Professional Documents
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MSH 23
MSH 23
1
Overview of the workshop
• Aim and learning outcomes of the workshop
• Definitions
• Injuries from performing manual tasks – mechanism and
statistics
• Legislative responsibilities
• Anatomy and biomechanics
• The risk management process applied to manual tasks
• Who’s responsible
• Case studies
• Conclusion and questions
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Aim of the workshop
To give participants the knowledge and
skills to identify hazardous manual tasks
and to assess and control risks arising from
those tasks.
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Examples of manual tasks
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Definitions continued
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Extent and cost of injuries in WA mining
Injuries from performing manual tasks consistently account
for about 1/3 of all new LTIs and DIs and over 50% of all
injury recurrences
LTI Lost time injury, requiring absence from work for a full shift
DI Disabling injury, unable to work usual job any time of shift/alternate duties
Sources: AXTATWorkers'
Source: data 2004-2007 and WorkerCover
Compensation Statisticaldata 2005-2007 10
Report 1998/9 - 2001/02
Overview of legislation
• Resources Safety administers the Mines Safety
and Inspection Act 1994 (MSI Act) and the Mines
Safety and Inspection Regulations 1995 (MSI
Regulations)
• The MSI Act sets out broad duties with respect to
OSH, supported by MSI Regulations
• Codes of practice and guidelines provide practical
guidance
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Duties – Employers*
Employers have a general duty to provide and
maintain a working environment to protect the
health and safety of their workforce including a
requirement to:
– Provide and maintain workplaces, plant and systems of
work
– Provide information, instructions, training and supervision
– Consult and cooperate with safety and health
representatives and employees
so that employees are not exposed to hazards.
*Employer is anyone who employs a person in a mining operation.
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Duties – Employees*
Employees are obliged to take reasonable
care to ensure their own and others’ safety
and health including a requirement to:
– Cooperate with employers
– Follow instructions
– Report hazards
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Anatomy of the spine
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Trunk (back) positions
Flexion and extension
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Trunk (back) positions
Side flexion and rotation
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Wrist positions
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Hand and forearm positions
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Neutral postures
• Head and neck – level or bent
slightly forward, forward
facing, balanced and in-line
with the trunk
• Hands wrists and forearms –
all straight and in-line
• Elbows – close to the body
and bent 90o to 120o
• Shoulders – relaxed and
upper arms hang normally at
the side of the body
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Neutral postures continued
• Dynamic
Muscle contraction and movement
• Static
Muscle contraction and no movement
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Principles of biomechanics
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Using the spine as a crane
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Risk management process
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Example of hazard identification form
Source: Burgess-Limerick, R (2009) Procedure for Managing Injury Risks Associated with Manual Tasks
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Example of discomfort survey form
Burgess-Limerick (2008) Procedure for Managing Injury Risks Associated with Manual Tasks
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Potentially hazardous manual tasks continued
Burgess-Limerick (2008) Procedure for Managing Injury Risks Associated with Manual Tasks
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Potentially hazardous manual tasks continued
• If the task involves static postures held for longer than 30
secs and the task is performed for more that 30 mins without
a break, or for more than 2 hrs per shift
• If the task involves repetitive movements of any body part
and is performed for more than 30 mins without a break, or
for more than 2 hrs per shift
• If the task is performed for longer than 60 mins at a time
without a break
• If the task is performed for longer than 4 hrs per shift
• If exposure to whole body vibration (vehicles) or peripheral
vibration (power tools) exceeds 2 hrs per shift
Burgess-Limerick (2008) Procedure for Managing Injury Risks Associated with Manual Tasks
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Overview of risk assessment
Risk assessment is about understanding the
problem. The risk assessment determines:
• whether the task poses or increases risk of injury
(musculoskeletal disorder)
• source/s (underlying/root cause/s) of the risk
• the severity (level) of risk
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Risk factors
• Direct risk factors: Risk factors that are known to lead to
musculoskeletal disorders are:
– Postures and movements of worker
– Forces (exertion) involved in task
– Duration and frequency of task
• Indirect risk factors: Risk factors that are known to contribute to
the risk of musculoskeletal disorders are:
– Work environment
– Systems of work, work organisation and work practices
– Exposure to vibration
• The risk of developing a musculoskeletal disorder significantly
increases where there is more than one risk factor present in the
task
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Risk factors: postures and movements
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Examples of postures and movements that
increase the risk of injury
• Working with the trunk or neck twisted or
bent
• Working with hands above shoulder height
• Reaching forward or sideways
• Reaching or twisting behind the body
• Working in kneeling, squatting, crawling or
lying
• Working with extreme wrist bending or
twisting
• Working with tight pinch grips
• Carrying or exerting force with one hand or
on one the side of the body
• Working in a static (held) position
• Exerting force while in an awkward posture
• Repetitive lifting, lowering, carrying,
pushing, pulling, restraining, holding
Photograph Source: NIOSH IC 9497: Ergonomics and Risk Factor Awareness Training for
Miners 37
Risk factors: force
• A manual task that involves high force is
one that people in the working population
would find difficult because of the effort it
requires
Photograph Source: NIOSH IC 9497: Ergonomics and Risk Factor Awareness Training for Miners 38
Risk factors: duration and frequency
• Tasks that continue over a long
period or are repeated over the
work day, increase the worker’s
exposure
• Risk of injury is influenced by:
– how long the task is carried out
(duration); and
– how often the task is done
(frequency)
Photograph Source: NIOSH IC 9497: Ergonomics and Risk Factor Awareness Training for
39
Miners
Risk factors: work environment
Aspects of the work environment that can contribute to
the risk of injury when performing manual tasks include:
Thermal environment – cold, heat, humidity and wind
Workplace lighting – low levels of light, glare
Floor surfaces – slippery, uneven, variation in levels
Housekeeping – obstructions, trip hazards
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Risk factors: work systems,
organisation and practices
Aspects of the work organisation, work practices and
systems of work that may increase the risk of injury
include:
– pace of work and time constraints
– abilityof workers to influence workload or work
methods
– level of resources and guidance available
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Risk factors: vibration
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Source of risk
Determining the source (i.e. underlying cause) of the risk/s in a
hazardous manual task is an important part of the risk assessment
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Severity of risk
Determining the severity of the risk helps to prioritise
hazardous manual tasks for action
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Example of risk assessment checklist
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Risk control: elimination
• The ultimate control measure is to eliminate the
hazardous manual task
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Risk control measures
Alter the source (underlying cause) of the risk by altering:
• design and layout of the workplace
• nature of the load (including using mechanical aids or assistive
devices)
• nature of the items used during manual tasks (including hand
tools)
• working environment
• work organisation and work practices, including systems of
work
to minimise the risk of injury (musculoskeletal disorder) as far as is
practicable
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Alter workplace design and layout
Source: NIOSH IC: 9491 Ergonomics and Mining: Charting a Path to a Safer Workplace 50
Alter workplace design and layout
Source: ACARP Project C11058: Reducing Musculoskeletal Risk in Open Cut Coal Mining
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Alter workplace design and layout
Putting the weighing scale on an elevated cart and locating it next to the
conveyor eliminates the need to carry items to the scales and reduces
stooping (bending back or trunk) when lifting items on and off the scale
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Source: NIOSHTIC-2 No. 2003465: Ergonomics Interventions at Badger Mining Corporation
Alter nature of the load
Source: NIOSH IC 9507 Reducing Low Back Pain and Disability in Mining 53
Alter nature of the load
Source: NIOSH IC 9507 Reducing Low Back Pain and Disability in Mining 54
Alter nature of the items
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Source: NIOSH IC: 9491Ergonomics and Mining: Charting a Path to a Safer Workplace
Alter nature of the items
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Training
Task-specific training
• During induction to the task
• Refresher training
• When tasks and/or equipment are changed
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Example of risk control documentation
Source: McPhee, B (1993) Ergonomics for the Control of Sprains and Strains in Mining. 60
Monitor and review
• Monitoring and reviewing the implemented control
measures is essential to ensure their effectiveness and
that no new hazards have been introduced
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Who’s responsible?
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Case studies
• Work in small groups (2-4 people per group)
• If possible get into a group with people with the
same job or occupation
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The aim is to reduce the risk of injury
(musculoskeletal disorders) from performing
manual tasks at work, using the risk management
process of:
– identifying hazards
– assessing risks
– controlling risks
– monitoring and review
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References and further information
• Resources Safety’s guidance document
Implementing an Effective Program to Manage
the Risks Associated with Manual Tasks provides
a list of references and resources for further
information
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