Week 4: Musculoskeletal Injuries
A Fresh Approach to Managing Musculoskeletal Injuries (MSIs): What Safety Reps and Management Need to Know
When it comes to workplace safety, everyone focuses on the immediate risks—the sharp edges, heavy loads, or unsafe equipment. But one of the most silent and expensive risks to workers’ health and business operations is musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs). As a safety rep or manager, understanding how to anticipate, prevent, and manage MSIs can significantly improve worker wellbeing, morale, and productivity.
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Let’s not just skim the surface of MSI prevention. Let’s dive deep into what really matters and why you, as a safety leader, play a key role in shaping a healthier, safer workplace.
Why Should You Care About MSIs?
It’s easy to brush off MSIs as "just a sprain" or "a bit of back pain." But the truth is, MSIs make up nearly half of all serious workers’ compensation claims, and those claims can have ripple effects across your entire organisation. The average recovery time for an MSI far exceeds that of other types of injuries, with long-term consequences like chronic pain, decreased worker satisfaction, and even reduced employee retention.
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For safety reps and management, this isn’t just about managing injuries after they occur - it’s about leading a proactive safety culture that prevents them in the first place. It’s about showing workers that you care, not just about the tasks they complete, but about their health and ability to thrive at work.
Taking Proactive Control: The New Role of Safety Reps and Managers
To really understand and tackle MSIs, you need to go beyond the generic "don’t lift with your back" advice. Here’s what you should focus on to make real changes:
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1. Identify the Hidden Hazards Before They Become a Problem
​The best safety reps and managers are the ones who can spot risks before they materialise. The "hidden" risks of MSIs often lie in places that don’t immediately seem hazardous: repetitive tasks, static postures, or even outdated tools. By proactively conducting ergonomic assessments and task analysis, you can pinpoint areas where subtle changes can make a massive difference.
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Actionable Tip: Have your team conduct micro-risk assessments throughout the day. Encourage workers to identify small tweaks they can make to reduce strain - whether that’s taking more breaks, adjusting their posture, or rotating tasks.
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2. Design Workflows for Long-Term Sustainability
​Instead of just reacting to injuries, take a step back and assess how work is designed. Are your workflows built to reduce strain on your workers over time? Repetitive tasks, high-force manual handling, and poor workstation design are often the culprits behind long-term MSIs.
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Actionable Tip: Implement an ergonomic audit of high-risk roles. Talk to your workers - after all, they know their jobs better than anyone else - and look for ways to redesign tasks, introduce better tools, or rotate duties to reduce repetitive strain.
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3. Leverage Data and Technology for Prevention
​Data doesn’t lie. Regularly reviewing injury reports and assessing patterns in your workplace can highlight areas you might have missed.
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Actionable Tip: Track injury data regularly and discuss trends with your team. Early intervention is key.
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4. Engage Workers in Problem-Solving
Your workers are more likely to follow safety protocols if they feel involved in the process. Instead of simply instructing workers on how to avoid injury, involve them in safety discussions and decision-making about how tasks are performed. This approach not only increases engagement but also ensures that the solutions are practical and worker-centric.
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Actionable Tip: Host monthly safety huddles where workers can share their ideas for improving safety. Make it collaborative, and recognise the best ideas with small rewards to boost engagement and ownership.
The Manager’s Advantage: Setting the Tone from the Top
As a manager, your role isn’t just operational—it’s cultural. If you’re only thinking about safety when an injury happens, you’re reacting, not leading. By prioritising safety and showing that it’s not an afterthought, you’ll shift the mindset of your entire team.
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Actionable Tip: Lead by example. Make safety a visible priority by participating in safety walks, engaging in ergonomic assessments, and consistently communicating that health is as important as productivity.
Continuous Improvement: It’s Not Set and Forget
MSI risk management isn’t something you do once and then forget. Workplace environments, tasks, and tools evolve - and your safety measures should too. Regularly review your safety processes, consult with workers, and be open to innovation.
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Actionable Tip: Schedule quarterly reviews of your risk management plan. Keep asking, "What else can we do?" and look at your injury records to ensure you’re tackling emerging risks early.
Key Takeaways: What Makes This Relevant to You?
You’re not just a safety rep or a manager - you’re a safety leader. By taking a proactive, data-driven approach to managing MSIs, you’ll not only reduce the number of injuries but also build a culture of trust, engagement, and wellbeing. Your workers will see that safety is at the forefront of everything you do, and that’s where real workplace transformation begins.
At Summit Industry Health, we’re here to support you with innovative, practical solutions to prevent MSIs and keep your team feeling great. Let’s work together to make safety everyone’s business - from the ground up.
