Why is workers’ participation especially critical in the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders?

Meaningful employee participation is emphasized as being critical for an organization’s success. The participation of workers in health and safety activities is likewise regarded as critical for successful prevention of injury and illness. In the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), worker participation is highlighted with terms like “participatory ergonomics.” Why is the word “participation” so prominent in MSD prevention?

1. Develop effective solutions for real-world conditions

Participation helps make all prevention activities actually work in practice. Even in relatively straightforward situations, participation will help identify hazards as well as develop and implement effective controls for the identified hazard. 

For example, a missing guard on a table saw is an obvious safety hazard. A basic approach would be to lock the saw out, obtain a guard and have maintenance install it. However, there are many types of guards. To eliminate the hazard, the specific guard must protect the worker AND allow cutting of the specific material. Only some types of guards will match the particular material and cuts required. A guard that does not permit the required cuts at the required production rate increases the likelihood that the control will not work or not be used under production pressures. Participation of workers greatly increases the likelihood that the best guard is installed.  

In addition, although there may be Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) in place, in reality, they may be out of date or may not apply under all situations (e.g., equipment malfunctions, unpredictable client behaviour, special orders). Workers are familiar with these variations in standard procedures, and it could be during these variations that choice of the most appropriate hazard control is most critical. Lack of worker input makes it less likely that the solution will be effective and applicable under all situations.

2. Early identification of MSD hazards

For MSD prevention, participation is even more important than for other hazards. Workers feel the effects of work on their bodies and can give insights into specific aspects and tasks that put larger loads on them. For most activities, workers can sense how hard the job is on their body. Even if MSD can take a substantial time to develop, discomfort (especially if persistent) is an early sign of MSD development and the potential presence of hazards. Workers can give especially valuable information for MSD hazard identification and risk assessment; arguably more than for other hazards.

Related resources:

• Worker Discomfort Survey
• Hazard Recognition

3. Ergonomics benefits worker health and workplace performance

Applying ergonomics principles in the workplace improves the wellbeing of people and their performance at work. A poor fit of the work to humans is a predictor of reduced performance and increased ill-health and injury at work. Ergonomics is a key tool in the prevention of MSD. It is the only science and practice that puts the human at the center of the system. MSD hazards in the workplace can also impact workplace outcomes, such as reduced productivity, poor product quality, absenteeism, negative workplace culture, etc. 

Resources on the return on investment of applying ergonomics in the workplace can be found in the Resource Library.

For all of these reasons, meaningful participation of workers in the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders at work is very important.