Why continuing care workers are at higher risk

The nature of care work creates conditions where MSIs are likely without deliberate prevention effort.

Healthcare workers in long-term care and home health support regularly:

• perform the same movements many times a shift (repetitive motion)
• work in positions their body isn't built to sustain (awkward postures)
• apply force to assist residents or clients who need physical support (forceful exertion)

Transferring a resident from bed to wheelchair, repositioning someone who can't move independently, and assisting with toileting or bathing are high-risk activities not because they're careless, but because the physical demands are real and they happen constantly. 

Some tasks carry more risk than others. Knowing which ones — and what to do before you carry them out — is where prevention starts.

Prevention is a shared responsibility, with different obligations at different levels.

Employers are required to identify tasks that put workers at risk of an MSI, assess the level of risk, and put control measures in place to eliminate or reduce it. They are also responsible for educating and training workers so they understand MSI risks in their specific workplace.

Workers contribute to prevention by carrying out a Point of Care Risk Assessment (PCRA) before each care interaction. The PCRA is a brief check that helps workers identify risks specific to the resident or client in front of them, their condition, mobility, behaviour, and environment, so care can be adapted to be safer.

A strong prevention program depends on both roles working together.