FACTS

Prolonged exposure to ergonomic risk factors can cause MSDs. Conditions that cause MSD problems include:

1. Exerting excessive force.
2. Excessive repetition of movements that can irritate tendons and increase pressure on nerves.
3. Awkward postures, or unsupported positions that stretch physical limits, can compress nerves and irritate tendons.
4. Static postures, or positions that a worker must hold for long periods of time, can restrict blood flow and damage muscles.
5. Motion, such as increased speed or acceleration when bending and twisting, can increase the amount of force exerted on the body.
6. Compression, from grasping sharp edges like tool handles, can concentrate force on small areas of the body, reduce blood flow, nerve transmission and damage tendon sheaths.
7. Inadequate recovery time due to overtime, lack of breaks and failure to vary tasks, leave inadequate time for tissue healing
8. MSDs can affect nearly all tissue in the body: nerves, tendons, tendon sheaths and muscles. The most frequently affected areas of the body are arms and the back.

STATS

• Ergonomics-related injuries accounted for over 380,000 days-away-from-work cases. That means 1 in every 3 cases are because of an ergonomics issue. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• Carpel tunnel syndrome may affect as many as 1.9 million people in the United States. Doctors perform up to 500,000 surgeries each year to correct this issue. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC])
• There were almost 27,000 CTS cases which involved days away from work, averaging 25 days away compared to just 6 days for all non-fatal illnesses and injuries. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• Back symptoms are among the top ten reasons for medical visits. For 5% to 10% of patients, the back pain becomes chronic.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 372,683 back injury cases involving days away from work. Most cases involved workers who were aged 25–54 (79%), male (64%), and white, non-Hispanic (70%)
• Two occupational groups accounted for more than 54% of back injury cases: operators, fabricators, and laborers (38%); and precision production, craft, and repair (17%).
• The healthy body can only tolerate staying in one position for about 20 minutes. After that time, most workers will experience discomfort.