A safer, healthier workplace in cleaning industry: Prevent back pains with PRECURE’s solution
If you work in the cleaning industry, you know how physically demanding the job can be. Cleaning floors, lifting heavy objects, bending and reaching repeatedly can take a toll on your body. In fact, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), cleaning industry workers are at high risk for developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). At PRECURE, we understand the physical demands that come with cleaning work, and we're here to help you prevent and manage musculoskeletal disorders.
WHAT ARE MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS?
MSDs are injuries and disorders that affect the musculoskeletal system, including the muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, and bones. These can be caused by repetitive motions, awkward postures, heavy lifting, and other physical strain. Common MSDs in the cleaning industry include back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder or neck pain, and tendinitis.
Back pain is one of the most common MSDs among cleaning industry workers. This is often due to the repetitive bending and twisting required for tasks like mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms. Over time, this can lead to strains and sprains in the muscles and ligaments of the back. The back pain can have a significant negative impact on your quality of life.
WHY PAY ATTENTION TO MSD?
MSDs are now one of the most leading causes of sick leaves. According to Danish report from March 2023, lower back pain is the second most common cause of sick leave in Denmark, where in the period 2017-2018, lower back pain contributed to more than 2.5 millions of extra sick leaves. The sick leaves are not being only problem for the companies. Other problems companies are facing are lower productivity, quality of production or services, and employee retention. Affected employees are, in many cases, forced to change their jobs simply because of the reoccurring pain from work-related MSD. This is harming the companies as their costs related to workforce coverage are increasing.
Ergonomics issues in the workplace can have a significant impact on safety, health, morale and efficiency. The cleaning industry is affected by this due to high repetitive work, heavy lifting, and high work tempo.
Good news is that the pain and injuries can be avoided.
MLI(R) SOLUTION IS HELPING PREVENT MSD
At PRECURE, we are aware of these issues, and so we developed a data-based wearable device, which monitors muscle strains and back movement. This tool can help you and your employees identify factors, which are causing the pain in the back during their work. Optimize the working tasks, behavior, or equipment to reduce the strain on the muscles, ultimately prevent injuries.
Our newest member of PRECURE product family, MLI(R) Back, is easy to use, comfortable to wear and provides efficient way of mapping the risk of back injuries. Moreover, MLI(R) Back gives the users control over their pains. Through feedback, which is based on the data from work activities, the users can adjust their behavior to reduce the strain on muscles, which over time results in elimination of the pain. The recent measurements used in facility services showed:
Up to 56% reduction in critical strain for some functions
1/3 of high-risk areas was eliminated
30% of all employees experienced a reduction in critical strain
