SafeCare BC Logo
SafeCare BC Logo
Programs & Services

Programs and Services

View All
Register
Leading from the Inside Out
Leading from the Inside Out waitlist
  • "This program is great and well facilitated. I hope that more healthcare leaders can have the opportunity to participate in this kind of program."
  • "This is a good program and especially helpful to have other participants in the same field of work."
  • "I thought Callie did a great job at providing opportunities for everyone in the group to open, honest and to share their valuable experiences with others."
  • "Working with the other leaders was the most rewarding – to hear other leaders and their struggles and together coming up with self-care strategies to better cope with work-life balance"
Our Programs
Guidelines & Regulations

Guidelines and Regulations

View All
WorkSafeBC’s healthcare and social services planned inspection initiative focuses on high-risk activities in the workplace that lead to serious injuries and time-loss claims.
View News Story
WorkSafeBC is releasing a discussion paper with proposed amendments to the Current Rehabilitation Services and Claims Manual that guide wage rate decisions related to short-term and long-term disability compensation. Recommended amendments include: These changes may affect your claims costs. Click here to view the proposed changes and offer feedback to WorkSafeBC – The deadline is 4:30 p.m. on Friday, […]
View News Story
Guidelines and Regulations
Regulatory News
Safety Month - March 2024

Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention

Musculoskeletal Injuries are one of the leading causes of workplace injuries, such as sprains and strains, in both long-term care and community health support services.

Musculoskeletal Injuries are one of the leading causes of workplace injuries, such as sprains and strains, in both long-term care and community health support services, particularly during resident and client handling activities.  

Some examples of high-risk activities include transferring, repositioning, toileting, and bathing residents/clients.  

Check out the resources below for toolkits, checklists, safety huddles, webinars, educational opportunities and more.  

Healthcare workers in the sector are at high risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries due to repetitive motions, awkward postures, forceful exertions, and other physical stressors. 

Employers are responsible for identifying tasks or activities that put workers at risk of an MSI, assessing the risk, and implementing control measures to eliminate or minimize the risk to workers. They also need to educate and train workers about MSI risks in the workplace.  

Workers also play a role in assessing risks by carrying out a Point of Care Risk Assessment (PCRA) each time they provide care to a resident or client.   

When workers are injured, there are fewer resources to take care of residents, resulting in increased workloads, fatigue, stress, and more injuries.  

Office Ergonomics e-course

50% Off in March

register now

Have questions about this month's topic? Ask us!

12 Months Contact Form
Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention

Featured Resources

Musculoskeletal injuries related to resident handling are the number one cause of injury in long term care. Back strains alone account for 30% of all work-related injuries reported; other strains account for 44%.
Files Attached
View Template
A point of care risk assessment for transfers is a quick mini-appraisal you, the health care worker, do to make sure a person’s abilities still match what’s in their care plan. It doesn’t replace the typical risk assessment completed as part of a person’s care plan. Rather, it’s a tool you use in addition to the care plan assessments.
Files Attached
View Poster
Learn to refer to the no-lift policy to reduce your risk of musculoskeletal injury.
Files Attached
View Safety Huddle
Safety Huddle
Transfers
Learn when it is safe to transfer a person in care and know what to do if it is not safe to transfer.
Files Attached
View Safety Huddle
Manual client handling and other physical tasks can cause overexertion of your muscles to cause injury. Musculoskeletal injuries are sprains and strains to the muscles and surrounding tissues, which can have life-long impacts These are the leading type of injury for home and community care workers.
View Safety Topic
Starting at $20
50% off regular prices for March 2024.
View E-Learning
Filter

Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention resources

There are some essential things to remember to ensure proper care and assistance for residents.
View Webinar
WorkSafeBC’s healthcare and social services planned inspection initiative focuses on high-risk activities in the workplace that lead to serious injuries and time-loss claims.
View News Story
Safe handling peer coach training Workshop
Arrowsmith Lodge - Parksville,
April 29th @ 8:30am to 4:30pm
Safe Handling
Starting at $220
April 29th @ 8:30am to 4:30pm
Arrowsmith Lodge, Parksville,
View Workshop
Files Attached
View Toolkit
The Sling Program at Haro Park is a process of managing slings within the care home to ensure staff and resident safety during transfers and efficiency of work flow.
Files Attached
View Innovation
Haro Park Centre is a campus of care located in the West End of Vancouver, offering independent housing, assisted living and residential care to senior citizens. Haro Park has a number of innovative programs and initiatives in place to promote a positive culture of safety.
Files Attached
View Innovation
Full report on the provincial standards developed for safe resident handling. These standards cover a range of areas including policy, management strategies, education and training, equipment, and safe work practices for high-risk resident handling activities (e.g. transfers, ambulation, toileting, etc.).
Files Attached
View Report
A guide on developing safe resident handling policies, including key components and critical factors for success.
Files Attached
View Reference Guide
Patient handling is the top cause of injury among health care workers. Care workers who manually transfer or reposition patients are at significant risk of musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) such as sprains or strains. This bulletin outlines the risk assessments employers and workers should do to help reduce the risk of MSIs.
View Web link
Using ceiling lifts to transfer, reposition, and turn clients reduces injuries. Sometimes, though, even when lifts are available, they're not always used. This video challenges the seven most common reasons health care workers give for not using ceiling lifts.
View Video
This book provides guidance to help employers and joint committees prevent MSI in the workplace. It discusses a seven-step prevention process: consultation, education, risk identification, risk assessment, risk control, training, and evaluation. The book also includes a table of some common risk control options and a chart that can be used to investigate MSIs.
View Book
View Video
View Video
View Video
Want to learn more about what you can do to prevent injuries at work? SafeCare BC is always offering a variety of workshops throughout the province. We are committed to providing outstanding professional development for continuing care workers in BC as well as connecting continuing care workers to other professional development opportunities.
View Video
From lifting heavy objects to helping residents and clients move, there is always a risk of injury if your body is not prepared for a wide range of movement. While it is commonly thought that stretching is the best way to warm up, SafeCare BC recommends going for a brisk walk instead.
View Video
Creating a safe work environment involves more than just a list of policies, it requires people who look out for one another. Giving positive reinforcement to your staff or co-worker can not only make them feel good, but it can also contribute towards creating a culture of safety. As the video shows, no task is too small to celebrate.
View Video
You can use the Safe Handling Program Checklist to verify the components of a safe handling program, including development, management and staff involvement, needs assessments, equipment, education and training, and evaluation.
Files Attached
View Checklist
Developing a Safe Handling program for your organization doesn’t have to be hard. It begins with five steps.
View Toolkit
According to WorkSafeBC statistics, musculoskeletal injuries are the number one cause of staff injuries in BC’s continuing care sector. The economic cost of these injuries is easy to measure. It’s estimated that the cost of claims alone over the past five years is more than $85 million.
View Safety Topic
The Swift Slider is a friction reducing device to assist with patient/resident repositioning, boosting and turning in bed.
Files Attached
View Innovation
Our Safety Star Program creates safety leaders throughout our care home, integrating a safety culture into the day-to-day actions of our entire team.
Files Attached
View Innovation
This webinar will provide you with the information to learn more about controls that enhance your safe resident handling system in your workplace.
View Webinar
Learn how to properly use lifts to avoid musculoskeletal injury.
Files Attached
View Safety Huddle
Learn to regularly use point of care assessments to identify MSI risks and make practical choices to avoid injury.
View Safety Huddle
Starting at $100
Are you already familiar with Safe Handling techniques, but want to share your knowledge and expertise with others at your workplace? Are you looking to train your staff in a cost-effective and efficient manner?
View Workshop Topic
Starting at $110
Are you a continuing care worker, but don’t know the safest practices when it comes to handling the persons receiving care?
View Workshop Topic
Starting at $15
Learn about identifying the early signs and symptoms, recognizing risk factors and applying strategies to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries in the workplace.
View E-Learning
News Story
2018 Safety Den Winners
June 1, 2018
Safety Den
Continuing Care Category | Revera Living Revera’s low-tech safety idea is the creation of a ‘luggage tag’ style ID for a resident’s walker or wheelchair. One side of the letter-size sheet has a visual cue for the resident—a picture from their youth, one of a loved one, or a prominent memory, with a brief description […]
View News Story
Due to the potential for psychological and physical trauma to residents and staff, these incidents flag risks that need to be addressed to ensure the safety and well-being of residents, particularly those with dementia and staff.
View News Story
Melody Bi is a licensed practical nurse and has been a nurse supervisor for the past three years with the Greater Vancouver Community Services Society, one of the largest community care service providers.
View News Story
Musculoskeletal injuries are the leading type of injury for both long-term care and home care and support workers. That’s why investing in safe handling training is critical.
View News Story
Before becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse, Lee Frederick taught for 10 years in China. So, it’s little surprise that he is now using his teaching skills in his current role as a nurse at Parksville’s Arrowsmith Lodge.
View News Story
The Provincial Safe Resident Handling Standards for Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention in British Columbia, outline an ergonomics/human factors approach to safe handling. These standards were developed by the Provincial Residential Care Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention Team with input from stakeholders and organizations, including unions, frontline workers, clinical nurse leads, and many more.
View News Story
Safe handling is as important for you and your co-workers as for residents and clients. John works in continuing care. See what makes him happy.
View Video
SafeCare BC Logo
©2024 SafeCare BC | All rights reserved.
We strive to empower those working in the continuing care sector to create safer, healthier workplaces by fostering a culture of safety through evidence-based education, leadership, and collaboration.
crosschevron-down