Step 6: Evaluate and Improve
This is Step 6 of a six-step approach to preventing musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs). Each step builds on the one before it to help employers identify hazards, assess risks, implement controls, and create safer workplaces.
This step focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of your MSI prevention efforts and identifying opportunities for improvement.
MSI prevention is an ongoing process
MSI prevention does not end once controls have been implemented. Regular evaluation helps ensure controls are reducing risk, no new hazards have been introduced, and your prevention efforts continue to improve over time.
Whenever new equipment, tools, work processes, or control measures are introduced, reassess the work to identify any new or changing hazards (including ergonomic hazards).
The 2 types of evaluation
Evaluate individual tasks
Review the jobs and tasks where controls have been implemented to determine whether risks have been reduced.
This may include:
- Repeating the ergonomic risk assessment
- Reviewing discomfort survey results to determine whether worker discomfort has decreased
- Confirming no new hazards have been introduced
- Observing the task to ensure controls are being used correctly and consistently
Evaluate your overall program
Review your MSI prevention program on a regular basis to assess its overall effectiveness.
Consider:
- Reviewing the program annually
- Comparing injury and incident trends over time
- Assessing whether worker participation and reporting have improved
- Determining whether new ergonomic hazards are being identified and controlled
- Reviewing KPIs of each step to determine where gaps and opportunities exist
Involving workers
Workers play an important role in evaluating and improving MSI prevention efforts.
- Provide regular updates on controls that have been implemented, injury trends, and planned improvements
- Create opportunities for workers to provide feedback on existing controls
- Make it easy for workers to report concerns or identify new ergonomic hazards
- Recognize and celebrate improvements that result from worker participation
Key performance indicators
Effective evaluation includes both leading and lagging indicators.
| Lagging indicators measure the results of your prevention efforts: | Leading indicators measure the health of your prevention program: |
|---|---|
| Number of MSI incidents | Number of ergonomic hazards identified |
| Number of lost-time claims | Number of signs, symptoms, or discomfort reports received |
| Average days lost per MSI | Number of controls implemented |
| WCB claim costs | Percentage of workers trained |
| Productivity or quality measures for tasks where ergonomic hazards have been identified | Percentage of medium- and high-risk jobs and tasks with controls in place |
Completed the six-step process?
MSI prevention is a continuous process. Use the results of your evaluations to identify new opportunities for improvement and begin the cycle again