Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ergonomic Training Lecture Department of Comparative Medicine

Background n Reports of low back pain and low back injuries n Reports of wrist and elbow pain n Observation of Job Tasks n Physically demanding jobs

Pre-Training Quiz n 1) Injuries and illnesses in the workplace can be prevented? TRUE FALSE n 2) Who is responsible for a safe workplace? SUPERVISORSEMPLOYEES EVERYBODY n 3) In the Department of Comparative Medicine, which of the following might be considered risk factors for musculoskeletal injury? –Sustained postures- Force –Awkward postures- Heavy weights –Repetition- Exposure to vibration –Contact stress- All of the above n 4) When do you need to change position? WHEN YOU FEEL MUSCULAR FATIGUE or WHEN YOU FEEL PAIN n 5) Stretching is helpful only when you feel uncomfortable? TRUEFALSE n 6) If you do sustain an injury it is best to report it IMMEDIATELYorAFTER WAITING TWO WEEKS

Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Injury u Washroom (Clean and Dirty) u Animal Handlers

Statistics n Overexertion reported as cause of lower back pain in > 60% of people with LBP n If overexertion injuries reported involved LBP with lost time, less than 1/3 of patients eventually returned to work n Approximately 2/3 of overexertion injury claims involved lifting loads and about 20% involved pushing or pulling loads n Repetitive motion, such as grasping items, resulted in the longest absences from work…with a median of 17 days off from work »NIOSH (1981), Waters et al (1994), BLS (1999)

Washroom Risk Factors (Clean and Dirty) n Bending and lifting (frequent) n Pinching and gripping (constant) n Pushing/pulling (frequent) n Reaching (frequent/constant) n Standing on concrete floor (constant)

Washroom (Clean and Dirty) n Exessive Pushing/Pulling Force: –Push/pulling force with cage washer rack –push force for cage rack for center header –pulling force to remove metal grates from cabinet/rack washer floor one time/day for cleaning (must assume squat)

Washroom (Clean and Dirty)  Loads Lifted: –(Frequent): stacks of empty cages and racks of empty water bottles –(Constant): racks of full water bottles

Washroom (Clean and Dirty) n Repetitive Gripping/Pinching: –Placing and removing stoppers from water bottles, –Handling racks of water bottles, –Scraping dirty cages –Pushing/pulling racks and carts

Washroom (Clean and Dirty) n Carrying: –(Constant) racks of full water bottles up to approximately 30 feet

Animal Handlers n Bending and Stooping (Frequent) n Squatting (Occasional/Frequent) n Reaching (Constant) n Pushing/Pulling (Frequent) n Pinching and Gripping (Constant) n Standing on Concrete Floor (Constant)

Animal Handlers n Repetitive Pinching and Gripping –Responsible for cages/day containing 1-11 mice per cage –Must remove and replace cage components in each cage (e.g.water bottles and barlids)

Effects of Repetitive Tasks or Prolonged Positioning n Fatigue n Tiny tears in the muscle n Muscle constantly being used so gets less circulation n Less circulation means it does not heal as it should n Builds up over days, weeks, years n Can result in Injury

What To Watch Out For n Pain –in the joints or muscles –that lingers after the movement stops –that occurs with a particular movement or position n Muscles feeling very tired n Swelling n Numbness or Tingling n Trouble grasping objects

What To Do If Problems or Concerns n Immediately –Stop what you are doing –Try to stretch to relax the muscles n If problem persists –Notify supervisor, PCP or MIT Medical –Better to take care of it when first notice it so doesn’t become an even bigger problem n To Prevent Future Problems –This is very important as the body is vulnerable to re-injury –Think about your body mechanics and posture: can you be doing anything in a safer way?

Injury Prevention is the Key n Avoid stressful body positions n Vary work tasks often n Use resting positions n Stretch n Report problems early

Lifting Tips n Assess load n Feet slightly apart n Bend knees/back straight n Keep load straight ahead and in close n Lift slowly and smoothly n Avoid twisting

Pushing and Pulling Technique n Assess load to be pushed or pulled n Keep chin tucked, arms below shoulder height, back straight n One foot in front of the other n Shift weight

Reaching Tips n If must reach overhead, try to use stepstool n If unable to use stepstool, try to reverse position or rest shoulder when able n Avoid stacking cages above shoulder height when able

Wrist, Hand and Elbow n Use wrist neutral position n Avoid keeping elbow extended when performing wrist movements (keep elbow in close) n Rest hands when able (e.g. do not hold barlid if not necessary) n Stretch and reverse position

Questions MIT EHS