What is a Musculoskeletal Disorder?

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) are injuries and disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Other terms used to describe MSDs include Repetitive Strain Injury, Musculoskeletal Injury, Cumulative Trauma Disorder, Occupational Overuse Syndrome, or Strain or Sprain. They may be caused or aggravated by various hazards or risk factors in the workplace such as high force, awkward/static postures, and repetitive motions. The musculoskeletal system includes: muscles, tendons and tendon sheathes, nerves, bursa, blood vessels, joints/spinal discs, and ligaments.

Musculoskeletal Disorders are one of the most common injuries experienced by Ontario workers. They do not include musculoskeletal injuries or disorders that are the direct result of a fall, struck by or against, caught in or on, vehicle collision, violence, etc.

What is Ergonomics?

Ergonomics is the science of fitting the job to the worker and has proven important in preventing the types of musculoskeletal injuries that contribute to increasing workplace related disability claims.

Once a person is injured, all their daily activities may be disrupted. Ergonomic implementation works to prevent injuries rather than treat them. A complete ergonomics program includes education about risk factors, causes of injuries, and encourages good habits in posture, body mechanics and exercise at work, home and leisure.

Ergonomics, considered the solution to MSD prevention, examines the interaction between a worker and the elements of their work environment in an attempt to fit a job or work activity to a worker or population of workers. Used in combination with MSD prevention initiatives, Ergonomics can assist the workplace to recognize, assess, and control MSD hazards and related concerns in the workplace.

Preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders

The goal of MSD prevention is to minimize or eliminate MSD hazards in the workplace to reduce the number and likelihood of workers being injured or experiencing pain on the job. Adopting a stepwise approach to recognize, assess, control, and evaluate MSD hazards can assist in standardizing the approach to MSD prevention. This approach can be broken down into the following steps:

•    Ensure senior management commitment and employee involvement
•    Program needs assessment
•    Program development
•    Program implementation
•    Program evaluation and continual improvement

Such an approach acknowledges these various practices, which together, create a unique structure to manage MSD hazards and related issues that address the unique needs of each organization. The key to successful health and safety hazard management is not only identifying and controlling risks in the workplace but also evaluating and continually improving the system itself.

The Internal Responsibility System (IRS) encourages the participation of all workplace parties in occupational health and safety. This notion of participation is reinforced through the legislated duties outlined for all workplace parties in the OHSA, meaning health and safety is a shared responsibility.

All workplace parties can do their part to meet their legal duties - participation, collaboration and cooperation of all workplace parties are key factors to a successful prevention effort.

Here are some tools to help you along the way:

• MSD Program Checklist
• Sample MSD Policy
• Discomfort Survey
• MSD Inspection Questions
• General MSD Hazard ID tool
• MSD Risk Assessment

The Guideline has been designed for all companies and workers to address the prevention of MSD, which includes three versions based on an organization’s size and available resources:

Office work shouldn't hurt! Small changes in the office can make a big difference in preventing the development of MSD. The Office Quick Start Guideline contains quick workplace fixes to help keep workers free of MSD while performing office work. It provides basic information and encourages businesses to get started on preventing MSD during office work and helps workers configure their workstations. This Quick Start Guideline is comprised of fact sheets and posters that can be downloaded and distributed freely.

The website content includes an introductory video and fact sheet, newly developed hazard identification and control approaches, graphics, and downloadable templates and documents that can be found in the Resource Library.

MSD Resources

Training & Related Services

Articles & Blog Posts

Additional Resources

• Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB)
• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety: Ergonomics
• Association of Canadian Ergonomists (ACE)