One of Michael Holmes’ favourite expressions is: “Work shouldn’t hurt.”

Preventing workplace injuries is the focus of the Brock University Associate Professor of Kinesiology’s research and a key message during October’s Global Ergonomics Month, which raises awareness about the way humans interact with objects and systems to protect their well-being.

“Every single industry, profession and job can benefit from ergonomic principles,” says the Canada Research Chair in Neuromuscular Mechanics and Ergonomics. “In addition to healthy workers, ergonomics is good for business and can have a positive impact on a company’s bottom line.”

Holmes says musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) — injuries or pain to muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and nerves — account for a large percentage of all workplace injuries.

“In physical ergonomics, we often consider how much effort is required to do the job, how repetitive it is and what postures workers adopt while performing the job,” says Holmes. “Once we have a grasp of these physical demands, we can better understand fatigue, injury risk and solutions.”

He encourages companies and employees to:

• Implement an ergonomics program, perhaps with the support of organizations such as the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers.
• Offer measures such as assistive technologies, protective equipment, education and training to cut down on injury risk.
• Read and follow the MSD Prevention Guideline for Ontario.

Associate Professor of Kinesiology Shawn Beaudette says, “roughly 84 per cent of us will experience lower back pain at least once in our lifetimes” and that “lower back pain is one of the most burdensome disorders people struggle with chronically.”

Along with his team, the lead of Brock’s Spine Biomechanics and Neuromuscular Control Laboratory uses a variety of technologies to screen for different types of lower-back disorders and reduce the burden on those suffering with them.

The lab’s recent study found an increase in lower-back, neck and wrist pain in employees during COVID-19, when many of them switched to using laptops placed on home furniture, rather than desks and adjustable chairs.

With support from the CSA Group, Beaudette’s team also recently explored the use of a passive back support exoskeleton to offset demand on the spine during repetitive lifting manoeuvres, “demonstrating that exoskeletons can reduce fatigue and improve productivity.”

Assistant Professor of Engineering Ryan Schroeder researches rehabilitation strategies and equipment that helps people to walk more efficiently.

He is working to refine a specialized backpack first developed two decades ago by researchers looking to generate an energy source from the carrier’s movement.

“When you walk, your body moves up and down with every step,” says Schroeder. “The researchers thought that by de-coupling the load from the carrier’s back, they could capture some energy.”

Not only could the device recharge batteries for electronic devices, but surprisingly, it also made it easier to walk, he says.

Schroeder recommends taking smaller steps when carrying a heavy backpack to avoid high impact forces at the knees and leg joints.

Never underestimate how extreme temperatures in the workplace impact the body’s ability to function at its best, either, says Professor of Kinesiology Stephen Cheung.

He says hot environments add heat stress to bodies that are already generating a lot of heat.

“Research has also shown that productivity decreases and errors such as risky behaviour, inattention and difficulty in decision making increase over multiple days of heat exposure, such as what may occur during a heat wave,” says Cheung.

A similar dynamic of decreased productivity and risk of accidents occurs in cold environments, he says.

“Muscles have a harder time functioning, and the risks for musculoskeletal injuries may increase due to muscles being stiffer,” says Cheung. “Furthermore, cold hands reduce dexterity in performing fine movements, inhibiting the ability to perform simple manufacturing tasks through to performing critical tasks in an emergency situation.”