Innovation for a better health at work

Causes

MSDs can be caused by several risk factors : Chances of having an MSD increases proportionally to the risk factors' number and intensity.

Biomechanical factors

The main biomechanical factors are the repetitiveness of gestures, excessive efforts, extreme articular zones, work in a maintained position, determined by the job's different characteristics (the post's layout, work's organization,...):

• Gestures' high repetitiveness
• Overexertion
• Important joint areas' sollicitation
• Work in a maintained position

Lacks of breaks or alternation in tasks as well as excessive working hours are organizational factors that increase the risk of MSDs as they do not allow enough time to recover.

Spotting risk factors and determinants makes finding avenues for prevention possible.

Sources : www.inrs.fr/risques/tms-troubles-musculosquelettiques/prevention

Consequences

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) affect almost all professions and companies of all sizes: they represent a major occupational health problem. The prevention of these diseases is a considerable challenge for companies and their employees' well-being.

Schematically, there are 3 families of costs for companies:

Direct costs

This kind of costs is directly linked to MSDs and their management. They are composed of:

• health insurance contributions in the same way as work-related accidents (employer account),
• benefits paid for sick employees (absence, care),
• costs related to the research for and implementation of workstations adptation for the victims,
• time spent managing the files of affected employees.

Indirect or regulatory costs

They are related to the dysfunctions induced by MSDs.There are 4 categories of dysfunction:

• absenteeism and departures,
• loss of productivity: pace in the movements and replacements of competent people who have become unfit,
• the loss of production capacity: deadlines, capacity and quality,
• the work atmosphere degradation.

As those costs can be partly caused by something other than MSDs, their carefully evaluated (for example absenteeism has multiple causes). MSDs share can be appreciated but not strictly measured.

Strategic costs

MSDs impact the company's ability to mobilize its resources to gain or maintain a competitive position. Strategic costs are not a line-item accounting assessment, but they do inform the key limitations that MSDs pose to the company's capabilities. Capacity limits can be:

• social: risk of conflict or exhaustion,
• production: increased cycle times due to restrictions,
• economic: MSDs induced impact of overstaffing on prices and competitiveness,
• or ethical: degradation of the company's image in the eyes of customers or as an appealing place to work.

For instance,numerous tempory workers filing in for absent employees, often due to MSDs, can heigten the risk of compromising the quality. In each company strategic costs are qualified by the management and the staff representatives.

Sources : www.inrs.fr/risques/tms-troubles-musculosquelettiques/prevention

Key Facts

Approximately 1.71 billion people have musculoskeletal conditions worldwide.

Among musculoskeletal disorders, low back pain causes the highest burden with a prevalence of 568 million people.

Musculoskeletal conditions are the leading contributor to disability worldwide, with low back pain being the single leading cause of disability in 160 countries.

Musculoskeletal conditions significantly limit mobility and dexterity, leading to early retiremennt from work, lower levels of well-being and reduced ability to participate in society.

Due to population growth and aging demographic, their is a rapid increase in the number of people experiencing muskuloskeletal condition.

The disability associated with muskuloskeletal conditions has been increasing and is projected to continue to increase in the next decaded.

Sources : World Health Organization