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Practice meets perfect
May/June 2023 issue

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Off duty

Andrew Robertson, CMIOSH, SHE manager, Hydram Engineering, part of Dynamic Aerospace and Defence

Open-access content Thursday 9th August 2018
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.

andrew_robertson_cmiosh_and_triathlon_competitor

I had three months recovering at home. After I went back to work, one day a guy turned up in the morning with his bike and I thought it would be good to try cycling in. So I started cycling to work, and I also got back into my running.

Then another lad at work said: "Do you fancy trying a triathlon? Can you swim?" At the time I couldn't do front crawl, but I thought, I can do the run and the bike, so I'll learn the swimming -- and I joined a swimming club to improve.

Andrew Robertson, CMIOSH, and triathlon competitor-cyclingThe first time I did open-water swimming was quite funny. I'd only been in the sea once to try out the wet suit, so when I did an event I was shocked just how far 750 m is! I was second last in the swim, but I caught up a bit in the bike and the run. I realised it's all about technique, so I practised open-water swimming and learned to breathe bilaterally -- on both sides of my body -- and it made a massive difference. In the same race a year later I was five minutes quicker in the swim, but that year the race had been designated a European Championship qualifier so I came out of the swim last in my age group, though it didn't matter to me. Now when I compete I'm usually in the top half. It's all about training and technique.

Once I was out cycling when the hospital called to say that tests had revealed a clot in my jugular vein

I see various specialists regularly to manage the disease -- ear, nose and throat, eyes, respiratory and rheumatology experts -- as well as my GP. WG is a complex disease with no cure. In 2014 I had a flare-up and I had to withdraw from several triathlons while I underwent more chemo. Once I was out cycling when the hospital called to say that tests had revealed a clot in my jugular vein. I was called back in straightaway and arrived in cycling shorts -- only to be admitted for 12 days while I received anti-coagulants.

In 2016, I had another flare-up the day after a duathlon. Because of my fitness the doctors said I could try a new, aggressive drug that would be delivered over two weeks, rather than the chemo, which entails six months out of action. Though the drug left me tired, I've been okay since.

This year I signed up to do eight events, including triathlons and duathlons. Duathlons are run-bike-run events and tend to be in winter. I enjoy them all, but you do work hard in a duathlon; in a triathlon, you get to lie down during the swim! I did the Washington duathlon in Tyne and Wear earlier this year and came third in my age group.

I've won various physical achievement awards. People tend to get hooked on reducing their times, but I want to enjoy the sport too: it's a massive mental boost to take part, and it proves that a disease like mine doesn't have to stop you doing things. The medics do sometimes get nervous, especially about open-water swimming because of the risk of things like Weil's disease, so I'm very careful. I risk assess, and there are some events I won't do because of the location of the swimming -- for example, in a lake with a sewage pipe running beneath. But there are some fantastic lakes in the North East, with crystal-clear water. My favourite event is in North Yorkshire at Ripon racecourse, which has a lake in the middle. Last year it was a world championship qualifying event: 2,000 people turned out and it was really well organised.

I never swim on my own: I buddy up, and we usually have someone spotting on the beach. At some events, they tie a buoy to you and you wear a timing chip so the organisers can track your progress. You fill in a medical form before events and I always record that I have WG. If the organisers Googled it, they'd probably have a heart attack!

I'm just a normal person and I'd recommend triathlons to anyone, no matter what age or size. In other sports people seem to want to kill you -- I used to play Sunday league football and that's how it felt! But in triathlons, they want to help you; just look at the Brownlee brothers in Mexico in 2016 when Alistair sacrificed first place by helping an exhausted Jonny over the line. I've seen teammates swap bikes when someone with a chance of qualifying for a championship has had a puncture. That's just how this sport is.

You may also be interested in...

 Tony Day, Tech IOSH, Wales & Western regional health and safety officer/group, health and safety administrator, Total Produce UK

Monday 16th July 2018
Before I tried it, I wasn’t aware just how different it is swimming outside compared with in a pool: you can’t just swim – you have to acclimatise or you can get cold-water shock. What I didn’t know was that your rib cage expands when you wear a wet suit in the water. It’s a natural physical reaction but it makes the suit feel really tight.
Open-access content
©iStock/Marccophoto

 MPs recommend statutory maximum workplace temperature

Monday 6th August 2018
The Environmental Audit Committee has published a new report, Heatwaves: adapting to climate change, in which it makes a series of recommendations to help workers cope in overheating work environments.  These include a review of the building regulations for a new standard to prevent overheating in new buildings, as well as formal guidance from Public Health England to employers to relax dress codes and allow flexible working during heatwave alerts.
Open-access content

 Lone worker Special: Field studies

Wednesday 15th August 2018
In the mid-1990s, training courses for lone workers were pretty basic. Most offered simple advice on how to stay safe when travelling, what to do if the car broke down and how to navigate the streets safely. It was excellent advice but only applied to limited activities and risks.Fast forward two decades, and training has had to develop to keep pace with trends in the way people work, the risks they face and the way they prefer to learn.
Open-access content
Image credit: ©shutterstock_331056329

 Safety Services Direct: Over £1 billion in wages is lost annually due to workplace injuries in the UK

Thursday 16th August 2018
Safety Services Direct have added to this, calculating an estimated salary loss of £1.47 billion annually, due to workplace illness or injury.For those in full time contracted work, sick pay can help in reclaiming some of these lost wages, however those working under zero-hours contracts may not be so lucky.Yet Safety Services Direct have uncovered that search trends show a declining interest in workplace safety searches.
Open-access content

 Network Rail: Fast track to recovery

Thursday 19th July 2018
In the 12 months to April 2017, the Office of Rail and Road reported 273 suicides and suspected suicides on the UK’s railways. For Network Rail’s mobile operations managers and other frontline workers who respond to such potentially traumatic events, post-incident support is essential to address the ripple effect, as Dr Richard Peters, the rail infrastructure operator’s chief medical officer, describes it.“[While] someone from our team is going to be a first responder, there are also going to be individuals who are involved indirectly.”
Open-access content
Image credit: ©iStock/tomasworks

 Emailing on train commute should ‘count as working day’, UWE researchers say

Monday 3rd September 2018
Researchers from the University of the West of England (UWE) analysed rail passengers’ use of free WiFi on Chiltern Railways-operated commuter routes between London and Birmingham and London and Aylesbury. The survey of 5,000 passengers found that many used their journey to “catch up” with work before or after their working day. Interviews with respondents also revealed that a large number used this buffer period to, for example move from being a parent getting children ready for school to their management role.
Open-access content
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