Tackling Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) in Construction: Glascott’s Commitment to Safety

30/09/2024

Glascott Landscape and Civil’s HSEQ Manager, Elliott Humphries, is passionate about health and safety, with a special interest in Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). He plays an active role in the SafeWork NSW Consultative Committee for MSDs.

Recently, Elliott participated in a panel alongside Veronica Black (NSW Nurses and Midwives Association) and Jasmina Budisa (Specialist Services, SafeWork NSW), moderated by Jim Kelly (SafeWork NSW), at the launch event of the SafeWork MSD Prevention Plan.

The panel discussed the importance of leadership buy-in, the challenges of managing MSDs in labour-intensive industries, and the proactive steps required to reduce MSD risks on worksites. This includes our Gipps Street Recreation Precinct, where SafeWork NSW filmed their educational video with our team.

Here are the key insights from Elliott’s Q&A:

1️⃣ Why did Glascott prioritise identifying and controlling MSD risks?
MSD injuries consistently ranked among our top five workplace injuries each year, resulting in significant costs due to lost time and slow recovery. To counter the misconception that MSDs are unavoidable in labour-intensive roles, we presented compelling data and utilised risk management tools like APHIRM and SafeWork NSW’s resources to highlight the need for a proactive approach.

2️⃣ How did we assess and control MSD risks?
Using the APHIRM Toolkit, we assembled a risk management team, distributed surveys to our workers to identify the top MSD risks, and collaborated on solutions. Since implementing these strategies, we’ve seen reductions in MSD injury numbers, and improvements across our broader safety system.

3️⃣ Final advice for construction stakeholders:
While it’s easy to focus on high-risk categories, hazardous manual tasks should also be treated as high-risk due to their long-term impacts. We’ve embedded prompts and regular assessments for MSD risks into our safety processes to ensure risk management becomes a consistent habit.

Download the MSD Stakeholder Communications Kit.

Elliott continues to lead by example, making our worksites safer for everyone. Watch the video from Gipps Street to see how we’re taking MSD risk management seriously.

#safety #construction #workplacesafety #healthandsafety #MSDPrevention #GlascottLandscapeAndCivil #SafeWorkNSW