BEYOND THE WRENCH PAGE | 8
"
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"Spreading the word will be
a challenge, but it is also an
opportunity to be mindful
and strategic. We need to get
this information out there and
remind people that it's ok to
not know everything yet. It's
part of the journey towards
improvement."
—Ana Cantu, Human Resources
Generalist, Mercedes-Benz
Kitchener-Waterloo
People and culture were
dominant factors
It quickly became evident to the group that all top five
primary causal factors were related to behaviours and
workplace culture, rather than equipment or processes.
"The fact that six of the top ten casual factors fall
under the people and culture categories indicates that
MSDs are not solely driven by equipment, but rather
by human behaviours, organizational practices, and
cultural norms," said Melissa. "This seems to suggest
that how work is approached—such as rushing and lack
of adherence to safe work practices—can play a major
role in MSD risk."
"It is the supervisor's job to monitor and enforce
compliance with safe work practices and procedures.
That plays a big role in developing a safety culture.
So, it makes sense that supervisor training was
high on the list of primary root causes," explained
Nathan. Training supervisors provides them with the
knowledge they need to protect their workers. They
are a critical component in changing the workplace
culture. He emphasized the importance of early
identification and reporting to reduce the risk of
workers developing chronic conditions. "Creating a
culture that encourages reporting when something is
causing pain or discomfort is key," he said, but points
out that you can't stop there.
"Early reporting is one thing, but then you need to
take action and address the concern. Otherwise,
people will not see a point in reporting," he said.
"There has been a historical mindset of acceptance
that this is just the way things are," said Jessica.
Even those who recognize that pain from MSDs is a
problem affecting their workers, don't know what to
do about it or where to go for help.
