The Tricks of the Trade: MSD Hazards

Imagine a worker who spends their entire day frantically hammering nails into boards above their head. Intuitively, you will probably think that this worker is at risk of being injured even if you aren’t familiar with the terminology that describes this risk. An ergonomist would tell you that this hypothetical job has red flags in each of the four important categories that make up the modern practice of ergonomics.

The first is force: swinging a hammer requires your muscles to contract strongly. The second is duration: the worker hammers nails all day. The third is repetition: the pace is frantic and the worker likely swings the hammer very often. The fourth is posture: working overhead is a big deviation from a relaxed, neutral posture, and requires the muscles of the arm and shoulder to constantly be active. These risks are further compounded by the vibration that accompanies hitting a hammer against a board.

Unfortunately, injury risks are often considerably subtler than this hypothetical scenario. Join us this week as we help you break down the MSD hazards that can be present in a workplace.