Are You Ready for the MSD Blitz?

In February 2012, the Ministry of Labour will blitz workplaces across Ontario, looking for hazards involving manual materials handling that can lead to musculoskeletal disorders. Ministry inspectors will target workplaces in the construction, health care, industrial and mining sectors. Learn more about how to protect workers from the number one type of lost-time work injury in Ontario.

What are workplace pains and strains?

Workplace pains and strains are also known as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD) and Repetitive Motion Injury (RMI). These types of injuries affect the muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves. MSDs develop as a result of the effects of repetitive, forceful or awkward movements on bones, joints, ligaments and other soft tissues. Workers may experience symptoms such as discomfort, pain, numbness, tingling, weakness and restricted movements.

MSD is not a medical diagnosis; it is an umbrella term for a group of injuries. Some of these injuries include:

• Back Pain (low back strain, etc.)
• Muscle Strain
• Tendonitis
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
• Rotator Cuff Syndrome
• Tennis Elbow (epicondylitis)
• Shoulder Pain (shoulder myalgia)

Workers are more likely to suffer an MSD if they perform jobs with MSD risk factors that include repetitive movements, forceful efforts, and fixed or awkward postures.

Why should you be concerned about workplace pains and strains?

Workplace pains and strains can be serious and disabling for Ontario workers, causing pain and suffering ranging from discomfort to severe disability. The consequences are far reaching and can affect every aspect of a worker's life. MSDs are also costly for Ontario's employers. They are the number one reason for lost-time claims reported to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), resulting in huge direct and indirect costs for Ontario employers.

In 2010 MSDs accounted for :

• 25,630 lost time MSD injuries
• A loss of more than 739,000 working days;
• More than $92 million in medical and Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) costs.

Workplace pains and strains can be prevented!

There is a strong link between exposure to the work-related risk factors for MSD and the development of these disorders. These injuries can be prevented! Taking appropriate steps to eliminate, or reduce the exposure to the work-related risk factors, will minimize the risk of MSDs in the workplace. MSD prevention can be simple and inexpensive. Often making straight-forward and basic changes can reduce MSD risks significantly.

Preventive steps for employers

Regardless of whether or not workers have reported MSD symptoms, or whether or not they have filed WSIB claims, MSD prevention needs to be a key part of a workplace health and safety program. MSD risk factors should be handled like any other workplace hazard. Employers should:

• Advise and train workers about the MSD risk factors in their job and in the workplace
• Encourage workers to participate in the health and safety program through early reporting of MSD symptoms or concerns
• Identify and assess job related MSD risk factors
• Put in place controls to reduce workers' exposure to MSD risk factors
• Follow-up to make sure preventive measures are working
• Workplace pains and strains and the law

The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) requires employers to ensure that workers are aware of the hazards associated with the workers job and workplace, and that controls are implemented to reduce the risk of injury from these hazards. MSD risk factors in the workplace must be treated the same as any other workplace hazard.

Heads Up!

The Ministry of Labour enforces Ontario's labour laws, including the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). During workplace visits Ministry inspectors will be asking questions about the steps your organization has taken to prevent workers from developing MSDs. The MOL's Safe at Work Ontario compliance strategy has a specific focus on increasing the number of proactive inspections made by MOL ergonomists. In addition, annual MSD blitzes will heighten enforcement of MSD hazards.

MSD Facts

MSDs account for:

• 43% of all lost-time claims
• 43% of all lost-time claim costs
• 46% of all lost-time days

MSD Warning Signs:

1. Workers making their own modifications to tools or workstations.

2. Workers wearing splints or supports.

3. Workers massaging muscles or joints or shaking their limbs.

4. Workers commenting about or reporting pain, discomfort, or fatigue.

5. Workers avoiding a certain task or job because it hurts them.

Your eyes and ears are your best MSD risk identification tools.

In many cases it is easy to see the MSD risks in your workplace. Here are some things to look for:

1. Work that places the elbows above shoulder height, or the hands behind the body.

2. Tasks that call for frequent bending or twisting of the neck.

3. Work requiring frequent or prolonged grasping and holding objects, or frequent wrist movements.

4. Work that requires frequent lifting of items from below knee height or above the shoulders.

5. Work requiring frequent bending or twisting at the waist.

6. Tasks that involve carrying, lifting, pushing or pulling heavy or awkward loads.

7. Spending long periods with a body part held in any one position without movement.

Involving workers and listening to their concerns is critical when it comes to preventing MSDs in the workplace.

Workers know their jobs and they know what parts of the job cause them pain, discomfort or fatigue and frustration. That is why it is important to involve your workers in the process of identifying, assessing and controlling MSD risk factors in the workplace. A participative approach is proven to be successful because it allows workers to suggest innovative, practical, low cost solutions.

July 7, 2009

Topic: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - What you need to know about carpal tunnel syndrome.


Recently, in many of my ergonomic assessments in both the office and the industrial environment, I have been dealing with employees suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).

Have you ever thought about how much you use your hands in a day? What about when you are working at a job sitting in an office using a computer all day? Or a factory job that requires you to handle tools and objects all day?

The long term physical health effects of repetitive, sustained, and awkward use of the hands is now well known and documented in the scientific literature.

CTS is one of the better known manufacturing and computer related injuries, but there is still debate about the causes and the precise diagnosis of the injury. For example, different studies cite different movements and risk factors as the main contributing factors to developing the syndrome. Although repetition is a major factor in developing the injury, it is unclear which types of movements are deemed worse than others.

CTS occurs when there is damage done to the medial nerve, which runs down the arm and down through the wrist and is responsible for movement and sensation of the thumb and some of the fingers. The median nerve is a peripheral nerve that is susceptible to compression by the thickening of irritated tendons in the carpal tunnel, and various symptoms can result. Tendons can be irritated by repetitive movements of the wrist and hand, or contact stress of the palm or underside of the wrist.

Typical symptoms of CTS may begin as a mild irritation, growing gradually into a burning, tingling, or itching numbness in the palm of the hands, especially the thumb and index fingers.

There are numerous risk factors that have been shown to contribute to CTS, including genetic factors , ulnar and radial deviations, compression, wrist extensions and flexions, and static load. An ulnar deviation is a movement of the hand towards the little pinky, and radial deviation is a movement towards the thumb. Flexion and extension of the wrist is moving the wrist up and down. A static load is placed on the wrist and hand when the wrist is kept at an angle for an extended period of time.
The key to preventing CTS is making sure that your workstation and area are set up to reduce the forces on the wrist. There is no one ideal set-up, the important thing is to consider the tasks that you have to do, and the dimensions of the arm.

For further information about CTS and how to prevent it please give ErgoLynx a call at 416-986-8218.

December 2007

Topic: OHA Health Achieve - thanks for stopping by our ergonomics booth!
 

The team at ErgoLynx would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who stopped by our booth at the OHA Health Achieve 2007 trade show in November. It was great to see that so many people and organizations are getting interested in ergonomics and the benefits that sound ergonomic principles and practices can provide in the workplace. We are currently in the process of initial meetings with organizations that we met at the show who are committed to making positive ergonomic changes in their workplace. We look forward to collaborating with them and coming up with unique ergonomic recommendations to ensure the ergonomic well being of their employees.

Some of the products that attendees were interested at the show were the Vertical Mouse, ErgoRest arm support, Jasper freeBOARD, and the Onyx chair. Even though we provide consulting services and don�t represent any ergonomic product or company, we included these products in our booth to show people what the end result might be for an Ergonomic Assessment, along with proper education and training.

For example, the Vertical Mouse promotes a neutral wrist posture and encourages mousing with the whole arm rather than the wrist. One thing that we often find in the modern office is workers typing and mousing on two different planes � that is, the keying is done at a different height than the mousing. This creates many different ergonomic issues and can result in pain and discomfort for many workers. That�s one of the reasons why we are so excited about the Jasper freeBOARD. This keyboard has a built in mouse pad, along with other features, so that the typing and mousing can be done close to each other and along the same plane.

At ErgoLynx we approach every Ergonomic Assessment as a unique situation, and thus we avoid standardization whenever possible. However, adjustability of the workstation and its components is always recommended. At the ErgoLynx booth we had an adjustable desk and an ergonomic chair called the Onyx from Groupe Lacasse. Anatomically, human beings are not suited to be sitting all day long, and a desk with a sit/stand option allows the worker to stand and work for variety. That�s why we say �The next position is the best position!� For upper arm support while standing and using a computer, the ErgoRest arm support also can reduce static load of the upper limbs; just one more important consideration for avoiding potential repetitive strain injuries!

Once again, thanks to all those who came by our booth and spoke with us. We look forward to collaborating with you and discussing ergonomic possibilities for the future.

The ErgoLynx Team

Healthy and Wise

Canadian Property Management Magazine, March 2001

The full extent of a problem is not always seen in the number of workers who are injured. Sometimes, workers will take a day off work because they are hurt and do not want to report it, or they just need to take a break. Sometimes, workers will just leave a job because they cannot see the benefit of being paid for a job that is causing them pain.

If you design a task, or a workstation, so that people do not work in pain, you will increase the likelihood that they will show up tomorrow and the day after that.

Many companies have been able to embrace ergonomics because it is inherently logical that removing pain from the workplace makes good business sense, possibly showing an increase in productivity.

For those managers who need clear quantitative results of productivity improvements, hard numbers are a great support. These numbers can be made available through specific processes.

There is a multitude of furniture manufacturers and suppliers who offer ergonomically correct furniture. However, once purchased, and in the hands of the end user, there is no training offered on how to properly adjust these products. Therefore, it is vital that we make available for all employees, not just the capability of adjusting these workstations and products, but the knowledge of how to. If you are responsible for the purchasing of such equipment, it is likely that you are also responsible for the health and why not encompass all of this and take a proactive approach by implementing an ergonomics program, or offer ergonomics training in your workplace.

The implementation of an ergonomics program can have positive impacts on a company in the reduction of incidence of musculoskeletal injuries.

Training should take place whenever new equipment, tools, or techniques are introduced in the workplace. Look at this as an opportunity to reduce, or eliminate ergonomic risk. As part of identifying risk factors or problem jobs, a worksite analysis that identifies musculoskeletal disorders should be conducted.

A worksite analysis is a structured process for identifying jobs and workstations that may contain ergonomic hazards, the risk factors that pose the hazards, and the causes of the risk factors. A worksite analysis sets the stage for your next steps.

Almost everyone, from the day they are old enough to work, has been told to lift with legs bent, and back kept straight, or sit at a 90 degree angle. Yet most people don�t follow these simply suggestions. That�s why training alone does not work. Employees must be taught why they should lift this way and sit with particular postures.

Educating the entire workforce can pay enormous dividends. Many of the occupational risk factors (improper lifting techniques, improper biomechanics, etc.) and all the physiological risk factors (obesity, alcohol and tobacco use, pregnancy, physical conditioning, etc.), are employee dependent. It is vital that they thoroughly understand the causes of these factors so they can be the first line of defense.

In all, an ergonomics program has both risks and rewards. The risks come with increases communication to the workers, because with increased publicity ergonomic problems tend to be reported more often, so the rates seem to skyrocket initially. Over time, however, the program helps to foster a safer and healthier work environment, enhance teamwork, reverse the rate trends, and boost productivity and cooperation.

Lyn Margeson
Principal of ErgoLynx Consulting