BEYOND THE WRENCH PAGE | 10
"
"
"There are many takeaway
solutions that my employer
counterpart and I gathered
from these workshops to
improve our workplace. I am
hopeful that this work will
have a positive impact on
our sector."
—Krupa Patel, Health and Safety
Coordinator, Heffner Lexus
Toyota
"
"
"These workshops were
focused, down to the nuts
and bolts. If you don't have
data, it's difficult to fix the
problem because you don't
know where to look."
—Bill Kydd, Technician, Finch
Auto Group
Solutions focused on
changing behaviour
During the final day of the workshop, participants
brainstormed controls to reduce the risk of exposure
to MSDs. Equipped with the workshop results, which
pointed to the role of people and culture, the group
explored ways to change behaviour. "Solutions need
to be focused on behavioural change at all levels,
worker, supervisor, and employer. Workplaces need
to foster a culture where safety is seen as integral to
performance and where open communication and
proactive reporting of discomfort are encouraged,"
said Melissa.
Eighty-nine controls and solutions for the top ten
primary causal factors were articulated that day.
Communication, training, and trusted resources were
common themes among them. "Employers need to
make their employees aware of the risks and potential
injuries. They also need to listen to their workers. If
workers are saying that something is a problem, talk
to them about it and try to come up with a solution
together," said Andrew. "Communication is one of the
most important things in life."
"When you ask people to do an extra step or use a
tool that seems like it will make the job take a bit
longer, it is really important that they understand
why. For example, it is safer to take an extra few
minutes and use an available lift-assist to hoist a tire,
rather than lift it on your own over and over again. If
workers do not see the value in doing this, they are
not likely to change their behaviour," said Nathan,
echoing Andrew's comments about the importance of
communication.
An issue that was brought up during the workshop
discussion was the fact that technicians are often
required to purchase their own tools. "If there is a tool
available that can make a job ergonomically friendly,
but it's expensive, workers may not spend money on
it if they are still able to get the job done without it,
even though it will be harder on their body," Nathan
said. Again, people are not likely to change their
behaviour unless they understand the long-term
impact of MSDs and the value of tools and procedures
that reduce their risk.
