WHAT RISK FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO MSDs?
The following are recognized as important risk factors, especially when they occur at high levels and in combination. 1) Forceful exertion – Force is the amount of effort required to perform a task or job. The amount of force one can exert depends on one’s posture and the number of exertions performed. The more force that is exerted, the greater the stress on the body. Lifting, pushing, pulling, and gripping a tool are examples of activities that require exerting force or muscle effort. 2) Repetitive movements – Movements performed over and over are described as repetitive movements. But a repetitive movement can also be an awkward posture held for long periods of time. These movements can be of risk to the worker because of continual stress placed on one body part without sufficient muscle recovery time. Nailing a deck, screwing drywall, and tying rebar are examples of repetitive tasks. 3) Awkward postures – Postures are the positions of body parts. Unnatural positions or awkward post
