Workplace Health & Safety

Don't be a Pain in the Neck

Simple Changes in Daily Routine Can Make a Significant Difference

The majority of neck pain doesn't originate from a serious injury or catastrophic fall. Most often neck pain is a result of incorrect posture and poor care.

"I have patients in the office all the time that say, 'I didn't do anything, but it sure hurts,'" said Scott Blumenthal, M.D. a leading spine surgeon with Texas Back Institute and cofounder of the Center for Spine Arthroplasty at Texas Back Institute. "Severe neck pain can come from something as simple as years of talking on the phone with the receiver wedged against your shoulder."

While not as common as back pain, neck pain affects more than ten percent of the American population, resulting in time lost working and enjoying daily activities. Incorporating proper posture and techniques can keep you from pain.

Try these tips around the house and at work to help keep your neck pain-free:

Avoid stomach sleeping. While this is a comfortable position for some people, stomach sleeping makes it impossible for the sleeper to protect the neck and can result in pain after many years.

Talk without hands. Use a hands-free device to talk on the phone and avoid neck strain from wedging the receiver between your neck and shoulder.

Strengthen and stretch. By building up the muscles in your shoulders and trunk and regularly stretching your neck, you can avoid overuse and help harness the energy of some of the larger muscles to support your delicate neck vertebrae.

Take a break. If you drive for long periods or sit at a desk for the majority of the day, get up and stretch and move about. Keeping your body in one position for long lengths of time can cause serious pain and discomfort.

Make adjustments. Check your posture and make sure your neck is remaining in line with the rest of your body; this goes not only for standing postures, but sitting as well. If you work at a computer, adjust your monitor and keyboard to help maintain proper posture.

If pain lasts more than three days, or comes with fever, chills, or numbness in the legs, see a doctor immediately. These symptoms could be signs of more serious conditions.

Source: VOD

Policy Spotlight

The Administrative/Staff Handbook can be found here or on the "V" drive at: V:\PUBLIC\HR\HANDBOOK

PURCHASING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

PURCHASING POLICY

Generally, all purchases of goods and services require an institutional approval. The only authorized purchasing and contracting officers for the University are the Vice President for Administrative Services, the Director of Finance and the Purchasing Manager. The exception to this general rule is for purchases for less than $250. Purchase Orders are therefore required for most purchases, although for some types of major purchases, contracts without accompanying purchase orders are used. In these cases the Vice President for Administrative Services or his designate are the only authorized signatories for the institution. (This policy is intended to protect the University from unauthorized purchases, to preserve certain contractual rights by including properly reviewed contractual wording on the Purchase Order and to ensure that vendors are paid in a timely manner.)

PURCHASING PROCEDURES

Departments will use the Purchasing Requisition Form to request the issuances of a Purchase Order. This form is shown as appendix A-1 to this document and may be obtained from the Business Office or may be reproduced locally. The Purchasing Requisition Form will be completed to indicate the date of request, the date the good or service is needed, the originating department or office, the account to be charged, the suggested vendor’s name and address, and the authorized signature. The requisition should show WARRANTY, catalogue number, description and price of the articles to be ordered. If the originator is aware of the exact current price it should be shown, and if not, an estimate of the prices should be shown. If the price is an estimation, a check mark should be placed in the adjacent column to so indicate. Suggested sources of supply may be shown on the lines at the bottom of the form. The white original of the Purchase Requisition should be sent to the Business Office and the pink copy retained for reference.

PURCHASE ORDERS

The Business Office will make the final selection of the supplier and will issue the Purchase Order. The supplier may be one of the suggested suppliers shown on the requisition or some other, and may be determined by securing bids on the order. (If the department has already secured comparative bids the supporting documents should be attached to the Purchase Requisitions.) The Purchase order will be prepared in quadruplicate and signed by one of the University’s authorized Contracting Officers.

The Business Office will mail the original copy of the Purchase Order to the supplier. The second copy will be retained in the Business Office and filed in alphabetical order for follow-up purposes. The third copy will be forwarded to Facilities for inventorying purposes; the fourth copy will be sent to the department or office from which the requisition originated as a record that the order has been placed; and the fifth and final copy will be retained in the Business Office for reference. Purchase Orders are a controlled form and as such are accounted for on an individual basis.

PURCHASE REQUISITION AUTHORIZATION LEVELS

The following levels of authorization are required prior to the issuance of a Purchase Order:

• Departmental Budget Director (Usually a Dean, Departmental Director or Departmental Chair): Up to $2,500
• Area Vice President: Up to $20,000
• President: Over $20,000

Purchase Requisitions arriving at the Business Office without the signatures will be delayed and the document will be returned in order to obtain the proper signature.

FOLLOW-UP PROCEDURE

• When the merchandise has been received, the vendor shipping/receiving document is attached to the pink copy labeled “office copy”. The “office copy” is marked to verify or indicate corrections to the quantity amounts, the date of receipt and the initials of the person receiving the shipment. If the order is complete, both forms are sent to the Business Office.
• If a partial shipment is received, the pink copy is to be retained in the originating office until the second and/or third shipment is received, completing the order. As these come in, the dates received and initials should be shown as explained in 4.1.5A. When the shipment has been completed, the pink copy should be sent to the Business Office.
• When received in the Business Office, the pink copy will be attached to the requisition and invoices at the time of payment. The voucher file will then contain a complete history of the transaction with a copy of the Purchase Requisition, the Purchase Order with receiving data on it, and the voucher check indicating payment of the charges resulting from the order.