As an Osteopath and Work Health Safety Consultant I am regularly either treating work related injuries at my clinic (Principle Four Osteopathy) or trying to prevent or minimise them in the workplace through my consulting company (Corporate Work Health Australia).
Musculoskeletal disorders which includes everything from back pain, neck pain, strained muscles, sprained ligaments and tendinitis conditions are the most common injuries in the workplace. The two most common causes of these musculoskeletal injuries in the workplace is manual handling injuries and slips, trips and falls.
People often only associate manual handling with lifting of objects in factory type settings. Manual handling is defined as the movement, handling, support or restraining of an object (items, people and animals) by hand or bodily force. Manual handling is not limited to heavy items and almost all jobs involve manual handling. Technically manual handling can include anything from using a keyboard and mouse to stacking items on a shelf or holding a camera. Individuals will have an increased risk of injury when manual handling involves repetitive or forceful movement, awkward postures, continuous exposure to vibration from machinery and equipment or loads that are heavy or difficult to hold.
Slips, trips and falls account for one if five injuries in the workplace and it is important that workplace areas are assessed to reduce the risk of these injuries. For more information on how to prevent musculoskeletal injuries in the workplace as a result of manual handling and slips, trips and falls, please check out the guidance notes and basic risk assessment checklist by clicking here.
This blog was written by Osteopath Heath Williams. Heath is the director of Principle Four Osteopathy and Corporate Work Health Australia. Principle Four Osteopathy is one of Melbourne City CBD 3000 leading Osteopathic clinics. The clinic is located in the heart of the Melbourne CBD at 29 Somerset Place (near the corner of Little Bourke & Elizabeth St). Appointments can be made by calling 03 9670 9290 or booking online @ www.principlefourosteopathy.com.
Corporate Work Health Australia is a nationwide Occupational Health & Safety Company that provides ergonomic and manual handling consulting, risk assessments and training. All of our trainers and assessors are registered osteopaths and physiotherapists. To find out more about our services, please go to www.corporateworkhealth.com.