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MSI Prevention
An MSI (Musculoskeletal Injury) is an injury or disorder of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, nerves, blood vessels or related soft tissue including a sprain, strain and inflammation, that may be caused or aggravated by work.
MSIs, including strains and back strains, took up around 69% of the top five injury claims in BC in 2013 (WorkSafeBC). This demonstrates the need to introduce ergonomics programs at workplaces to prevent the occurrence of MSIs. According to WorkSafeBC’s Industry Safety Information Centre, MSI injuries cost BC Employers over $1.66 Billion dollars in claims over the last 5 years. In fact, just under 40 cents of every dollar spent on claims in British Columbia go to MSI-related injuries.
Many hazards present in the workplace can contribute to MSI injuries. These hazards are are often associated with the physical demands of work including:
- Lifting or pushing loads
- Reaching or bending in an awkward position
- Maintaining a position for a extensive length of time
- Repeating the same movements over and over
- Insufficient breaks (either amount of breaks, length of breaks, or both)
Learn more about the prevention of MSIs in the workplace with our resources, articles, courses, and tools.
Basic Training
Course
Ergonomics is concerned with the “fit” between the user, equipment and environment. Ergonomics takes into account users’ capabilities and limitations to ensure tasks, functions, information and the environment suit each user. This course provides information to managers, supervisors and employees on proper ergonomic design to prevent repetitive strain injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders.
Course
Ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders, which can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability. This course builds on the fundamentals of Ergonomics and assists managers, supervisors, and employees in implementing a musculoskeletal injuries/disorder reduction program.
MSI Prevention Resources and Tools
Toolbox Talk
Ergonomics works to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries (MSI), including damage to muscles, bones or joints through designed workplaces, equipment, systems, and work. On average, MSI claims are 34% of all WorkSafeBC claims. From 2011 to 2020, that was an average of 17,891 claims per year.
Quick Reference Card
Has been present ever since human beings began interacting with the environment. Ergonomics actually emerged as a scientific discipline in the 1940s due to the technological advances of World War II
Poster tips for stretches that can be done at any workstation throughout during periodic wellness breaks to counter stiffness from static work and potentially limit risk of sprains or strains in more active jobs.
Toolbox Talk
Fatigue is feeling tired weary from sleep, mental or physical work, or stress. Boring repetitive tasks can increase feelings of fatigue. Fatigue is either acute or chronic.
Toolbox Talk
We lift, handle, and carry objects as part of work and our daily living. There is no legal threshold limiting what weight you can lift. At what point have you decided that lifting a specific item by yourself would NOT be a good idea? Have you ever been taught the right way to lift a load? Do you know the dos and don’ts for lifting?
Toolbox Talk
Manual materials handling is handling items by lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying, holding, or restraining. It is the most common cause of occupational fatigue and lower back injuries. Three quarters of Canadians whose job includes manual handling suffer from back injury at some point. Many are unable to return to their jobs and some are […]
Guidebook
The Manufacturing Safety Alliance of BC is proud to introduce the MSI Prevention Guide, a source of guidance to an organization in implementing an ergonomics program at their workplace.
Toolbox Talk
A musculoskeletal injury (MSI) is an injury or disorder of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, nerves, blood vessels or related soft tissue, including a sprain, strain, and inflammation, which may be caused or aggravated by work. Well-known MSIs include sprains and strains, carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, trigger finger, white finger diseases, and epicondylitis (tennis elbow).
The goal of this self-assessment checklist is to help you to set up your office optimally for your self-productivity. This checklist is for reference only and does not replace an ergonomics workstation assessment carried out by a professional ergonomist.
Conference Session
A third of WorkSafeBC claims are for musculoskeletal injuries—injuries that too often become chronic and result in substantial time off work. In this session, we look at how you can make significant improvements in your musculoskeletal injury prevention program by involving your people in the process. Learn how you can educate and engage your employees […]
Conference Session
In Canada each year, 2.3 million adults experience a musculoskeletal injury (MSI) serious enough to limit their normal activities. While MSIs are a common cause of lost-time injuries in the workplace, many employers and workers are not aware of good practices in preventing and/or reducing their effects. Find out what changes can be made to […]
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News & Blog Articles
Who does this impact? WorkSafeBC has announced that in 2024, as part of their Planned Inspections Initiative, they will be focusing inspections on the following manufacturing classification units (CUs). Historically, workers in these CUs are at higher risk for serious injury....
3 safety tips: Ergonomics best practices for manufacturing
February 18, 2020
Ergonomics goes beyond stretching programs or choosing the right chair. It is an important strategic consideration. In the manufacturing sector, employees are especially vulnerable to developing musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) due to several factors specific to their occupations. Risk factors such...
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