Speaker: David Trembearth, Safety Business Partner, Coles
Musculoskeletal issues – what’s new in risks and prevention
There was a lot of interest in this topic and David gave attendees a lot to think about after his excellent presentation.
David was keen to point out that manual work is not a bad thing and that he is not against manual handling. In fact, current research indicates that it is not only physical factors that contribute to workplace musculoskeletal disorders, but other workplace factors as well. Therefore, one needs to look at how a task is "shaped". With appropriate design controls, manual tasks can be made much safer.
David busted a few myths about the reliance on conventional interventions. He confirmed what many of us have suspected for a long time, that training is not an effective prevention tool. There was certainly quite a bit of head-nodding at this point from attendees.
David alerted us to some useful resources, including Safe Work Australia's handbook on the principles of good work design.
Due to copyright reasons, we are not able to include the video David shared about a couple of the innovative design solutions he has implemented at Coles. You had to be there! Make sure you put the second Tuesday of the month into your diaries so that you don't miss out on our great presentations!
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