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Musculoskeletal Disorders

Musculoskeletal Disorders
Manual Handling and Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)
Musculoskeletal disorders or MSDs are injuries associated with manual handling or the physical configuration of the work environment. They can be caused by poor workplace design, repetitive movements, lifting or by maintaining the same posture for extended periods. Manual handling is by far the most common cause of workplace injuries in the community sector with sprains, strains and other musculoskeletal disorders accounting for almost 60% of all injuries in 2006 – 2007 (WorkSafe Victoria, 2008).

The Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) sector has specific manual handling risks associated with working in the industry. This includes the increased risk of injury caused by working in crowded and sometimes poorly designed work spaces. These situations can lead an increased risk of injury including:
• Injuries to muscles, ligaments and disks,
 • Cuts and abrasions,
 • Hernias,
 • Slips and falls.
There are also specific situations in the drug and alcohol sector where there may be an increased risk of manual handling injuries. Working in residential detox, outreach and other uncontrolled working situations, for example, can increase the risk of manual handling injuries. In these situations workers may find themselves having to lift clients or undertake risky lifting tasks. There are also a number of hazards associated with occupational violence that can increase the risk of strains and sprains. Dealing with clients who may become violent can increase the chance of physical injury when moving away to avoid injury as well as when lifting or restraining clients. More information about lifting clients safely can be found in Designing workplaces for safer handling of people.
Preventing injuries caused by manual handling should involve:
 • hazard identification through assessing possible risks,
 • consultation with staff about the risks and ways to control them,
 • controlling the risks (including the provision of appropriate equipment and training),
 • measure and assess that hazard controls are working.

Other useful publications:

Officewise - A guide to health and safety in the office
WorkSafe Victoria has put together a risk assessment checklist for manual handling, which can be downloaded here.

Working Safely in Visiting Health Services
More information about manual handling can be found in the Code of Practice for Manual Handling

Working Safely In Community Services

Infectious Disease
Another area where AOD workers can be directly exposed to physical injury is through sharps injuries and the risk of exposure to blood borne viruses.
Drug treatment workplaces need to be proactive in implementing workplace policies that will control the risks associated with transmission of blood borne viruses.
It is important that workplaces in the AOD sector consider all possible ways employees may be exposed to infection, which can be done by:
 • completing a workplace inspection with employees to identify infection hazards;
• reviewing injury records to identify whether anyone at the workplace (including members of the public) has become infected in the past;
 • asking employees if they have any concerns about possible exposure to infectious diseases; and
 • checking with the Department of Human Services and other providers of similar services about infectious diseases that employees may be exposed to in the course of their work.
Workers in the AOD sector are at increased risk of exposure to blood borne viruses through the direct contact with infected blood/bodily fluids, with broken skin or splashes to mucous membranes. There are a number of standard (universal) precautions for dealing with blood or bodily fluids that can help prevent exposure to blood borne viruses. These standard precautions are work practices required for a basic level of infection control.
These include:
 • personal hygiene practices, such as hand washing and drying before and after all significant client contact;
 • use of PPE (personal protective equipment), which may include gloves, plastic aprons, gowns, overalls, masks, face shields and eye protection;
 • appropriate handling and disposal of sharp instruments and clinical waste;
 • correct cleaning and disinfecting of non-disposable equipment;
 • appropriate use of cleaning agents; and
 • environmental controls, such as workplace design and maintenance, cleaning and spills management.
Employers should also consider the provision of training for staff in infection control such the correct processes for working with sharps and appropriate hygiene processes. Employers could also consider the provision of staff inoculation against infectious diseases such as hepatitis B.
Useful publications;
Needlestick injuries can be prevented