Sprains and Strains - more information

There is a lot of material available on Sprains and strains.  Here are just a few resources you might find useful:

  • Part 3.1 - Manual Handling - of the consolidated OHS Regulations (2017)  in the Law section of this site.

  • WorkSafe Victoria has a large number of publications on Manual Handling which can be found on the Hazardous Manual Handling topic page

  • WorkSafe also has a great deal of information on the Health Care Sector and Home Care Sector  industry pages - for example:

  • SafeWork Australia: the Hazardous Manual Tasks Model Code of Practice (under the harmonised Work Health Safety model regulatory package).

  • From SafeWork NSW: a very straightforward video on Strains and Sprains, which provides advice on how to go about reducing the risks. Also, more resources on the Manual Tasks section of the website.

  • Queensland Workplace Health and Safety also has a resource page on Manual Tasks. An interesting resource is  PErforM (Participative Ergonomics for Manual Tasks) A simple manual task risk management program, which helps workplaces involve their own people in solving manual tasks problems.

  • From Work Safe WA, an 11 minute video on Manual Tasks, which demonstrates how to identify hazardous manual tasks, how to assess risks arising from hazardous manual tasks, and how to control the risk

  • From the UK's regulator the HSE - The MSD Manual Handling website, with many resources including:
    • The Manual Handling Assessment Chart (MAC) - developed by the UK's Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The MAC is a tool that can be used to check risk assessments for tasks that involve lifting, carrying or team handling.
    • A  downloadable tool that can help reduce the likelihood of employees suffering from musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the upper limbs associated with repetitive tasks. The Assessment of Repetitive Tasks (ART) tool can help identify where the significant risks lie, suggest where to focus risk reduction measures and help prioritise improvements. ART is not, however, intended for assessment of risks from screen-based work. ART tool

  • Preventing manual handling injuries - a guide for safety representatives - free to download from the UK retail union Usdaw.

  • From UK postal union CWU a guide to help their safety reps ensure the risks to health and safety on delivery work are properly controlled and to tackle the high rates of workplace strains suffered by mail delivery staff:  Lighten the Load - CWU Safe Working on Delivery Guide  [pdf]

  • The European Agency for Health and Safety at Work Musculoskeletal disorders topic page
  • Observation-Based Posture Assessment: Review of Current Practice and Recommendations for Improvement - a document developed as a joint effort between NIOSH and the Canadian Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD). The document assists in the assessment of working posture for the prevention and control of occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).  It can be downloaded (as a pdf) from the CDC website.

  • From the Occupational Health and Safety Council of Ontario (Canada) a Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) webpage - with information and links to MSD prevention and ergonomics resources.

Last amended December 2022.