INDUSTRY LED, RESULTS DRIVEN PAGE | 6
Root-Cause Analysis
Workshop
Once the top ten risks were identified, the next step
was to isolate one risk and complete a root-cause
analysis to determine the primary causal factors
that lead to that risk. In this case, the risk statement
chosen for the two-day root-cause analysis
workshop was related to the top risk of MSDs—
exposure to MSDs, such as heavy lifting, repetitive
motion and awkward postures from manually
handling products can negatively impact workplace
safety and the well-being of workers.
At the end of the first day, 35 primary causal factors
had been identified using a fishbone diagram. The
workshop participants were then asked to rate the
level of importance of each factor on a scale of
1 to 7, with 1 indicating the least important and 7
indicating the most important. When the rating was
complete, inadequate training was confirmed with
consensus among the worker and management
representatives as the top primary causal factor
leading to MSDs among grocery store workers.
"There seemed to be an understanding that what
many employers are doing now is providing
awareness regarding MSDs. However, awareness
is not training," Melissa explained, providing some
context. "Training is a demonstrated method where
I show you, you show me, and we show together."
Poor workstation design/layout was the second
primary causal factor on the list. Poor technique
was third. "Poor technique could be related to
inadequate training," said Melissa. "It comes back to
the idea of going beyond awareness. Workers need
specific training on how to safely perform a task so
that they know the proper technique, along with an
understanding of what it could mean for their daily
lives if they develop an MSD injury."
"
"
"It is so interesting to see the fishbone come to life,
how ideas connect. The probing from the support team
was very effective at guiding the process, without
telling us what to discuss. It was great feeding off ideas
from people who work in the same sector but share
different perspectives."
—Kathleen Couto, Sobeys, Store Manager
