The Safety Blog

Mar 18 2009

Lift, Push, Strain, Repeat…

Take this quick test of knowledge:

What type of injury causes almost HALF of all injuries in which workers need to take time off work in Ontario?

OK, so what did you think?…

Motor accidents (including forklifts, ATVs, pickup trucks, etc.)?

Burns from occupational fire hazards?

Electricity-related accidents?

Falls from heights – like in construction?

Wrong, on all accounts…

The single greatest number of work-related injuries that require time off are, in fact, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

The Ontario government is starting a Safe At Work Ontario blitz next month to target workplaces in the construction, healthcare, industrial and mining sectors.

Provincial inspectors will concentrate on tasks that require workers to exert force in lifting, pushing or carrying items and tasks that put workers in awkward postures or are repetitive.

This initiative is part of the province’s program launched in June 2008, an effort to lessen the "strain" (pun intended) on the health care system. "Keeping workers safe means increased productivity for Ontario’s economy," the government press release adds.

Do you have any MSD nightmare stories you want to share? How about advice to avoid repetitive strain injuries at work?

 

  • Anonymous

    I normally have about 10 gallons of gasoline stored in my garage. Last week, the neighbor had a fire that started in the garage with a gas can. It burned the whole house down. When talking to the fire marshall, I asked what I should do to store the gas. He said to remove it all togeather from the attached garage, or at least store it in a safety cabinet. While researching what type of cabinet to use, I found a safety cabinet that stores 6 gallons at http://www.safewaysite.com. It used to be that you could only buy these for much larger storage, but now they come in all sizes. I suggest everyone look into doing something like this.

  • Sylvain Grenier

    I’ve been working in the machinery maintenance field for many years in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario. Most of the companies that I’ve worked for have let me go after I’ve reorganized the work place and as soon as I’ve made machinery assessment reports indicating major safety or non compliance issues.

    I’ve seen many work related accidents due to employers (management) negligence and I strongly believe that those accidents could have been avoided by conducting and/or implementing proper safety management information and training sessions.

    Most employers are not aware or just don t want to be aware of safety issues for the reason that it would affect their production and also the cost of the operation. Therefore employer s (management) are taking shortcuts in regards to safety.