Movement-related injuries - sprains and strains to the back, cumulative trauma disorders and slips, trips and falls) have been expensive, persistent, and frustrating across a wide range of industries, in field and office locations, with even the best employees throughout the world. And addressing each of these problems individually can be time consuming and costly.
Wherever workers move their bodies, they are at risk of a range of injuries - slips, trips and falls, strains and sprains (due to cumulative trauma or acute causes), repetitive motion disorders, hand injuries, knee problems and others. In essence, many workers trade their movement for pay - whether they are lifting, palletizing, assembling, cleaning, repairing, manufacturing, feeding a machine, delivering, distributing, installing or more.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data on lost work day injuries (Table R73: nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work in 1996) supports the prevalence of movement-related injuries:
"Falls" accounted for 17.6 % of lost-time work injuries
"Bodily reaction injuries and exertion" comprised 43.8% of lost-time work injuries
"Struck against stationary object" accounted for 4.2% of lost-time work injuries.
Added together, these movement-related injuries accounted for almost two-thirds (65.6%) of all lost-time injuries. And the same table shows that sprains and strains accounted for 43.6 % of all losttime injuries. Some organizations with which we have worked have experienced a more severe rate of movement injuries.
According to the BLS record keeping system, "Bodily reaction" injuries can result from: lifting, climbing, crawling, reaching, twisting, running, sitting, slip/trip/loss of balance without fall, standing, walking without other incident, pulling, pushing, holding, carrying, turning, wielding objects, repetitive use of tools, repetitive placing, grasping or moving objects, and more. In addition, other specific activities that can result in movement-related injuries are:
Being in one position for long periods of time
Handling equipment at arm's length
Going down steps and stairs, especially while carrying
Working below knee level
Crossing slick, uneven or cluttered decks
Torquing lever and wrenches or turning pieces of equipment
Carrying heavy or awkward loads; Stepping backward, particularly while carrying
Jumping, including swing rope transfers
Working more than a few meters off the ground
Lifting, particularly out of containers or overhead
Stepping, handling and lifting tasks done as a team
And these activities can result in strains and sprains, dislocations, fractures, abrasions, cuts, even fatalities (these predominantly from slips and falls).
