About
About the Alliance
News and Events
Membership
Membership Types
Member Highlights
Services
Safety Assessments + Consultations
Advisor Services
Leadership and Psychological Safety Services
Training
COURSE CATALOG AND CLASSES
CONFERENCES & WORKSHOPS
Resources
By Type
OHS Competency Tools and Framework
COR Certification | OSSE
Getting Certified
COR / OSSE Resources
Recognition & Awards
Navigation
Member Highlights:
Safety Assessments + Consultations: Air Quality Assessment, Combustible Dust and Dust Hazard Assessments, Confined Spaces Assessment, Critical Incident Response Services, Ergonomics, Machine Safeguarding Assessment, Noise Hazards | Surveys and Testing Services
Advisor Services: Safety Needs Analysis | GAP Analysis, Safety Program Support (SPS) | Safety Compliance Support (SCS)
Leadership and Psychological Safety Services: Psychological Safety Training and Coaching, Leadership Training and Coaching, Respectful Workplace Support
COURSE CATALOG AND CLASSES: All Training Topics, Upcoming Classes, eLearning - Online Safety Training
By Type: Checklists, Guidebooks, Presentations, Quick Reference Cards, Safety Awareness Posters, Safety Videos, Templates, Toolbox Talks, Webinars
OHS Competency Tools and Framework:
Getting Certified: Steps to COR / OSSE Certification, COR / OSSE for Small Business, COR / OSSE Small Business Referral Program, Certified COR / OSSE External Auditors
12
Months
of Safety
of Safety
April 2026
MSI Prevention
A musculoskeletal injury (MSI) or disorder (MSD) affects the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, nerves, blood vessels or related soft tissue—including sprains, strains and inflammation. They may be caused or aggravated by work.
MSI and MSD injuries represent 30 percent of time-loss claims in B.C. An effective ergonomics program in your workplace is essential to limit the risk of MSI injury to your people and substantial cost to your business. According to WorkSafeBC, MSI injuries cost B.C. employers more than $1.66 billion in claims over the last 5 years.
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.
Get Help
Did you know we can help you with office and industrial ergonomic assessments, advice, and training with a qualified ergonomist?
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 PreventionHealth and Safety 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
We are not invincible. But sometimes we treat our bodies as though we think we are. The incremental chances we take every day—every awkward position, improper lift, and repetitive motion—can add up to a lifetime of pain. Identifying risks is important. But beyond hazard ID, this workshop teaches practical controls that can prevent MSI injuries. […]
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...
About MSABC
Board & Governance
Contact Us
