June is National Safety Month, and the week of June 5 to 11 focuses on preventing overexertion. Overexertion is a very common cause of painful and disabling injuries—and what’s especially distressing about overexertion injuries is that they are so easily avoided.
That’s where you come in. Train your workers on the dangers of overexertion and ways to prevent it. Begin by reminding employees that it is particularly important to avoid overexertion if there is a history of heart disease in their family or if they are advancing in age, overweight, or unaccustomed to prolonged physical activity.
Give employees the following examples of overexertion that take only minutes to perform but can result in hours, weeks, or even a lifetime of physical harm:
- Using incorrect lifting techniques when moving or lifting heavy objects
- Trying to “muscle” their way through a job by themselves when it would have been wiser to get help
- Trying to avoid an extra trip when moving materials by adding an extra package or box to an already full load
- Overextending their reach to paint that one last spot, just to avoid descending a ladder, repositioning it, and climbing again.
Acknowledge the motivations that might lead employees to overexert. Examples include:
- Saving time
- Not wanting to appear weak
- Not wanting to bother co-workers
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Then emphasize the reality that refusing to get help could prove to be a painful mistake. If the result is an overexertion injury, time has not been saved, co-workers are upset, and employees may end up looking indecisive or unable to make wise decisions.
Encourage employees to work smartly and safely, which means not only following safe work practices, such as lifting correctly, but also knowing one’s own limitations and when it is sensible to ask for help.
Also establish an atmosphere of cooperation in which co-workers are always ready and willing to give help when they are asked for assistance. By removing any reluctance to help from a managerial standpoint, employees won’t feel the need to hesitate to seek help from co-workers.
Reiterate that “no pain, no gain”—once a motto for bodybuilders and more casual exercise enthusiasts—has by now been pretty much discredited. Experts now indicate that ignoring pain, and continuing to do whatever is causing it, is neither smart nor healthy. The only “gain” is more pain and perhaps actual damage to the body.
Replace those old mottos with a better slogan for those who want to work safely and smartly, something like “heed pain to avoid strain.”
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FYI: The rest of National Safety Month’s weekly focus is:
- June 12–18: Teen Driving Safety
- June 19–25: Preventing Slips, Trips, and Falls
- June 26–30: On the Road, Off the Phone
Why It Matters
- A recent study reports that overexertion injuries (injuries caused by excessive lifting, pushing, pulling, etc.) are the most-disabling injuries (those that result in loss of 6 or more days from work).
- Overexertion injuries are almost entirely preventable.
- Effective training and a “Safety First” atmosphere in the workplace can help prevent overexertion injuries.