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 in the Law section of this site.
- WorkSafe Victoria have a large number of publications on Manual Handling which can be downloaded from their website. Here are a few examples:
- WorkSafe also has a great deal of information on the Health and Aged Care Industry page - for example:
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From WA:
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Manual Handling Solutions Training - Building and Construction Industry: A publication from WA which provides advice on manual handling training requirements and how they can be implemented within the construction industry - useful for other industries and workplaces too.
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From Queensland Workplace Health and Safety: A booklet and fact sheets to help employers and workers prevent the most common injuries in Queensland workplaces – sprains and strains. The booklet 'Sprains and strains prevention' and five supporting industry fact sheets explain how these injuries occur and what can be done to prevent them.
- Sprains and strains prevention booklet [pdf]
- Construction industry sprains and strains prevention factsheet [pdf]
- Health and community services industry sprains and strains prevention factsheet [pdf]
- Manufacturing industry sprains and strains prevention factsheet [pdf]
- Rural industry sprains and strains prevention factsheet [pdf]
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Transport and storage industry sprains and strains prevention factsheet [pdf]
- From Tasmania:
Body Strain Prevention Kit for employers. Aimed at employers, the kit provides a practical system for managing manual handling risks, it also provides general information and specific guidance for black spot occupations. As well as the employer version, there is also a 'complementary' workers version of the kit.
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From the UK:
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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
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Also from the HSE and developed in conjunction with the peak union council, the TUC: two tools for safety reps, a checklist for workplace manual handling inspections and a practical guide to managing sickness absence and return to work:
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Manual handling inspections checklist [pdf].
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Managing sickness absence and return to work [pdf].
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HSE better backs campaign webpages and what could you do? page..
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Good practice guidelines on avoiding MSDs for the Telecommunications industry [pdf] from the HSE MSD Online Project Steering Group, concerning musculoskeletal risk. The advice is drawn from a literature study and a survey of working practices in telecommunications work, its recommendations come in 2 parts - the general principles for the prevention of MSDs, and specific work activities associated with the greatest risk of MSD.
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Preventing manual handling injuries - a guide for safety representatives - free to download from the UK retail union Usdaw.
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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]
- Musculoskeletal injury prevention guidelines online - a result of a collaboration between global union federation UNI's European telecommunications wing and ETNO, the employers' organisation for the sector.
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From the European Union:
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Napo at Work - Lighten the Load - a range of short animated features that looks at 'managing the load', not only the load being carried but all the 'strains' put on the body by material being moved, the environmental factors, hazards in the workplace, and the pace at which the task is being carried out.
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Musculo-skeletal injuries and the telecommunications industry. This guide, targetting hazards in the telecommunications sector, was produced in a joint project by European unions and employers. The guide and accompanying research, based on a survey of 500,000 of the 1.3 million people employed by network operators within the EU, is available online.
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From the Occupational Health and Safety Council of Ontario (Canada) a Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) Prevention Database - with information and links to MSD prevention and ergonomics resources and also a Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) Prevention Toolbox (accessible on the above page)