Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Health and safety hazards of Neck Tie

Necktie opponents cite risks of wearing a necktie as argument for discontinuing it. Their cited risks are entanglement, infection, and vasoconstriction. Entanglement is a risk when working with machinery or dangerous, possibly violent jobs such as policemen and prison guards, and certain medical fields.[11]

The answer is to avoid wearing neckties, or to wear pre-knotted neckties that easily detach from the wearer when grabbed; vascular constriction occurs with over-tight collars. Studies have shown increased intraocular pressure in such cases, which can aggravate the condition of people with weakened retinas.[12]

There may be additional risks for people with glaucoma. Sensible precautions can mitigate the risk. Paramedics performing life support remove an injured man's necktie as a first step to ensure it does not block his airway. Neckties might also be a health risk for persons other than the wearer. They are believed to be major vectors in disease transmission in hospitals.

Notwithstanding such fears, doctors and dentists wear neckties for a professional image. Hospitals take seriously the cross-infection of patients by doctors wearing infected neckties,[13] because neckties are less frequently cleaned than most other clothes.

On 17 September 2007, British hospitals published rules banning neckties.[14]In the UK it is a popular prank to pull someone's tie so that it tightens, this prank, known as peanuting, is often used to embarrass the victim but may, more rarely, be used as a form of bullying. In March 2008, a 13 year old boy from Oxted in Surrey was rushed into hospital with spinal injuries after being 'peanuted'. He was kept in hospital for 3 days.[15]

References:-

^ Kuhn, W. (January). ""Violence in the emergency department: Managing aggressive patients in a high-stress environment"". Postgraduate Medicine 105 (1): 143–148. PMID 9924500. http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/1999/01_99/kuhn.htm. Retrieved 2006-06-08.

^ Teng, C; R Gurses-Ozden, J M Liebmann, C Tello, and R Ritch (August 2003). ""Effect of a tight necktie on intraocular pressure"". British Journal of Ophthalmology 87 (8): 946–948. doi:10.1136/bjo.87.8.946. PMID 12881330. http://bjo.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/87/8/946. Retrieved 2006-06-08.

^ Nurkin, Steven; Carl Urban, Ed Mangini, Norielle Mariano, Louise Grenner, James Maurer, Edmond Sabo, James Rahal (May 2004). ""Is the Clinicians' Necktie a Potential Fomite for Hospital Acquired Infections?"". Paper presented at the 104th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology May 23–May 27, 2004, New Orleans, Louisiana. pp. 204.

^ Satter, Raphael; Lindsey Tanner (17 September 2007). "U.K. Hospitals Issue Doctors' Dress Code". http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070918/D8RNKDPG0.html. Retrieved 2007-09-19.


Source : SF