Document rdqE736ObwGovKV94jK0zXkG

Megaphone February 2002 Volume 54, Number 2 A teamwork effort of the following: Communications Coordinator: Jeanie Severson Reporters: Judy Witt Support Services Mary Conroy, Fran Curtiss - Medical Rose Peine - SAC/SMD Mindy Bond - SMD/AD Gayle Carlin - Plant Eng. Dianne Morehouse - TPTC Dianna Nafe Site Administration Julie Arndtson - Gardener Kathy Graske - TMD Curt Meverden - TCM Site Director: Dean Dworak Human Resources Manager: Wes Klinkhammer Published every month by 3M Cottage Grove for its employees. Offices are located at Cottage Grove, Minnesota Extraordinary EffortsFC-98! A sincere thanks to the Performance ofFC-98 for2001 was more than 17,000 lbs. Chemicals team - S M M D for meeting the This represents nearly a 4-fold increase over FC-98 production goal. FC-98 is a fluoro- historical levels. Because of its high selling chemical surfactant used as a wetting and priceperpound even relativelysmall produc foaming agent inacidic solutionswhere con tion volumes are significant 3M sales. As ventional surfactants are destroyed. Typical noted by Jerry Walker, S M M D General applications include chrome plating baths, Manager, "This was a critical accomplish conversioncoatings, and etchants. Exxon and ment at an extremely important time for Solutia arethe main customers forthisprod Performance Materials and 3M. Thanks for uct. Cottage Grove and Cordova production the fine effort." Those receiving special recognition include: Bldg 25 O perators Greg Stewart, Judy Ryan, JeffWilkens and Liz Beach Bldg 15 O perators Dan Brookshaw, Dan Wolff, Paul Magnan, Joe Johnson, JeffSmith, Brad Wenzel Jim Gruber, Les Hudson, Joe Walter, Theresa LaMora, Pat Duffy, Jamie Krubsack Mike Fiedler, Kevin Brown, John Cernohous, Dan Fox, Chris McPhail Nora Whitmore, Scan Vasquez, Steve Winberg, Steve Ritt,Julie Powers JesseThurmes, Candy Mercord, Steve Schommer and Shawn Schoenberger A dm inistrative Eric Hatch, Gary Meier, Rick Stern, Steve Kosch, Dan Masog Dean Graham, Lynn Running, Mike Rogers, Pam Gotz, Rick Pechacek Robert Lewis and LeifOwens Congratulations! 3MA00064713 From the Plant Manager 3M A Gold Medal Company February 2002 isa great time for ents, teachers and coaches. The those who love sports. There isthe fact that these seeds have grown Super Bowl, the major golf tour and flourished will be seen as the naments are starting and the best athletes overcome challenges, Winter Olympics are playing in adversity and difficulty to earn Salt Lake City. Olympic Gold. Most of the folks at Cottage 3M is a company that is like the Grove probably aren't as interest Olympics. We compete head to ed in the Super Bowl as they head with the best companies in would be if either the Packers or the world. None of these compa the Vikings were playing. nies have achieved their greatness Although, the loyal Packer fans by accident or without difficulty. know that next year is the year we'llgo "allthe way".By the time The seeds of excellence have you read this the Super Bowl will been sown and have flourished in be over and probably forgotten. the people of3M. Whether you are in sales, a lab technician, a pro The Winter Olympics is a forum duction operator, a mechanic or where the best athletes in the any otherposition at3M, you have world have a chance to display the opportunity to achieve excel their skills. To compete head to lence. We all have the opportunity head with other athletes of the to push and pull our company same skill levels. These athletes through challenge, adversity and have earned their place on their difficulty to keep 3M a Gold teams by being the best from their Medal company. country. They truly exhibit the qualities of excellence. The seeds of excellence were planted and nourished in these young competitors by their par -- Tom Huber, Abrasives Building 112 2 Billandhisfamily. Congratulations Bill Fischer Congratulations to Bill Fischer, Plant Engineering pipefitter. Family, friends, and co-workers congratulated Billathiscoffee party as he celebrat ed his 25 year service anniversary on January 14th. Bill has had various crew and shift assignments with the current and longest running being bldg. 17 maintenance shop. Safetyhasbeen one ofBill'sitemsof importance andhe hasbeen veryhelp fulwith his involvement through sug gestions and concerns, helping make the Cottage Grove site a safer work place. Bill has also held various offices and committee participation through PACE and is currently the Treasurer. Pleasejoin us in congratu latingBillon thismilestone. Bob Schaar Retires Bob Schaarretiredeffective,January 1,2002 with over 40 years of service. During thistime Bob held many posi tions in the Chemical Division and Magnetic Oxide operations and spent thelastthreeyears inbuilding 112. Congratulations Bob and happy snowmobiling. 3M Megaphone - February 2002 3MA00064714 Announcements & Anniversaries jCongratulations Jeff Duvlea and Bruce Hemmingson In January 2002 Jeff Duvlea and Bruce Hemmingson celebrated 30 yearsofservicewith 3M atcoffeepar tiesheld intheirhonor. On January 13, 1972 Jeffbegan his career at the Wastewater Treatment plant in Cottage Grove and has spent his entire 30 years in this location. Bruce began his career January 25, 1972 at the Corporate Incinerator in Cottage Grove. Aftertwo and one-half years he transferredto theWastewater Treatmentplantand iscurrentlyatthat location. Jeffand Bruce aretwo ofthe five operators who have the responsi bilityofkeepingtheCottageGrove site incompliance. Congratulations Jeff and Bruce on your years ofservice to 3M. Stoneyandhisfamily. StoneyandOfficerVeidMuiznieks. Sterling Boatman Retires An informal coffee party was held in building 70 on January 31 for Sterling Boatman. Sterling has decided to leave 3M after 17 years, all at the Cottage Grove site. He started at the site in 1984 as a Chemical Operator, came tothe PDC in 1986 as a Technician and became the Planner for the Building 70 in 1992. Sterling will be missed by everyone inthe PDC and we allwish him the best. Marvin uStoney" Stonecipher Retires It'snoteverydaythatwe have awar rant served and an employee hand cuffed by a police officer during his retirementparty,allingood fun.But it isnot every day thatMarvin "Stoney" Stonecipher retires after 26 years of dedicated and loyal service to 3M Cottage Grove. Stoney started his career at 3M as fireman inthe boiler house, and quickly progressed up to supervisor within 3 years. Stoney is known for being an ambassador of "good will"on site,and inhiscommu nity activities- including many years of service and involvement with the Boy Scouts. A largenumber ofpeople were pres ent in the 116 cafeteria to see Stoney off on his journey into retirement, including his children, grandchildren and personal friends. Several people tooktheopportunityto"toast" Stoney, and he expressed surprise thatno one took the opportunity to "roast" him. Besides the visit of Newport police officer and St. Paul Park Councilmember, Veid Muiznieks, who eventually found the key to the hand cuffs and proclaimed Stoney to be a model of community involvement. Many others saluted Stoney including a heartfelt poem and message from former CG SitedirectorClairMurphy, who said he was impressed with Stoney's consistently positive attitude and great ability to work with and bring outthebestinpeople. Stoney thanked everyone at3M and theCottage Grove site,particularlythe great crews atthe former Site boilerhouse and Waste Water Treatment where Stoney spend many yearswork ingand supervising. We all wish Stoney well on his retirement and his plans to remain active in community and volunteerism, and hismany planned travels across the US. 3M Megaphone - February 2002 3 3MA00064715 Announcements & Anniversaries Terryisjoinedbymembersotherfamily:GranddaughterHannahWitzig, Daughter BrendaWitzigandJohn. (LtoR)TerryreceiveshercertificatefromJulieWilkins, LogisticsManager. Service Anniversaries NAME Gayle L. Carlin M ary K. Conroy Ronald H. K rienke Judith R. Larson Ralph E. Palo James H. Turvaville M ary A. W ilson YEARS 15 15 20 30 15 35 20 SERVICE CREDIT DATE February 24 February 16 February 15 February 28 February 23 February 16 February 19 YEAR 1987 1987 1982 1972 1987 1967 1982 d Terry Bricher Retires Terry Bricher, Production Control Analyst - SMMD, celebrated 30 years of service with 3M on January 20.Terry alsoplanned toretireeffec tive February 1. Family, friends and co-workersjoined her for a dual cel ebration to thank Terry for her years of service and to wish her a long, healthy retirement. Terry initially started with 3M in 1964 as an engineering clerk. Later the same year she leftto care for her children and returned to 3M in 1972 as a production control clerk. She remained inthe same group through out the years and advanced to her most recent assignment. At a reception held on Monday, January 28 inBldg 70 cafeteria, sto ries ofTerry were shared by friends and co-workers. Terry,being adevot ed Elvis fan, was touched as "The King" himself crashed her party. Immediate retirementplans forTerry include a tripto Italy! Good luck and best wishes Terry. Happy Retirement! Sympathies to the foliowing: JackNess - Mother Dave Keller- Father KeithKeller- Grandfather 3M Megaphone - February 2002 3MA000R471R Congratulations Shari Puckett Announcements ThePDCNorthWingTeam: MarkJohnson, LarryJohnson, ScottMailand, WayneLikes, SamKirk, FredBarry, GlenTipton, &PDCCellEngineerTomHerzberg. A couple months ago S M M D Cottage Grove announced their nominations for 2000 - 2001 Pyramid of Excellence Award. We are pleased to announce that Shari Puckett, Training Administrator for SpecialtyAdditives, has been named a business unit level awardee for Specialty Materials Markets. Shari and other business unit level award winners will be the guests of honor at a celebration banquet scheduled forApril. This honor qualifies Shari for the corporate level award to be announced later this year. Congratulations, Shari! 3M Circle of Technical Excellence and Innovation Numerous Process Development nical Support. Nancy isa planner in Center personnel were recently the the PDC and this recognition recipients of the 2001 S M M D deservedly recognizes her regular Laboratory Circle of Technical contributions to the multitude of Excellence and Innovation Award. chemical projects related to busi The annual CTE&I awards identify ness growth opportunities for the and recognize exceptional individu- many divisions that she significant als/teams whose achievements set ly assists by expertly coordinating the standard for3M technical excel and/or expediting logistical matters lence worldwide. thereby enabling timely process development inthe PDC. Nancy Chapman was the S M M D Laboratory recipient inthe category The S M M D Laboratory recipients of Excellence & Innovation in of the Excellence & Innovation in Administrative Services or Tech- Team-Driven Technical Achieve ment was the PDC North Wing Team consistingofPDC technicians Mark Johnson, Larry Johnson Scott Mailand, Wayne Likes, Sam Kirk, Fred Berry, Glen Tipton, and PDC. Cell Engineer Tom Herzberg. This group was recognized for their cumulative effortsin2001 involving the rapid and safe process develop ment ofnumerous ECF based prod ucts for Performance Materials NancyChapman Division and Dyneon. 3M Megaphone - February 2002 5 3MA00064717 Club Announcements 3M Club Cottage Grove 2002 Calendar of Events JANUARY Scotch Doubles Bowling FEBRUARY Treasure Island Casino Fishing Contest -One Day Water Park -Indoor APRIL Card Party Roller Skating Party JULY Site Picnic Saints Game MAY One-Day Fishing Contest Year-Long Fishing Contest AUGUST Valley Fair Event State FairTickets Twins Game OCTOBER Halloween Rollerskating Party Treasure Island Boat Ride NOVEMBER Movie Day Play/Dinner Theatre MARCH Skiing/ Tubing Outing Kid'sEaster Party -March 23rd Timberwolves Game Play/Dinner Theatre JUNE Golf Outing SEPTEMBER One-Day SoftballTournament Deer Hunting Contest Minnesota Zoo D M C Card Sales DECEMBER Kid's Christmas Party Card Party Join the Cottage Grove 3M Club for a night of fun and excitement! What: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Clippers When: Monday, M arch 11, 7:00 pm Where: Target Center - M inneapolis, Minnesota Ay A Cost: $10 per ticket . Cost Includes: Ticket to game Box of "Hot Tamales" Chance for a door prize Slice of pizza Glass of soda Bus Ride Will Be Available Deadline to Register: Friday, February 22 Contact: Jason Petaja, Bldg. 102, 8-1317 6 3M Megaphone - February 2002 3MA00064718 Auditing Activities in SMMD A u d it BillSchmidtandJeffAnderson, Internal Auditors, interviewNateAbbas, Planner, duringarecentinternalaudit. Audits have alwaysbeen apartofour business life. Since Cottage Grove S M M D 's ISO Certification in 1993, regularlyscheduled auditshave become anessentialpartof maintainingourreg istration. These audits include four (^) internal audits conducted by Cottage Grove S M M D personnelandtwo audits conductedby Underwriter'sLaboratory (UL).Vince Rasbury,QualityEngineer, serves asthe coordinator and pointper son forallour auditingactivities. Why audits?By conductingaudits,we areabletomonitorourperformance. In our world ofmanufacturing, change is expected.We will always have changes to processes, systems, training, etc. In additionto monitoring our currentsys tems, audits also help monitor these changesby identifyingsubstandardper formance in our systems, identifying potentialproblems, verifyingthe effec tiveness of corrective actions and edu cating /training others. Internal audits also help the plant prepare for UL audits. Prior to conducting an internal audit, auditors must complete an internal auditing workshop put on by 3M Corporate Quality Services. The pur pose oftheworkshop istoenableinter nal auditors to plan, organize, conduct and follow-up internalauditsinorderto Don SchustermeetswithCindyHuppert toverifytrainingrecordsareinorder. meet the ISO 9000 Quality Systems Requirements. Upon completionofthis course,participantsreceive a certificate identifying them as being trained in accordancewith3M requirements.This certificateshouldbe readilyavailableif UL asks for evidence of internal audit training. Active internal auditors include: Bill Schmidt, Dan Masog, Dori Schuster, Elizabeth Gonzales, Harley Hagen, Jeff Anderson, Kurt Oldenburg, Lory Beebe, Mary Sigerson, Mike Rogers, Michael Pennock, Mitch Thiesen, Randy Lundgren, Rose Peine, Sarah Edstrom and StephaniePeick. Since internal audits are conducted once every quarter, results from UL auditscome withlittletono surprises. Thanks to everyone for participating inthisessentialpartofourjobs! Duringarecentinternalauditorworkshop participants hadachance toconduct a "practiceaudit"invariousareasofthe plant. Herethey'reshownreviewing someofthelabsystems. Laterintheworkshopparticipantsalsohad anopportunitytopresent theirobservations/findingstothegroup. ULAuditor, ManuelRodriguez, reviewsthe notes he has takenduringhis first dayof auditing. ULauditstypicallytake2-3days. Manuelprepareshispresentationatthestart Takingabreakinbetweenquestions, Bob oftheclosingmeetingasPamGotz, Vince RickelandManuelsharealaughashe RasburyandJulieWilkinslookon. Herehe takestheopportunitytoshowoffpictures willsharetheauditresultswiththestaff. ofhislittlegirl. 3M Megaphone - February 2002 7 3MA00064719 Human Resources Bob Dylan Says... Wes Klinkhammer, HR Manager Bob Dylan, a Hibbing, M N native Change is inevitable. Those who sang a song back in the 60s called embrace and welcome the changes "The Times They Are A Changing". are going tobe betterprepared forthe Thirty or forty years later Bob is future. This will be true whether it's singing another song, which by the athome, church, school or work. way won him an Oscar (Wonder Our Corporate initiatives have Boys), called "Things Have changed, our objectives however are Changed".Some might say Bob had the same and that is to be profitable vision or a strategicslant,othersrefer and satisfy our customers. All of our to him as a good poet/songwriter. corporate initiatives, Sourcing, eWhatever your opinion, the fact of Productivity, Indirect Costs, and 3M the matter is Bob was and is right. Acceleration through the use of Six Change iseverywhere and always has Sigma which is the foremost initia been ifwe take time to think about it. tive are aimed at achieving our Iremember the struggle my mother objectives. All of this will require went through with her first credit change and establishing new priori card. It wasn't that mom wanted a ties. 3M istruly a "global" company credit card but after time "discov with a very diverse customer base. ered" that itwas almost required and Our competition has changed, our essential for some things and some customers and their levels of satis places. M o m never carried a balance faction have changed. As a resultwe due on her card. Compare that with must change too. A new or different today and try to imagine lifewithout aspect of change today is the rate credit cards. Our children likely have that these changes come at us. more cards and balances due than our Changes must be implemented parents did in their lifetime. Things quickly and efficiently today for us change! When Henry Ford started to remain competitive. Not all making cars people could choose the changes are easy or readily accepted color they wanted, black or black! but we must all do our part to make Although black cars are still very them happen inorderto stay compet popular today there are other colors itive and grow our business which justasprominent. The customer focus will result in more opportunities. ofFord today, and most other compa Keep an open mind regarding nies, is significantly different from changes whether it'satwork, home or what itwas originally, ifiteven exist a restaurant where personal checks ed. Itellyou allthisjustto point out areno longeraccepted (creditordebit that change has always been around card only). Face the factthat changes and likely will continue even after will come and we will be more com we're gone. Things change every fortable with some than others. I where and impact our livesinvarying wonder what Bob Dylan will titlehis degrees as well as at different times. next "change" song? 8 3M Megaphone - February 2002 3MA00064720 A EAST R I GT PZ H0 T C T E G N A R0 U I U T 0 T B A R W A A E H RN C E A L A T U U A T E L K EC HY 0 SMV L G T S B E A H B R0 C C 0 L I 0 EAY P I EKYWGX T PF Y RP P N B Z M L L X J L E L Y X L I Y H EJ T I 0 u I A0 S E C H I C K E N A Mw A Cw T BANANAPME0 F F HE 0 HAGS S UGA RA P S A R R S F K E P NMW P R R J W T R I QCPM I BJ J CU J AR A F I 0 Q T A E HW E L 0 HW C RV PDA LAST 0 FuHJ G Healthy Food Choices Wordfind ASPARAGUS BANANA BEANS BROCCOLI CARROTS CAULIFLOWER CHICKEN FISH LOWFAT MILK OATMEAL ORANGE PASTA PEACH PINEAPPLE PLUM RICE SALAD TOFU TOMATO TURKEY WATER WHOLE WHEAT YOGURT ZUCCHINI 3M Megaphone - February 2002 From the M edical Departm ent Health Tips Hot vs. Cold Treatment After you straina ligament ormuscle, it'sgenerally bestto use cold - ice or a cold pack - immediately and then for the next 1 to 3 days. It's usually wise not to use heat, such as a heating pad, untilswelling and bruising has stopped. Cold isusually used firstbecause it: R educes sw elling and inflam m a tion - Cells may be damaged because swelling and inflammation decrease the oxygen supply to surrounding tissues. Cold applications slow the metabolism withinyour cellsand allowthetissueto survive a temporary lack of oxygen. This promotes the renewal or repair of cells and speeds healing. C onstricts blood vessels - This helps control bleeding. R elieves pain - Cold acts as a local anesthetic. Usually the bruising associated with acute inflammation stops within 1 to 3 days. To relieve muscle spasms, minor sprains and strains, it's usually best to apply cold about 20 minutes at a time every 4 to 6 hours for the first 1 or 2 days. Commercial cold packs may be safer than using ice. Prolonged expo sure to cold, especially ice, can result in frostbiteto tissues. Later in the process, you may relieve pain by applying heat, rather than cold, to your injury. Heat is usually better than coldforchronic pain orformuscle relaxation. Reprintedfrom Mayo Clinic Newsletter 9 3MA00064721 The Garden Com er From the Gardener Julie A. Arndison Iknow this seems early for some of ommended in the directions. More this information. For all I know, by than thatwill cause softplantgrowth, the time you are reading this we may which is more susceptible to insects have 2 feetofsnow on the ground and and diseases, and flopping. itmay be 20 degrees below zero. But because thiswinterhas been so mild I Don'tprune on trees that are spring thought Ishould throw in a couple of bleeders such as maples and birch ideas forthings to do in thenext cou untilthey are leafed out. ple of months. Iam fearful that with the warm weather we've had, there As for your lawn, remember not to are going to be some people ready to rake it until the ground has thawed run out and apply theircrabgrass pre and the lawn has dried out a little, or venter, especially when the commer the roots could be damaged. You can cials for it start playing in March... fertilize once this is done, but don't Don'tdo thisyet...please. apply crabgrass preventer until the soil warms up. Usually as the old Itis safe to startpruning your fruit fashioned lilac flowers are just start trees. Prune them to open up the ing to open. Don'tuse weed and feed crowns so that air can move through until you actually see weeds starting thereby reducing the chance, and togrow. Ican'tthink ofapreventative severity offungal diseases. way to treat broadleaf weeds. You need to wait until you see them and Ifyou absolutely need to prune any then eliminate them. Ifyou only see a oak trees, get that done by the end of few, considerpullingthem ratherthan March. spraying them, as itis more friendly to our environment. You can start cleaning up the dead stalksand leavesthatwere leftinyour These are just a few simple perennial beds from last year, but I reminders of things to do as spring wouldn'tpull the mulch offyet. This nears. Ifyou'rereallygetting antsy to is one of those years where plants do yard work, think about starting may be thinking they can start grow some seeds indoors. This can be a lot ing early. The ground has already of fun especially if there are some done some surface thawing and itis special kids you can lethelp with this with winters like these that, BAM! project. You can start seeds anytime, We get a severe cold snap and the February through March. crowns ofplants are destroyed as the ground thaws and refreezes. So keep I am beginning to think that we them covered until the beginning of never really had winter this year April. because on February 8thand 9th Ihad robins splashing and singing in my I would wait until April to do any pond. Wow! That was fun to see, but fertilizing.Use a slow release fertiliz despite the mild winter, Iam getting erspecifiedforflowering plantsto do excited for my favorite season this and apply only as much as isrec ...Spring. 10 3M Megaphone - February 2002 3MA00064722 Getting A Good Night's Sieep Employee Assistance Professional It's that thing we know we need - Whether you work shifts or not, if Turn the ringer down on your and actually desire - but never seem you're struggling to get a good phone, or unplug the phone ifit to find enough of. Sleep. night's(or day's)rest, consider some won't cause any potential Good sleep: therestthatrejuvenates ofthese tips: problems the body, mind and spirit. Studies show that a lack of sleep Use awhite noise machine, fan or You may have other creative things over several days can reduce our air conditioner to help muffle you do to get sufficientrest.Thinking ability to make decisions, react outside noises creatively can help you find ways to quickly, or perform basic reasoning make your sleeping environment tasks such as math calculations. In Wear earplugs and an eye mask favorable - try some ofthese in addi today's fast-paced culture, not get tion to your own, or ask others what ting enough sleep seems par for the Follow bedtime rituals and try to they do to get good sleep. course. We complain about it,say we keep a regular sleep schedule need it, but secretly think we can even ifthe hours are unusual Good night! actually get used to less sleep. We can't. Most of us need 7-8 hours of Don't exercise right before you sleep every day. need to go to sleep - but know So, what to do ifyou work shifts? that some exercise three to four Working shiftsrequiresmaking adjust hours before going to bed 3 M Resources ments inyour sleeppatterns. Our bod will help ies'strongestdesire to sleep isbetween The 3M Employee Assistance midnight and sixa.m. Ifyou are work Avoid caffeine for five hours Resource Center (EARC) offers ing during this time, your body will before going tobed information and consultation to 3M need some time togetused toa differ employees, retirees, and eligible ent sleeping period. Adjusting to a Don't eat a heavy meal right family members. If you would like sleeping time your body doesn'tnatu before lying down more information about depression rally use isn't the only challenge for or if you're in need of assistance, shiftworkers. When you work shifts, Keep thetemperature cool inyour please contact: you also deal with a world geared to sleeping area The Employee Assistance Profes operate duringthe daylighthours. This sional who servesyour 3M locationat means the doorbell, telephone, family Put a note on your bedroom door Cottage Grove contactMichelleMorris members, friends and social activities asking for quiet at651-470-6668, or may all be vying for your attention - 3M Healthlink Employee and bugging your quiet time, interrupting Put a note on your frontdoor ask Family Assistance at 1-800-365-4651 your sleep. ing callersnottoringthedoorbell (selectOption2). New Employee Assistance Phone Number: 651- 470-6668 This is the new phone number to contact M ic h e lle M o rris, y o u r E m p lo y e e A s s is ta n c e P r o fe s s io n a l a t C o tta g e G rove. This is due to technical difficulties with the previous phone service. This new number w ill permit the caller to leave m essages longer than 60 sec onds. However, the old numbers will be phased out over a couple o f months so employees and their dependents w ill be able to reach EAP when needed, while we get the word out about the new number. Your E m p lo y e e A s s is ta n c e P ro g ra m offers confidential consultation, as w ell as a variety o f work and fam ily resources, to support em ployees and their eligible dependents when dealing with life 's challenges -- at work and at home. 3M Megaphone - February 2002 11 3MA00064723 3M 3M Center St. Paul, Minnesota 55144 PRESORT STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 25 ST. PAUL, MN T Safety Article - "Hey, watch your back! " Ina detective story,the good guys and even the bad guys caution each otherto "watch your back!" It's good advice ifyou think someone is chasing you. Watching your back or watching out for it,however, is a good practiceforanyone. It'sespeciallytruewhen liftingis involved. Liftinginjuriesareacommon causeofbackpain.You can protect yourselfby practicing good lifting habits, both at home and intheworkplace. Why Fitness Helps Your physical condition is important. For example, stiff joints and muscles can reduce your ability to keep your back in a safe position as you lift.Ifyour legmuscles are notvery strong,you may finditcardtocrouch down. Poor fitnesswill cause your muscles totire,placing more stress on your spine. Twisting orjerking whileliftingorcarryingcaninjurethe small facetjointswhich guide movement oftheback. The discs thatseparate the vertebrae (bones) and the lig aments that hold them together are also at risk. Discs are composed of a jellylike core, surrounded by a strong fibrous ring. With repeated unsafe lifting,the fibrous ring oritssupporting ligaments may tearorrupture. Lifting while bent forward will increase the stress on your spine. Contributing to this stress are factors like the weight ofthe load,how faritisheld from your body, how oftenand how fastyou lift,andhow longyou holdtheload. Back injuries are most likelywhen the spine isbent for ward and twisted at the same time, according to the Australian Physiotherapy Association. Make your work easier Always check the weight of the load and get help ifnecessary. Wherever possible, lift and carry heavy items with a crane, hoist, or forklift. Instead ofcarrying parcels, use a hand trolley. Repackage heavy articlestoreduce the sizeand weight ofindividual loads. Wear comfortable clothing and flat,nonslip shoes. Store loads atwaistheightso you don'thave tobend or liftoverhead. 3MA00064724