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Risk Factors Identification

Aerial Carter

Columbia Southern University

Risk Factors Identification

People that work in the United States companies’ experience a common, but very costly health problem called Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). MSDs are defined as disorders and injuries that have an impact on the movements of the human body. They include tendonitis, ligament sprain, and tension neck syndrome among others. Musculoskeletal Disorders are caused by the exposure of workers to risk factors. It evolves as the body develops musculoskeletal imbalance due to fatigue outrunning the recovery system of the body. “The two categories of the said risk factors are individual and work-related risk factors (Muaidi & Shanb, 2016).” I examined a video involving a work task, described the task being performed, discussed the identified individual work-related risk factors, the MSDs that the workers are exposed to, the relationship between the human body, the work environment and the development of musculoskeletal disorders.

After viewing the video, I discovered that the task that the workers were performing involved moving some blocks and loading them to a rack, probably for transportation to another location. The place of work at which the workers were performing their duty posed a health risk to them. For instance, there was a lot of noise that could cause them (workers) hearing problems, as well as the place, being untidy. Items were scattered all over and heavy tractor equipment stored under the same workshop as plastic and buckets. The movement of the block is done by two individuals, who simplified their work by having one pick up the blocks from the heap, passed them to the other colleague, who then placed them on the rack. This process continued until the last block is placed on the rack.

The individual work-related risk factors that I identified, as the task in the video was being performed, included repetitive awkward posture, task repetition, and forceful exertions. Others included poor work practice, poor rest and poor health habits. One of the work-related risks that were identified was a repetitive awkward posture. This put excess force on joints, overloaded the tendon and muscles around the affected joint. The workers repeatedly lifted and passed the blocks with the same posture. This task showed the repetition of the same task, and the exertion of force on the worker's bodies due to the weight of the blocks. The individual related risk factors that were identified included poor work practice that was contributed by the work environment. “The workers could had put the place in order to allow them enough space for better lifting techniques (Institute of Medicine, National Research Council, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education & Panel on Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace, 2001).” Similarly, the dress code of the workers exposed them to unnecessary risks. Poor rest is exhibited in the video, because I do not see the workers resting after the hard task they just performed.

The potential musculoskeletal disorders that the workers are exposed according to the video include tendonitis, tension neck syndrome, rotator cuff tendonitis, and mechanical back syndrome. Tendonitis occurs when tendons are irritated by repeated motion of the body and weightlifting overloading. Tension neck syndrome is caused by constricting the flow of blood to the scalp thus leading to muscle tightness, stiffness and difficulty turning the head. Rotator cuff tendonitis similarly affects tendons and muscles that assist in the movement of shoulder joints. “The mechanical back syndrome involves spinal joint pains that are triggered by spine movement (Middlesworth, 2019).” The workers are exposed to the highlighted MSDs, because they all are the same tasks in the video. The activity the workers are performing involves the repeated movement of their body in the same position.

The relationship between the human body, the place of work, and the development of MSDs is that the kind of tasks that the body performs is dictated by the tasks performed in the place of work. For instance, the body movements of the workers in the video are a result of the nature of the task. “If they have to perform the duty, the have to repetitively move their bodies (Muaidi & Shanb, 2016).”

In conclusion, in the essay above, I described the task that were performed in the video, discussed the individual work-related MSDs risk factors, and the potential MSDs that the workers were exposed. Also, I discussed the relationship between the human body, workplace, and MDSs development.

Reference Page

1. Institute of Medicine, National Research Council, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, & Panel on Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace. (2001). CSU Library. Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace: Low Back and Upper Extremities. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.