MSDs are a painful experience for employees, a costly problem for organizations, and a major headache for safety leaders.

So I’ll just say it:

A reactive approach to MSDs causes everyone to lose. Employees lose. Organizations lose. Safety leaders lose.

A painful experience

The employees who suffer MSDs truly bear the majority of the consequences of a reactive approach.

MSDs are the leading cause of pain, suffering, and disability in the U.S. workforce today (OSHA). They are more severe than the average nonfatal injury/illness (CDC),  can lower the quality of life of the injured person, and dramatically effect their ability to earn an income and provide for their family.

So remember that behind every number at the end of the injury column is an individual person that gives a portion of their life to help your organization meet its’ goals.

People will always be the best motivation to prevent MSDs. It’s the right thing to do.

A costly problem

A reactive approach to MSDs causes a costly problem for organizations. In addition to worker’s compensation and medical costs, these injuries cost organizations hours of lost productivity, costly legal fees, tedious administrative time, and a damaged safety culture.

See the infographic below to see just how big of an MSD problem organizations face.

A safety leader’s headache

The consequences a reactive approach have on employees and the organization also create a major headache for safety leaders.

Between the audits, meetings, paperwork and a handful of other things you have to do today, the last thing you want is to learn of another MSD injury at your facility. It’s just going to add more to your plate, mar the safety record of the facility, and damage the safety culture you’re trying so hard to shape.

We’re losing too much

I don’t know about you, but I hate to lose. If you look at the statistics in the infographic above, it’s clear that we’re losing too much.

So what’s holding us back?

Most of the time a reactive approach is the problem. Don’t get me wrong – managing an MSD case well after it has already happened is important. But MSDs are preventable, and the best value for your investment of resources is in prevention.  

This simple change in philosophy would empower organizations to prevent nearly all MSDs.

More help is coming soon …

It’s not all doom and gloom. On the flip side of the consequences of a reactive approach come the benefits of a proactive approach. Prevention is the best medicine.  

And prevention is winning.

Our job is to help you win and soon we’re going to announce the launch of an online platform that provides you with tools and training to prevent MSDs in your workplace. If you’ve liked the tools and training inside the Ergonomics Plus resource center, you’re going to love this.

Stay tuned, and we’ll see you next week as we continue this series on MSD Prevention.