How Australian miners can prevent musculoskeletal injuries from lifting practices on-site.
South Australia’s peak work safety body, SafeWork SA, recently urged employers to rethink their strategies around lifting and other hazardous manual tasks in a bid to reduce ‘body-stressing’ injuries.
What are body-stressing injuries?
It’s an injury category considered by workplace health and safety authorities as muscle stress caused by lifting or carrying objects.
Repeated lifting is also a challenge no matter the object’s weight, putting pressure on muscles, tendons, joints and bones.
According to SafeWork SA, body-stressing injuries are sidelining more than 5000 South Australian workers every year, resulting in average annual compensation costs in excess of $90 million.
It may sound obvious to say workers should be trained in how to lift heavy objects correctly, but it’s not such a simple solution.
While there is no requirement under work health and safety (WHS) legislation for businesses to train staff in lifting technique, research has found that lifting technique training may not be the most effective way to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders anyway.
‘How to lift’ training often doesn’t change any of the risk factors that workers are exposed to, nor does it address the sources of musculoskeletal disorder risk, such as:
- the design and layout of the work area
- the systems of work used
- physical and psychosocial risk factors
- workplace environmental conditions
- the characteristics of the load being handled
- things used in the hazardous manual task (e.g. tools and equipment).
SafeWork SA said the most effective way to prevent workplace lifting injuries is to conduct a risk assessment of the hazardous manual task and, where possible, eliminate the risk.
The best way to avoid a lifting injury is to avoid lifting altogether,” SafeWork SA compliance and enforcement director Brett Pfeffer said.
“There is often a better way of performing a hazardous manual task that eliminates or significantly reduces the risk of injury.
“Training has its place, but it should be focused on how to identify hazards, assess risks and eliminate them rather than how to lift.”
Consulting with workers when identifying hazards, assessing risks and developing, implementing, maintaining, reviewing and revising control measures can be helpful, with research showing collaboration can support the effective and sustainable risk management of hazardous manual tasks.
Other control measures include substituting heavy items for lighter ones or hand tools with electric tools to reduce force, as well as designing work to limit double handling or remove unnecessary work.
Redesigning the workplace to limit how far items are carried, or the need to adopt awkward postures, can be tricky, but even small changes can make a difference.
Implementing engineering controls such as lifting aids, trolleys and hoists, and administrative controls such as safe work procedures can also be effective.
Regular breaks and job rotation can prevent repetitive strain, while providing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) such as back support belts and slip-resistant footwear helps protect workers.
There are also measures workers can take themselves, including physical conditioning, stretching, and strength exercises, as well as ensuring adequate rest.
By taking a proactive approach, employers and miners alike can significantly enhance safer lifting practices and effectively reduce musculoskeletal injuries on site.
This feature appeared in the May–June edition of Safe to Work.