Repetitive strain a painful reality for thousands

On Feb. 28, UFCW Canada will join workers and other labour groups around the world to recognize the 10th annual Repetitive Strain Injury Awareness Day. Health-and-safety activists initiated the day of awareness in 2000 to help bring attention to an occupational hazard that affects thousands of people in many different sectors, and members working in UFCW Canada core industries in particular.

Also known as musculoskeletal disorder (MSD), the term repetitive strain injury (RSI) refers to a collection of ailments that affect the body’s muscles, nerves, and tendons. Some common examples of RSIs are tendinitis, tenosynovitis, and
carpal tunnel syndrome.

One out of 10 Canadian workers is afflicted with RSIs and, apart from the emotional strain these injuries can have on affected workers and their families, the net cost of RSIs exceeds $26-billion – or 3% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) – every year.

“RSIs are a painful reality for thousands of workers in Canada, and they’re an especially frustrating injury type because they are so preventable,” says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. 

“Convincing governments and employers to make RSI prevention a priority is a huge challenge, but the labour movement is making progress and UFCW Canada is leading the way,” says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. 

Despite the massive negative impact RSIs have on workers and the national economy, only Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia have thus far recognized the need for regulatory action. The most progressive legislation is in B.C., where the law obliges employers to consult with joint healthand-safety committee members in identifying, assessing, and controlling RSI risks.
 

RSI prevention is especially lacking in Ontario, but UFCW Canada local unions in the province are making headway on the issue by prioritizing RSI prevention in their coordinated bargaining strategies, while training health-and-safety activists to recognize RSI hazards and conduct RSI assessments.

The training is part of an MSD Prevention Toolbox that UFCW Canada co-developed with the Ministry of Labour and other stakeholder groups.

“Guidelines and a Toolbox are good things to have, and they’re an important step forward, but what workers really need, of course, are comprehensive regulations,” says Pearl Sawyer, executive vice-president of UFCW Canada Local 1000A and a long-time RSI prevention advocate.

“As labour leaders, we can call for immediate action – but employers and governments will only enact appropriate measures if working people demand them, so it’s essential for workers to know about RSI hazards and to take an active role in making their working lives safer,” Sawyer says.

“That’s why initiatives like RSI Awareness Day are so important.”