Description

                                                    Program Rationale

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) are a quite common disorder for people all over the world. Most people who get affected by this disorder are working people and this disorder is more commonly known as work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders. Musculoskeletal disorder is basically the disorders or the injuries that have an impact on the movements of the body of a particular person (Middlesworth, May 8).

 The MSD’s can be termed as disorders of muscles, joints, spinal problems, tendons, cartilage etc. The major reason why this is seen as a work-related disease or disorder is because the environment at work and how it is being performed do a major contribution in making this disorder condition exist. Other than that the condition or the disease also stays and prolongs due to working conditions and working environment and it is even made worse with time and persistence of such conditions and environment (H.Wegman, 2004).

How common and serious the MSD’s are at workplace can be seen from some of the stats collected from United States. The MSD’s take up the largest category in workplace diseases and injuries and this disease is responsible for up to 30% of all compensation costs of workers. Just in 2011 companies in the United States spent about 50 billion dollars as direct costs of MSD’s. Taking notice of all these stats, it can be clearly seen that MSD’s is a major problem and a quite common one too. But what is important is that all this cost on MSD’s and the hazards and pain of it can be avoided since this disease or disorder is very much preventable (Bernard, 1997).

MSD is a disease and disorder which can be prevented easily only if workers are made to avoid the risk factors of MSD’s and they have been given good working conditions. The work-related risk factors of MSD and the workers being exposed to it are the major reason why such a disease and disorder exists so commonly. When a worker at a work place is exposed to the risk factors of MSD’s, he/she starts to get fatigued and once the fatigue in the body over powers the recovery system of the body, an imbalance of musculoskeletal is developed and thus the development of the musculoskeletal disorder (Armstrong, 1993). 

There are three basic or primary MSD’s risk factors at work which cause the disorder to happen. High task repetition tops the list as many tasks and other cycles of work are very repetitive naturally and they must be done in a particular amount of time to meet targets etc. This task repetition is combined with use of force and awkward postures for long times which then contributes to the forming of this disorder. Forceful exertions are another high-risk factor at work as many tasks knowing or unknowingly require force which puts a load on the body and muscles which then increases fatigue. And thirdly the persistence of awkward postures which puts strains on the muscles and joints and without enough recovery time, risk for MSD’s is created (TR, 1996).