Addressing and preventing Repetitive Strain Injuries in the workplace

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) Awareness Day in Canada is February 29 (or February 28 if it is not currently a leap year), because it is the only “non-repetitive” day of the year. This year, AMAPCEO wanted to take the opportunity to offer advice to members on what to do if they suspect they have a repetitive strain injury.  

A repetitive strain injury (also referred to as a musculoskeletal disorder) is damage to your muscles, tendons, nerves or joints in the neck, upper and lower back, chest, shoulders, arms, and hands caused by repetitive motions and constant use.  

These injuries can happen to workers in all sectors and manifest over time from the repetitiveness of everyday movements like bending, twisting, clenching, and reaching. RSIs are very common—in fact, Statistics Canada estimates that repetitive strain injuries can affect approximately 15% of Canadians.  

First steps  

If you believe you have a repetitive strain injury, we recommend you seek diagnosis and/or treatment from a doctor.  

We do recommend you report any incidents or suspected injuries to your manager as soon as possible, to help prevent injuries from becoming more serious.  

You can find resources on preventing RSIs on the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety’s website and https://www.ccohs.ca/events/rsi. Two of the most significant recommendations are to eliminate hazards at the source and create a well-designed workstation.  

Your manager should be able to assist you with these, either by requesting an ergonomic assessment for you or by working with you in other ways to create a safer workspace. 

At any time, you can contact an AMAPCEO Health and Safety Representative for steps to take within the workplace.  

Filing an incident report  

You should also consider filing an incident report, which documents your injury or concern. You can file an incident report even if your injury was not the result of a single isolated incident. The forms needed to file an incident report can typically be found on your workplace’s internal website. 

These reports play a key role, not only regarding your own concern, but in overall workplace safety. Incident reports are anonymized and reported to your workplace Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC).  

A JHSC is composed of worker and employer representatives. The committee's primary role is to identify workplace health and safety issues and improve health and safety conditions in the workplace by making recommendations to the employer. 

Incident reports help your JHSC understand systemic problems and make recommendations to the employer to improve workplace health and safety. 

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) 

Finally, depending on the severity and impacts of your injury, you or your employer may also need to report your injury or diagnosis to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), which provides wage-loss benefits, medical coverage, and after a work-related injury or illness. 

You have six months from the date of injury or date of diagnosis to report your injury or illness to WSIB. 

Your employer is required to report a workplace injury within three days to the WSIB if you: 

• need treatment from a health professional; 

• are absent from work as a result of an occupational injury or illness, including an RSI 

• earn less than your regular pay (including working fewer hours); 

• require modified work at less than regular pay; or 

• require modified work at regular pay for more than seven calendar days following the date of injury/illness. 

The WSIB, not your employer, decides whether an injury or illness is work-related or not and what support or benefits you have access to.  

If at any time you have questions about RSIs or other workplace health and safety issues, contact your AMAPCEO Health and Safety Representative.