RSI Day - 11 years towards prevention
February 18, 2010
This
year Feb 28 will mark the 11th anniversary of “RSI Day,” a day when a group of
injured workers came together to focus attention on debilitating injuries that
degrade the quality of life. They chose the last day of February because it is
the only non-repetitive day of the year.
Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an umbrella term for a number
of overuse injuries affecting muscles, tendons, and nerves of the neck, upper
and lower back, chest, shoulders, arms and hands. Typically arising as aches and
pains, these injuries can progress to become crippling disorders that prevent
sufferers from working and from leading normal lives. Tendonitis, tenosynovitis
and carpal tunnel syndrome are common RSIs.
This is not a small problem. Across Canada,
2.3 million people-mostly workers-or one in every 10 adults suffer from these
injuries also known as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Not only do these
injuries take social and emotional tolls on the workers who suffer from these
injuries, but workers suffer economic costs as well as many injured workers are
forced out of the workplace and into poverty.
Costs of RSIs to the system are also
astronomical. From 1996 to 2004, WSIB approved more than 382, 000 MSD-related,
lost-time claims, representing nearly 27 million lost-time days from work and
direct costs to employers of more than $3.3 billion. Because these injuries may
have a gradual onset or appear as a creeping pain, they often go unreported to
employers, resulting in a financial burden to taxpayers as workers seek health
care from their family doctors. The sad reality that many RSIs are never
addressed as workplace injuries means that WSIB numbers (as big as they are) do
not reflect the full scope of the problem and also that if workplace employers
are not bearing the full cost of these injuries they are less inclined to invest
more in prevention in the first place.
As in past years, workers can attend a
variety of events to participate in the day:
Participate in a web event on Feb 26 from
any location:
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Occupational Health Clinics for
Ontario Workers (OHCOW) is hosting an online event “RSI Day Plus” from
Sudbury on Friday February 26, 2010 that you can access from any
online computer.
See flyer for
details and registration information.
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Windsor Area-The Windsor and District Labour
Council, the Workers Health and Safety Centre, Windsor Occupational Health
Information Service and the Occupational Health Clinic for Ontario Workers
are hosting an event in Windsor on Saturday February 27, 2010 from
0930-130. There will be a “Workplace Design” workshop and a panel
discussion. The event is 15.00 if attending the workshop and free if only
attending the panel. For registration details,
click here.
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Toronto area-The Toronto event is sponsored this year
by the Ontario Federation of Labour, Toronto & York Region Labour
Council, Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers, The Workers Health
& Safety Centre & Injured Workers. A symposium will be held on
Friday, February 26th at CAW Local 112 Union Hall, 30 Tangiers Road,
Toronto. Lunch will be provided at no cost.
Registration is Required, to register send email to: Shan White
admin@caw112.on.ca or by phone @416-635-5988 or Enzo Mancuso at enzo@whsc.on.ca
or by phone @ 416-522-2386
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The London & Middlesex Injured Workers Group and LOSH
are hosting the 11th Annual International Repetitive Strain Injury Day.
Please see the
attached flyer for details. For further information, you may contact
Chad O’Halloran at LOSH at
director@losh.on.ca or 519-433-4156.
Participate in WHSC Training throughout
the last week of February:
· Workers Health and Safety Centre
(WHSC) is holding workshops across Ontario during the last week of
February.
Click here for more details and registration information.
Mark your calendar to participate in RSI
Day! Please register for either event as soon as possible.
