Page 100 - OHS, June 2024

BREAKTHROUGH STRATEGIES BY ROBERT PATER Core Methods for Significantly
SPreventing Soft-Tissue Injuries
oft-tissue injuries are prevalent, persistent and perni- proven strategies for expanding to cious, and result in significant direct costs and pain and cover methods two and three, which lost productivity, as well as hampered workflow. These account for internalization, placing injuries are also known as strains/sprains, musculoskel- individuals in greater control of per-
etal disorders, repetitive motion injuries, repetitive strain injuries, cumulative trauma disorders, etc. You can see the impacts of these injuries through lost-time and cost reports, such as the Traveler’s Insurance “Injury Impact Report” and Liberty Mutual’s “Work- place Safety Index.” This unacceptably steady state has continued despite sincere interest, commitment and pledges on the part of safety leaders to reduce these injuries.
However, with all that said, we’ve seen numerous companies dramatically reduce the incidence of soft-tissue injuries. I’m refer- ring to reports of up to 85 percent of larger organizations that pre- viously thought they’d “tried everything.” What those companies were actually doing was attempting variations on the same theme: Common “solutions” tended to strongly emphasize workplace controls — the aspect of ergonomics that focuses on adjustments and modifications to tools, workstations, environment, etc. to make these safer and reduce cumulative trauma. While a well and good initial step, it’s not enough.
Here’s what has made considerable, substantive improvements: Start by redefining “ergonomics” as “improving the fit between people and their tasks”, rather than merely “redesigning or adapt- ing tools and workstations to fit the work and workers.” This alter- nate cast goes well beyond word-splitting hairs.
That’s because an “improving fit” mindset can expand to incor- porate three methods:
1. Fitting tasks “closer” to people by redesigning, modifying and purchasing external tools where possible (the “traditional” ap- proach to ergonomics mentioned above.) While I agree this should be the first method applied, this doesn’t always work. For example, where it’s not cost-effective in an older plant, or where capital bud- geting doesn’t allow for this now, or where people are exposed to sources of cumulative trauma in uncontrollable environments (in the field, in the elements, at home or off work) only enlisting this strategy is like trying to help someone significantly lose weight by monitoring and controlling what they eat at work while ignoring what they consume at home.
2. Helping people more effectively adapt their actions to how they work through changing their perception, decisions and a range of actual actions — all of which avert or greatly reduce potential physical tensions from entering their body. This can be provably accomplished through transferring mental and physical skillsets specifically designed to elevate performance while simul- taneously tamping down possibly destructive forces on their body or, at very least, from tensions pooling in vulnerable body areas that are more prone to injury.
3. Combining the methods of one and two above. This is the most preferable, like opening a stubborn jar by simultaneously twisting the lid clockwise and the bottom counter-clockwise.
There’s ample information and countless experts who focus on method one (improving external controls), so here are some
sonal and psychosocial contributors.
Together, they lead to greater safety
and performance, and help accomplish all manner of tasks with greater ease and control:
• Mentally; help workers employ a simple plan for taking per- sonal control over their own safety, everywhere, that makes sense to them and is easy both to understand and simple to actually ap- ply in practice and with a wide range of tasks. The focus here is on improving awareness and decision-making.
• Mentally; transfer tangible skills for directing their attention to better self-monitor force building within the body. This helps them become internally motivated to make very small, simple yet powerful adjustments to self-protect from injury. Attention control has to include doable practices, not just appealing to “will” or ex- horting them to “pay attention” or to “think before you act.”
• Mentally; show how to apply “smarter” use of force, such as employing the right amount in the right place, in the right direc- tion, at the right time to get tasks done most effectively and safely, while minimizing potential fatigue due to exerting no more than the force actually required to easily accomplish tasks.
• Mentally; use the Three Laws of Motion to boost effectiveness and minimize “equal and opposite” forces entering the body.
• Physically; teach how to better use their upper limbs to ac- centuate strength while rerouting forces down to the legs and away from concentrating forces in the more vulnerable neck and back. This also improves balance through a smarter use of hands for us- ing tools, lifting one- and two-handed, climbing, pushing, pulling, carrying, etc.
• Physically; demonstrate how to enlist the strength of the en- tire body, rather than trying to “over-muscle” (using too much but less effective force from just the upper body) to gain effective strength and to prevent injury.
• Physically; use the power of small positional changes to aug- ment effectiveness while enhancing personal safety.
• Physically; make use of the power of proximity (how even a few centimeters change in proximity to a task can make a signifi- cant difference in control, strength, effectiveness and safety).
These above approaches work surprisingly well, with all kinds of people, in a wide array of companies, in numerous industries and throughout the world, and for longer than three decades. I hope some of this might also help you, your people and your com- pany.
Robert Pater is the Managing Director and creator of the MoveSMART® system for preventing strains/sprains, slips/trips/falls, hand injuries implemented in over 60 countries. Their emphasis is on “Energizing, Engaging Expertise” to simultaneously elevate safety performance, leadership and culture.
98 Occupational Health & Safety | JUNE 2024
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