• Cranbourne News

By Bridget Brady

26th November 2009 02:06:01 AM

WorkSafe angels Jessica Pletcher and Ursula Drabikowski eased some of the tension from the shoulders of Daniel and Jamie from RPM Tyres in Cranbourne. 39410Picture: Stewart Chambers

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WORKSAFE angels gave therapeutic massages to staff at a Cranbourne business last week as part of a campaign targeting musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs).

Staff at RPM Tyres in Cranbourne enjoyed a free massage at work on Friday when the angels visited as part of a new WorkSafe campaign Don’t Turn Your Back on Safety, which tackles Musculoskeletal Injuries (MSIs).

In the past five years, the City of Casey recorded 3442 WorkCover claims, with about 2065 of those being MSI-related.

Sixty per cent of workplace injuries in Victoria are caused by work-related MSIs.

WorkSafe’s executive director John Merritt said the angels helped deliver health messages to workers and employers to remind them that MSIs were generally unseen and resulted in back pain, soft tissue injuries to necks, arms, shoulders and legs and are often overlooked as a risk to business.

“We want employers to be aware of the potential injuries caused by poor handling practices and repetitive work, which can cause damage slowly as well as the potential for slips and falls,” Mr Merritt said.

Some people could need surgery, be unable to work, have permanent pain or never fully recover if they were not aware of MSI risks, Mr Merritt said.

“For employers productivity is cut, there may be staff replacement costs and retraining and safety improvements to be made after the event.”

Most MSIs were caused through manual handling, or as a result of preventable incidents such as tripping over cords, falling down stairs, jumping to a lower level or slipping on liquids,” Mr Merritt said.

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