Tips for minimizing three common MSD risk factors

A while back, I was experiencing discomfort in my wrist at home, but the cause wasn’t obvious to me. After three months of progressive pain, I thought about the tasks I was doing, and the risk factors I was exposed to, such as force, awkward posture and repetition.

Norm Kramer provides expert, in-depth health and safety consulting services for Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) as a Warehouse Specialist in the GTA region.

I realized I had been bending my wrist awkwardly three times a day while closing the lid of a large pet food container. This seemingly innocuous task was stressing the soft tissues in my wrist. I found a way to close the container keeping my wrist straight, and the pain went away within days.

While my discomfort was relatively easy to solve, the process of resolving a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) at work after the fact is much more complicated, especially in warehouses and distribution centres where a host of risk factors are at play. MSDs cost your workplace in terms of time off, higher insurance costs, lower morale, staff shortages, and much more.

Avoiding these costly injuries means eliminating or reducing risk factors before they cause MSDs. The best approach is to have a professional ergonomist carry out an ergonomics assessment to identify risks and recommend control measures.

But you can also take steps on your own to reduce these three not-so-obvious risk factors in warehouse and distribution workplaces.

1. Twisting while operating a lift truck in reverse

Operators will drive in reverse if a high load on their forks is obstructing their vision. In order to look in the direction of travel, as recommended by CSA B335 Safety Standard for Lift Trucks, drivers in a seated position, usually twist their neck and/or body repeatedly, which may lead to discomfort or pain. Here are ways to mitigate this risk:

▶ Keep the pallet at a height that allows the operator to travel in a forward direction and maintain good visibility over the load

▶ install swivel seats

▶ shift hips as needed, to reduce twisting as much as possible

▶ use mobile equipment, such as a standup forklift or electric rider pallet jack, which allows the operator to stand and turn their feet instead of their body

▶ use mobile equipment with a rotating operator compartment

▶ use a spotter to guide the operator

2. Experiencing whole-body vibration when driving over dock levellers

‘Dock shock’ refers to the constant jolting and jarring that occurs when a forklift or stand-up walkie crosses from the warehouse floor over the bumps and gaps of a traditional dock leveler. As a result, operators experience whole body vibration, which can lead to serious back and neck injuries. Here are a few ideas for reducing this risk:

▶ Invest in quality mobile equipment with shock absorbing seats

▶ train operators to reduce speed when travelling over dock levellers to lessen vibration

▶ establish mandatory work breaks for operators, to give soft tissues in the neck and shoulders a chance to rest

▶ perform regular maintenance on your dock that includes assessing the severity of dock shock

▶ purchase dock levellers designed to minimize dock shock, creating a smooth transition between the warehouse floor and truck or trailer bed.

3. Using awkward postures when repeatedly lifting onto and off pallets

Unfortunately, the advice to lift with your legs and keep your back straight is not enough to protect workers. Boxes may be large and awkward to move, pallet loads may be stacked high, and loads may be packed tightly beneath lower level racking, making them hard to retrieve. Workers may be forced into awkward postures that stress the soft tissues in the legs, arms, neck, shoulder, back and hands.

What can be done? Consider implementing the following:

▶ Use conveyors to eliminate the need for lifts, where possible

▶ place heavy objects on racking, shelving or pallets between waist and shoulder height (power zone) of average worker

▶ ensure frequently retrieved items are easily accessible

▶ put handles on loads so they can be gripped easily

▶ provide safe lifting training with examples of sizes, weights and location of loads in your warehouse, with appropriate techniques for unique situations

▶ use adjustable tables or platforms to eliminate the need for workers to bend

▶ consider automating the process by applying “box lifting robots”, autonomous mobile robots or automated guided vehicles that transport loads. The application of these technologies can eliminate manual material lifting entirely.

MSD-related hazards result in high insurance and other costs in warehouse and distribution workplaces, but are often ignored. Be proactive. Don’t wait until one of your staff approaches you with a doctor’s note saying they can’t work due to a work-related soft tissue injury.