Manual Handling Training: Benefits For Managing Upper Limb Disorders

While it's true that upper limb disorders (ULD) is present in all kinds of workplaces, it doesn't mean that the worker who is exposed to the risks would end up with ULD, nor does that mean that these risks cannot be controlled in some way. As an employer, it would be best for you to know how to control ULD in such a way and you can pass this information to your workers. Not only that, but minimizing and managing the risks of ULDs to your employees would lessen the risk of legal action and its possible compensation costs.

So what exactly are the business benefits of managing Upper Limb Disorders?

1. Increased efficiency. Of course, when your employees do not have any MSD bothering them, they would be able to perform to the best of their physical ability. This efficiency could also translate to those jobs that need to be thought out, since physical discomfort can also affect mental health and well being.

2. Working days lost to sick leaves. Sick leaves can affect the total productivity of your employees. They might be insignificant when taken as single occurrences, but when taken as a whole, with all your employees' sick leaves taken into account, then the number of days lost to it would be minimized.

3. Fewer staff replacement and re-training costs. Let's admit it, for people to work efficiently first, they need training. Every year, millions of pounds go into employee training and seminars. The only problem is that when employees get sick, the possibility of employee replacement is going to be eminent. Thus, all that money on training would be lost, especially if the employee hasn't had enough time to actually give back. Protecting employees from MSDs and specially, ULD, would save the company money in the long run.

4. Reduced risk litigation

5. Lower compensation costs and insurance costs. Of course, when the employee gets sick and it's found out that it's work-caused of work-related, then the company has to do compensation for the employee and his company. And also, the company would have to pay for his insurance also.

So in the long run, if you can't or would not manage ULD while it is still manageable, both your company and your employees would suffer. You can also risk possible legal action, and more financial losses through possible compensation costs. However, as the employee, you can still do something to manage ULD.

Here are two steps that you can do to protect yourself and your employees from ULD and other forms of MSDs:

1. Do risk assessment. Risk assessments help you assess spots in your workplace, wherein the work activities may cause harm. It also helps you investigate current and past cases of ULD.

2. Formulate risk reduction. Of course, after your assessment and once you find the work activities that can cause or evoke ULD, then you would need to formulate ways to reduce them. You can introduce changes to the work area gradually, or else, add tools that can lessen possible interaction with ULD causes, you can also make sure that the work environment is conducive to work.

Safety Media helps in making your workplace safe from ULDs and other forms of MSD. You can purchase our top seller Manual Handling Training DVD, and find out ways to do activities such as lifting and pushing techniques to prevent threads of MSD eliminated. Lean more at our Safety Media website here  => http://www.SafetyMedia.co.uk/manual-handling.html