Identify hazardous movements and physical efforts
How much is too much? Most jobsite tasks involve movement and physical effort. The key is identifying when they could lead to injuries. To find out which tasks may cause problems and what to do about them, it’s critical to identify contributing factors.
Contributing factors
Contributing factors include:
- Awkward postures,
- Repetitive motions,
- Forceful exertions,
- Pressure points (local contact stress),
- Vibration, and
- Environmental factors.
When identifying contributing factors, keep in mind that no one knows exactly:
- How many repetitions are too many?
- What degree of awkward posture is harmful?
- What duration of a task is too long?
- How much force is too much?
- What effects result from a combinations of these factors?
Since each worker has different physical capabilities, the “safe” exposure level may differ. What is known is that the more time spent performing physically demanding or repetitive tasks, the more likely an injury will occur.
Both the total time per shift and the duration of each period can be factors. A solid 20 minutes of exposure to vibration might be worse than a series of one-minute exposures spread throughout the shift, even if the total time per shift exceeds 20 minutes.
Like repetitive motions, forceful exertions and other factors increase the recovery time (the length and frequency of muscle relaxation breaks) needed to help reduce fatigue and prevent injury.
Minimize contributing factors as much as possible. The more contributing factors present, the more likely an injury will occur. Identifying them requires evaluating each job. Discuss these contributing factors during your next job safety analysis meeting and ensure workers know how to avoid them.