Construction jobs that require workers to repeat moderate to strenuous motions over extended periods can result in damage to muscles, nerves and tendons and are a leading cause of workplace injury. Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) occur in all parts of the body — the upper extremity, the lower extremity, and the back. According to OSHA, “The longer the worker must maintain a fixed or awkward posture, exert force, repeat the same movements, experience vibration, or handle heavy items, the greater the chance that such a disorder will occur.”
Risk factors at work include lifting heavy items, bending, reaching overhead, pushing and pulling heavy loads, working in awkward body postures and performing the same or similar tasks repetitively. The number of work-related back injuries occurring each year is even larger than the number of upper extremity disorders.
Examples of musculoskeletal disorders include:
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, a problem of the nerve in the hand and wrist, caused by repeated bending of the wrist, holding tools or materials tightly,
- Raynaud’s Syndrome or White Finger Disease, a problem of the nerves and blood vessels in the hands often caused by use of vibrating hand tools.
- Tendinitis, an inflammation and soreness in tendons, caused by repeated movement of a joint.
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, a problem caused by reduced blood flow in the shoulder and arm caused by overhead work or carrying heavy items in the hands with the arms straight down.
- Carpet Layers’ Knee, caused by repeated use of a knee kickers while laying carpeting
- Degenerative disc disease is caused by damage to the gel-like cushions between the spinal vertebrae or bones.
Preventing MSDs
Simple but effective ergonomic programs have proven to be successful in mitigating the muscle and nerve damage of work-related MSDs.
OSHA makes the following recommendations:
- Provide Management Support. Management should define clear goals and objectives for the ergonomic process, discuss them with their workers, assign responsibilities to designated staff members, and communicate clearly with the workforce.
- Involve Workers. A participatory ergonomic approach, where workers are directly involved in worksite assessments, solution development and implementation is the essence of a successful ergonomic process. Both workers and management should be aware of work tasks that may lead to pain or injury.
- Provide Training. Training is an important element in the ergonomic process. It ensures that workers are aware of ergonomics and its benefits, become informed about ergonomics related concerns in the workplace, and understand the importance of reporting early symptoms of MSDs.
- Encourage Early Reporting. Early reporting can accelerate the job assessment and improvement process, helping to prevent or reduce the progression of symptoms, the development of serious injuries, and subsequent lost-time claims.
Construction managers should also understand procedures for reporting work-related injuries and illnesses, as required by OSHA’s injury and illness recording and reporting regulation (29 CFR Part 1904).
