Every day, workers across the country suffer serious musculoskeletal injuries - including neck, back and spine injuries - in all types of industries from landscaping and carpentry to accounting and medicine. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that there were approximately 348,000 musculoskeletal injuries in 2009, and that these accounted for 28 percent of all work injuries/illnesses resulting in time away from the workplace.

In light of these somewhat staggering statistics and the fact that musculoskeletal injuries can happen to virtually any employee in any industry at any time, the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently released a new publication on how to prevent these types of injuries.

Entitled "Practical Demonstrations of Ergonomic Principles" the publication provides employers with information on the risk factors associated with musculoskeletal injuries, basic training on proper ergonomics and a series of interactive demonstrations designed to illustrate these teachings.

According to NIOSH, the focus on interactive demonstrations is crucial because it "reinforces specific ergonomic principles and teaches the worker how and why to avoid [musculoskeletal injury] risk factors."

Practical Demonstrations of Ergonomic Principles covers five primary areas, including:

  • Neutral vs. non-neutral postures
  • Grip types
  • Selection of hand tools and use
  • Fatigue failure and back pain
  • Moment arms (the horizontal distance between a person and the object they are carrying) and back pain

For those unfamiliar with musculoskeletal injuries, they typically involve the neck, back, wrist, elbow or shoulder, and frequently occur after an employee has been subjected to certain risk factors over the course of time. These risk factors may include poorly conceived workstations, tasks and tools that submit workers to consistently awkward postures and/or repetitive motions.

Stay tuned for further developments from our San Diego workers' compensation blog ...

You should strongly consider seeking the necessary medical treatment if you have suffered any type of neck, back and spine injury - regardless of your employment setting.

This post was for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.

Sources:

Risk & Insurance, "NIOSH: Musculoskeletal disorder prevention takes hands-on approach" Oct. 10, 2011

National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health, "Practical Demonstrations of Ergonomic Principles" 2011