Most of us have lifted a box, passed a tool to a co-worker, or carried something heavy from one side of the jobsite to the other without giving it much thought. Repeated over the course of a career in construction, these are the seemingly harmless manoeuvres that can cause significant musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).•  high repetition—a task may not necessarily be heavy, but if it’s repetitive it can lead to fatigue and injury to the musculoskeletal system•  awkward posture—this includes bending the trunk forwards or backwards, twisting the body sideways, leaning to the side or lifting/pushing/pulling with hands above the shoulder or below the trunk.•  the processes, materials, and equipment used•  the environment in which work is conducted•  the human factors such as training, communication, and method of reporting MSD hazards and controls

The main manual material handling hazards that can lead to an MSD are

•  high force—this includes heavy lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, and carrying activities

While much of our work relies on these types of movements, MSDs are not inevitable on the job. Once a hazard has been identified, you can put controls in place to reduce or eliminate the risk. For a breakdown of common hazards associated with manual material handling along with their controls, download the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association’s article, “Moving Material Manually” here

Review your activities in relation to this article and consider

The Infrastructure Health and Safety Association also has other products and services—such as trade-specific ergonomic profiles—to assist you in identifying, assessing, and controlling MSD risks. Visit www.ihsa.ca, click on Construction, and then click on Musculoskeletel Disorders under the Key Topics menu.

To read to the Musculoskeletal Disorder Prevention Guideline for Ontario, visit the WSIB website

2-Minute News is the bulletin on workplace health and safety that you can read in two minutes or less! It’s emailed to subscribers in the middle of each month by the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association.