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Simple Steps for Educating Your Worker Athletes on Body Mechanics in the Workplace or Job-site

It is common knowledge that workers can experience a variety of musculoskeletal disorders or injuries due to poor posture or body mechanics. An additional (and more critical) area often overlooked is the individual body of each worker. Every year, thousands of workers suffer from aches, pains, strains, and injuries.
The proper knowledge and approach can prevent these unnecessary results. As a safety director or general manager, you are responsible for developing and implementing strategies to promote safe work practices and prevent work-related injuries.
Educating your staff on proper body mechanics and reinforcement tools is critical in achieving this goal.

Here are a few tips on how:

Identify key risk factors.

The first step in educating your staff on proper body mechanics is identifying key risk factors. Most efforts go into the ergonomic side of the equation to look at optimal workspace/area design and setup. And while this has great value, we want to begin further upstream to the “machine” itself – the actual worker performing the work. In addition to observing worker posture, body mechanics, and work environments, we can help tailor the solutions as we identify sources of strain or discomfort by assessing the worker athlete’s current function and potential vulnerabilities (“mechanical deficiencies”). Are workers lifting heavy objects or performing repetitive tasks? What’s the environment for their work – indoors, outdoors, stable surface, unstable surface? Do they have any pre-existing or previous injuries that create a vulnerability that may not exist for a co-worker? Are they working in tight or awkward spaces that create uneven fatigue? And then, finally – are workspaces ergonomically designed and adjusted to suit individual needs? Identifying and mitigating common risk factors and often unconsidered, and many times unseen, vulnerabilities is crucial to promoting safe work practices.

Convey the importance of body mechanics.

Many workers may need help understanding the importance of proper body mechanics in preventing workplace injuries. Consider holding training sessions or workshops to explain how this is not “fitness” but similar to preventive maintenance, where proper body mechanics can help prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Just like we encourage workers to take their time performing repetitive tasks and train them to use equipment and tools properly to reduce the risk of injury, we need to do the same with their own body “machine” maintenance.

Implement a durability program.

Proper and consistent mobility, activation, and “reset” focus can significantly reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders or injuries by improving body mechanics and maintaining muscle and joint health. A targeted Pre-, Intra / re-set, and Post- Shift durability program (what we at ADAPT refer to as “Muscular Maintenance”) in the context of each job type will help prevent injury and promote the longevity of your workforce. For instance, the Pre-shift routine is critical for workers who begin their shift with strenuous work (lifting, pulling, pushing, etc.). The “intra” shift re-set routine is most important for those workers who are primarily stationary without much demand on their body (desk-based work, dispatch, project management). The Post-shift routine is designed to unwind the uneven fatigue from a work environment that may be primarily stationary but still has demand (driver in a landfill, mechanic, welder).

Provide regular reminders

Even with the best training, it’s easy for workers to fall back into old habits. Provide regular reminders about the importance of proper body mechanics and preventive maintenance, and encourage workers to incorporate these routines into their daily workflow. Consider posting signs and posters, sending regular emails or newsletters, and bringing in outside specialists for workshops and education to reinforce good work practices.

Conduct regular assessments

Regular assessments help identify areas where workers may have vulnerabilities or need additional training or individual support. Consider conducting regular reviews of worker function, body mechanics, and work environments to ensure that workers follow established protocols and have the right program. We want our worker athletes to report injuries, so let’s encourage workers to report any discomfort they might be experiencing proactively. This is the “flashing red light on the dashboard,” telling them something is wrong with their body. That way, the necessary adjustments can be made and keep that ache/pain from becoming an injury downstream.

Proper musculoskeletal health and safety education for our industrial and workplace athletes is critical to promoting safe work practices and preventing work-related injuries. Any safety program must educate staff on proper body mechanics and preventive maintenance. By identifying risk factors, conveying the importance of good body mechanics, implementing targeted durability programs, providing regular reminders, and conducting regular assessments, you can ensure your worker athletes stay in the game by being safe, healthy, and productive on the job.

By adopting these simple steps, you can significantly reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries and build a more robust culture of safety at your workplace.

Your partner in worker health and safety,

Jeff Nelson

P.S. If you’re responsible for the safety, health, and/or well-being of your workforce, here’s how we can help

  1. Request an introduction call with one of our Industrial Athlete Specialists. We’ll invest 15 minutes on a phone call to get to know each other, learn more about your injury prevention program, and see how we can help. Just shoot us an email at chris@adapttraining.com
  2. Are you looking for a “new & improved” version of Stretch & Flex that gets results? The ADAPT Industrial Athlete Durability program is changing the game by focusing on not just the exercise but the correct application of the exercise based on job type, function, and environment to ensure your workers are getting exactly what they need when needed. Just message us with the “Durability Program,” and we’ll discuss all the details.
  3. Would you like to host an in-house workshop to introduce the concept of Industrial Athletics to the rest of your team? Message us with “Workshop,” and we’ll connect to discuss the details.