Overexertion Injuries
Sprains and Strains are a big expense for your company.
What can you do?
According to the 2008 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, overexertion injuries are the most common type of workplace injury, accounting for approximately 25% of all workers compensation claims. These types of injuries are also among the most expensive, costing an average of approximately $12 billion dollars per year in direct costs. Overexertion injuries also account for approximately $3.3 million in emergency room visits.
What is an overexertion injury?
Overexertion injuries can occur when a person works beyond their own physical capabilities. Unlike Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which is caused by repetitive activities over a long period of time, strains and sprains due to overexertion often occur suddenly.
These injuries are very common in construction trades or other jobs which require strenuous physical activity. According to available statistics, around 60 percent of all overexertion injuries affect the back.
The most common injury is caused when a person carries, lifts, pushes or pulls something that is either too heavy or uses poor body positioning and mechanics, and it causes stress to occur on the joints in the body.
Strains and Sprains: The most common overexertion injury
Other common overexertion injuries are a side effect of repeated bending at the waist and long term poor posture while sitting at work. These injuries are more often known as strains and sprains.
Strains occur when a muscle is stretched or torn and sprains occur when a ligament is stretched or torn. Some personal factors have been associated with overexertion injuries such as aging, loss of body flexibility, poor conditioning and being overweight.
The symptoms of overexertion injuries
The injuries caused by physical overexertion can range from simple and easily treatable strains and sprains to severe, debilitating injuries. As with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and other repetitive motion injuries, the affected area needs time to recover after an injury.
Workers may be advised by their doctors against lifting heavy objects or performing other basic job functions, or they may require a period of total bed rest. This often leads to a loss of income and loss of production for the company. The medical expenses required to treat these types of injuries are high, putting additional financial strain on the employee and employer.
Overexertion can be prevented
Proper posture, body mechanics and ergonomics can lessen overexertion injuries. Because it is important that the demands of the job match the capabilities of the worker, extra training may be required to perform a job safely.
Enhance production and reduce risk with TIPS
All training and programs at Tailored Injury Prevention Solutions are behavior based in content and delivery and include initiatives such as “Self Sell” activities and “Positive Peer Assessment.” Because our body works like a chain, with each link relying on the other to work correctly, we train the whole body. We design corrective programs – that take place primarily as the employee performs their job – to enhance production and reduce risk.