Introduction:
Worldwide approximately 350 million people are currently employed in the construction industry and every year an annual of 50 million people suffer from musculoskeletal pain. Musculoskeletal pain is a major cause of work disability and sickness.
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most widespread disorders of the present day and age. It’s unfortunate, that with the steep rise of industry workers, there is a steep rise in musculoskeletal disorders that affect the overall physical health of a worker and consequently, their overall performance.
One of the main course elements of the NEBSOH IGC is Musculoskeletal Hazards. NEBOSH Course in Pakistan is one such course that fulfils the purpose of safety education and builds awareness around it. Due to high demand of safety officers at workplace to manage Health and safety, NEBOSH Course is on top priority. In this blog, you’ll find out what musculoskeletal disorders are, their hazards, and risk control factors.
Overview of Musculoskeletal Hazards:
According to the NIOSH, Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are injuries or disorders of muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, cartilage and spinal discs. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) are conditions in which the work environment and work performance contribute significantly to the condition, or the second condition is in which the work condition normally persists as a musculoskeletal disorder.
These types of disorders are prevalent these days for many reasons and factors. The primary reason is the work conditions of a workplace. Annually, around 470,000 workers suffer from MSDs. These workers work in environments and places which have extreme work conditions. Furthermore, it stems from incorrect handling, dangerous equipment and unsafe working conditions. Various musculoskeletal hazards lead to musculoskeletal disorders. Following are some famous and important hazards that are discussed in NEBOSH course in Pakistan:
1. Ergonomic Hazards
Physical factors in a workplace that can lead to musculoskeletal hazards. Awkward postures, forceful exertions, repetitive motions, exposure to vibration and extreme temperatures are some examples.
2. Occupational Hazards
Refers to the potential risks or hazards that individuals face in their workplace as a result of their job responsibilities.
3. Environmental hazards
These hazards refer to the hazards that originate from human-made or natural sources that can adversely affect the environment. This includes air pollution, water contamination, soil contamination, natural disasters and more.
4. Psychological hazards
These hazards stem from work-related stress, high job demands, lack of control over the workplace or poor social support at the workplace.
Causes of Musculoskeletal Hazards:
As discussed earlier, musculoskeletal disorders are widespread. The gravity of MSDs can be calculated by the fact that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1.3 billion have suffered from MSDs.
What’s sad is that most of them are workers. Low back pain, arthritis, joint pain, sciatica, and joint dislocation to bone fractures, are some common and everyday examples of MSDs that are prevalent and experienced by factory workers. There are many causes for musculoskeletal disorders, but there are a few that cause MSDs more. According to HSE (Health and safety executive), the following are some important causes of musculoskeletal disorders;
- Repetitive Motions: This means engaging in repetitive tasks and motions without any sufficient break.
- Joint Dislocation: When a joint is dislocated out of its proper position.
- Awkward Postures: This refers to the awkward or difficult posture in an industry. Workers usually have to do postures that dislocate their joints and bones while working with big machines.
- Long Hours of Work: This is a very important factor. When workers work for a prolonged period, their bones and joints become used to a single posture and movement. With time, the bone or joint comes out of its shape and loses its agility.
- Mechanical Compression: Pressure on nerves and soft tissues due to factors like improper workstation design, improper body mechanics or inadequate support can lead to MSDs.
- Contact Stress: Continuous contact or pressure on specific body parts, such as using tools or equipment without proper padding or support, can lead to discomfort and injury.
- Working Environment: Poor working environment can lead to MSDs. Poor and bad working environments can lead to workers working in conditions that are unsafe and hygienic.
- Temperature Extremes: This refers to working in environments with extreme temperatures, whether excessively hot or cold, can cause stiffness in muscles.
- Poor Tools and Equipment: Most factories have very poor equipment and tools. This means that when equipment is poor, more stress is applied to that equipment by the worker, leading to more mechanical stress on the joint or bone.
- Static Position: Static position is when a worker is fixed for an extended position of time. This means standing or sitting without proper ergonomic setup or breaks and this causes muscle fatigue, and discomfort this eventually causes MSDs.
Symptoms of Musculoskeletal Disorders:
Few important symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders which are discussed in NEBOSH in Pakistan are given below:
- Aching and stiffness
- Burning sensations
- Fatigue
- Muscle twitches
- Sleep disturbances
How can Companies Manage and Control Risks?
Prevention is better than cure and that’s why companies hire NEBOSH certified safety officers to make the workplace safe and sound where workers can work freely without putting their lives into danger. Following are some preventive measures that can control MSDs, some of these measures are listed by the NIOSH:
1. Ergonomic Workstations
Companies should design workstations with ergonomic principles in mind, this includes adjustable chairs, proper desks, ergonomic keyboards, mice and monitors. This promotes neutral body positions and reduces strains on muscles.
2. Training and Education:
Companies should provide workers and employees with comprehensive training to employees on proper lifting techniques, ergonomic practices and the importance of taking regular breaks to prevent overexertion and fatigue.
3. Administrative Controls:
Organizations should develop policies and rules that promote safe work and practices at the workplace. This means job rotations, task variation, and scheduling of regular breaks to reduce prolonged exposure to ergonomic risk factors.
4. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Workers should use supportive footwear, gloves, or black supports to reduce exposure to ergonomic risks during specific tasks.
5. Health Promotion Programs
Many companies offer wellness and fitness sessions to their workers and employees. These exercise rituals are very healthy as firstly they create a very healthy workplace environment, and this also helps employees come into movement.
6. Communication Between employees
Human resources departments should encourage communication between their workers so that they can open up about their musculoskeletal health.
7. Risk Assessment
Daily risk assessments should be conducted regularly or ergonomic evaluations to identify potential hazards and take corrective actions to control or eliminate risks.
8. Awareness of Musculoskeletal health
This point is very important. Organizations and companies should always promote musculoskeletal health. We should educate our employees about physical fitness and healthy lifestyle choices to support musculoskeletal health. Many companies have seminars related to the importance of physical fitness. One such example of awareness of safety is that of the NEBOSH course in Pakistan which educates people about health, safety and environmental being. NEBOSH in Pakistan is famous for the awareness it has succeeded in doing for potential hazards, risk assessments and their consequences. Courses like these related to physical health should also be taught for awareness about health.
Concluding Thoughts:
It is important to note musculoskeletal health is very pivotal. As common as MSDs are these days, it is important to note that early assessment of MSDs can mitigate the risk factors. By incorporating ergonomic principles, we can lessen these risk factors that can otherwise cause a strain to a worker’s health and a company’s overall performance.
