How common are musculoskeletal disorders in warehouse work?

Many Minnesota residents work in large warehouses. If you are one of them, what you do likely involves physical labor. While continuing to perform physical labor, it’s possible to get injured. Considering that, many common injuries reported in warehouses involve the musculoskeletal system. Here is more information about these injuries and how companies are working to prevent them.

What causes musculoskeletal injuries?

One of the most important workplace safety matters is how to prevent injuries. And, according to research, musculoskeletal injuries or MSDs are becoming a major problem for companies and their employees.

The majority of MSDs are the result of performing repetitive motions. Amazon has reported MSDs account for almost 40% of its work-related injuries. Another report found that MSDs cost companies in the United States over $50 billion annually.

How to help prevent musculoskeletal injuries

Fortunately, there are several ways to reduce your risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries. One way to do this is by working rotational schedules, which prevents you from doing the same type of work for long periods.

Another tip for reducing these injuries is to have workers avoid lifting heavy objects by themselves. Certain experts are optimistic that robots or other types of machinery will assist humans with tasks known to cause MSDs. To help its workers, Amazon recently launched a program that coaches employees on safety and body mechanics, leading to a 32% decrease in workplace injuries.

To summarize, warehouse workers can suffer from musculoskeletal injuries. If you received this type of injury on the job, you might have a viable workers’ compensation claim. For more help with this matter, consider scheduling a consultation with an experienced lawyer.