KEEPING A RECORD OF JOB-RELATED INJURIES A KEY

DON’T IGNORE PAIN

By JOHN HICKEY

PHILADELPHIA – Building a paper trail is essential for any worker who thinks he or she might be suffering from a work-related illness.

That’s the main message that was delivered during the CWA Health and Safety Conference here last month.

According to information provided at the conference, studies show that Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) impact 46% of the workforce and account for 33% of the injuries suffered in the workplace.

It could start as a tingling sensation in the fingertips, or an odd pain in the wrist. Don’t ignore the onset of symptoms. In fact, an employee’s best chance of proving a work-related disability is to compile a detailed journal of those symptoms.

It doesn’t have to take a long time. Just take a few minutes at the end of your shift to write down the day, and the duration, location and severity of the discomfort. Also make sure you note any change over time.

If the problems don’t go away, see a doctor for an opinion. If the doctor thinks the condition could be work-related, make sure you get a written note to that effect.

Make sure you also do as much as you can to alleviate the problem by checking your work station and making the adjustments you can.

If symptoms persist, it’s time to notify management, putting them on notice that there may be a problem with either the work being done or the way in which it is done.

The other point made at the conference was that the CWA offers training sessions wherein members are trained on proper ergonomics. The members then go back to the local and train other members.

This "Train the Trainer" program can be partially paid for by grants from the CWA, and our local will be looking into sending a member to one of the upcoming sessions.

Finally, the conference delved into the ramifications to worker safety of the upcoming presidential election.
Speakers noted that a Republican congress had blocked new workplace ergonomics standards in 1995, 1996 and 1997.

CWA leaders said that a Republican president would likely follow that lead, and urged members to vote for the Democratic ticket of Al Gore and Joe Lieberman.