Preventing common injuries
What are musculoskeletal injuries
Back injuries
Upper limb injuries
Upper limb injuries are common in keyboard work and processing, production and manufacturing industries.
What are musculoskeletal injuries
Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD) describes a group of workplace injuries and diseases related to the soft tissue structures of the body including bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons and discs in the spine. WMSD can occur suddenly or they can take long periods to develop and recover. Manual tasks are a common cause of WMSD.
The two main subgroups of WMSD are back injuries and upper limb injuries.
Back injuries
Low back pain is the most common and costly of work related musculoskeletal disorders. Other back injuries include:
- spinal disc rupture (particularly of the lower lumbar spine)
- nerve compression (the most common is sciatica nerve pain)
- muscle spasm of the back/hip muscles
- aggravation of a pre-existing degenerative condition.
The major causes of back injuries are:
- manual tasks such as lifting, pushing and pulling (by far the major cause at 50%)
- frequent twisting postures
- slipping, tripping and falling
- static sitting or standing for long periods
- sustained fixed postures (even the most comfortable)
- vibration (particularly plant and vehicle seating).
- Redesign the work and the manual tasks to eliminate or minimise the degree of handling required. For more information, read how to control specific risk factors.
- If working with a bent back: take short breaks to straighten your back and stretch.
- If lifting repeatedly: take regular breaks, particularly in hot weather when you fatigue faster.
- If continuously sitting: stand and walk occasionally. Store some work items just out of reach so you have to move).
- If standing for long periods: occasionally sit on a high stool or a sit/stand chair.
- When you need to position a load in another direction: turn with your whole body. Do not twist your trunk.
- Store loads close to where you need them to save double handling.
- Return mechanical aids to where they 'live' so others can locate them easily.
- Alternate heavy jobs with light jobs.
- Use assistance to move heavy or awkward loads.
Upper limb injuries
Upper limb injuries are common in keyboard work and processing, production and manufacturing industries. They affect nearly all soft tissues of the upper limb (including muscles, tendons, tendon sheaths, nerves and blood vessels) and may affect the lower limb.
Common injuries include tendon disorders (like tendonitis), nerve disorders (like carpal tunnel syndrome) and neurovascular disorders (like Raynaud's Syndrome which affects the circulatory and nervous systems).
Upper limb injuries are caused by:
- repetitive motions (such as packing or sorting)
- static postures or sustained exertions (such as gripping and manipulating a hand tool that is too big)
- forceful exertions (such as lifting a heavy load or cutting with a blunt knife).
- vibration
- compression or contact stress (caused by hard or sharp edges)
- awkward postures
- working in low temperatures
- prolonged duration and frequency of work
- psychosocial stresses.
Ways to control hazards
- Redesign the work and the manual tasks to eliminate or minimise the degree of handling.
- Remove or reduce repetition in the job.
- Modify the workplace layout.
- Modify equipment.
- Maintain equipment.
- Provide task-specific training (given in combination with other control options).
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