987)


(C) Dr Maree Madden 2011Source: https://shop.algra.com/osb/itemdetails.cfm?ID=436 Accessed 23 March 2011 via Google Images

+Personal or work-related?

Bammer (1990:23) found little evidence for personal causes [for OOS] but strong evidence for work-related factors, particularly high pressure jobs where autonomy, variety and peer cohesion are lacking.

Stress which comes from factors including monotony, work pressures, and inadequate breaks and access to leisure time may be a major contributor to the problem (Quinlan & Bohle, 1991:122)


+ Sign Language Interpreting: a high pressure job

lack of control over working conditions

lack of peer cohesion

inconsistency in client expectations and

high volume of work


Source: http://www.rnid.org.uk/information_resources/communicating_better/communication_support/bsl_english_interpreters/ Accessed 26 March 2001 via Google Images.

+ What some of our colleagues said

Sometimes I feel as though they [the Deaf consumers] expect us to be God and fix up everything.

… I suppose you just use your common sense. If you’re wrong, you’re wrong and if you’re right, you’re right and that’s the place we’re put in all the time.

… Depending on the type of assignment you’re engaged in, it’s emotionally draining.

In terms of freelance situations, there are no [support] mechanisms in place … You’re out there on your own. It’s a very lonely profession.

When you do a good job, there is no-one around to reinforce it … There was no-one to say, “Hey that was a good job”.

I sometimes find it very demanding. I feel bad if I can’t go to work… I have to be really, really sick before I don’t go to work ‘cause I feel I’m letting them down.


+ Physical demands of Sign Language Interpreting

repetitive, forceful movements

sometimes awkward postures of the fingers, hand, wrist, forearm and shoulder

high velocity and acceleration of finger and hand movements

high static load on the muscles of the back, shoulders, neck and upper arms

(C) Dr Maree Madden 2011Source: http://interpretersalary.com/ Accessed 23 March 2011 via Google Images.

+ Effects of OOS - physical

Difficulty performing daily activities such as:

Using a telephone

Writing

Showering and toileting

Dressing

Manipulating cutlery

Cleaning

Driving (Bammer & Blignault, 1988)

(C) Dr Maree Madden 2011Source: Google Images Accessed 26 March 2011

+Effects of OOS - psychological

Worry

Tension

Bewilderment

Depression

Guilt

Fear

Hopelessness

Helplessness

Inferiority

Stigmatisation

Anger

(C) Dr Maree Madden 2011Source: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/what-are-you-worried-about.html Accessed 26 March 2001 via Google Images.

+ What does research say? American studies report rates of

between 18% and 82%.

SLIANZ research (2005) reported 64% had or have a work-related injury.

My Australian research found 22% (with an additional 11% of respondents who described symptoms consistent with OOS).

FaHCSIA research (2004) reported that 35 interpreters raised the high risk of OOS as a work limitation.


Source: http://www.jobsbump.com/2010/12/sign-language-interpreter-jobs-calgary/ Accessed 23 March 2011 via Google Images.

+Findings

20% of males (five out of 25) and 22% of females (18 out of 81) suffered from OOS

Prevalence of 12% in the less experienced group (< three years) and 65% for those who had worked seven to nine years, but 28% for > nine years

27% of full-time and 18% of part-time.

All interpreters worked a varying number of hours per week (one to five days per week and two to five hours per day)


+Conclusion

Interpreters most at risk of developing OOS are those who interpret for more than four

hours per day and have been in the field for more than seven years, regardless of whether they are employed on a full- or part-time basis.

(C) Dr Maree Madden 2011 Source: http://www.footprintsnetwork.org/default.aspx?c=10&x1=14 Accessed 23 March 2011 via Google Images.

+Consequences of interpreting

When I was interpreting, day after day, you are continually being bombarded with stimuli – the visual, or the auditory, everything. When you get more and more tired and more fatigued, more stress, more adrenalin pumping, you begin to get to the stage where you go on automatic pilot. When I got more and more tired …. It short-circuited and it started taking different paths, and the paths it took was the pain. So that every time I would start to interpret, I would feel the pain, and then it got to the stage that every time I would used my hands I would feel the pain …. I had to basically learn to do everything again. I learned to walk again, I learned to move my jaw again, I learned to speak, I learned to use my eyes again. At the moment I’m learning to use my fingers again.


+ A comment

It certainly has affected parts of my life. I can’t go canoeing or bungy jumping, lots of things like that I’ve always wanted to do in my life, I probably won’t be able to do them… I don’t run, I don’t play netball. I don’t do any sport. I’m very unfit, so all that side of my life has been affected… My life is not the same. I used to be a real never-sit-still type of person, now I’m just a blob.


+Recommendations

Physical environment

Equipment

Job content

Management style and structure

Recruitment and selection procedures

Training

Hours of work

Recognition of other work issues


+In closing … Interpreting is much more than an occupation -

it’s a lifestyle and a culture. People become interpreters because they care about working in the Deaf community and when they become injured, they are deprived of an opportunity to interact with people whom they’ve grown to know and respect (Cergol, 1991:16).

(C) Dr Maree Madden 2011 Source: http://www.chang-castilloseminars.com/52-becoming-a-sign-language-interpreter.html Accessed 26 March 2011 via Google Images.

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Maree Madden PhD 11 April 2011