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February 28 Declared RSI Awareness Day
February 28 has been declared International RSI Awareness Day. The special commemoration is the result of a movement of workers who have been affected by the debilitating effects of repetitive strain injuries. The goal is to highlight the causes of RSI, the need to eliminate the risks and the need for fair compensation.
What are RSI's?
Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) or Musculoskeletal (MSI) are broad terms used to describe injury or disorder of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, nerves, blood vessels or related soft tissue including a sprain, strain and inflammation, that may be caused or aggravated by work. Tendonitis, tenosynovitis and carpal tunnel syndrome are some common examples. Symptoms of RSI include aches, pains, burning, tingling, swelling and loss of joint movement and strength. These symptoms can progress into chronic and disabling disorders that in some cases will not respond to treatment.
Why is RSI Prevention Important?
Every year hundreds of BCNU members suffer injuries or discomfort from repetitive strain resulting from their work. It is important to identify the causes of these injuries and eliminate and if not possible minimize the risk factors that cause these injuries. Some examples of injuries we have seen while representing BCNU members include:
Public Health Nurses
Nurses doing the H1N1 clinics have been reporting increased discomfort from performing large numbers of vaccinations The major risk factor identified is the
prolonged manual pushing of vaccine in syringes.
Community Nurses
There is high incidence of epicondylitis and hand wrist tendonitis associated with the keyboarding and mouse work related to computerizing documentation of nursing notes.
BCNU is on the forefront in bargaining better Health and Safety language to improve working conditions and safety regulations. BCNU supports workplace OH&S stewards with worksite inspections, with the aim to reduce RSIs. BCNU assists with WorksafeBC and LTD claims and appeals who have RSIs.
What can you do?
- Report concerns about risk factors in your work.
- Report musculoskeletal discomforts promptly in writing to the employer (on the Employee Accident and Injury report form) and seek immediate medical attention.
- Involve the OH&S steward in your workplace, to raise concerns with the JOSH Committee to discuss with an aim for corrective actions.
- Participate in inspections and make recommendations to eliminate or minimize the risk of RSIs.
- Be aware of the WorksafeBC OH&S regulation Ergonomics (MSI) Requirements section 4.46 to 4.53.
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