Calls on workplaces to step up hazard assessments, early reporting and prevention to curb one of the most common work-related injuries
Ahead of International Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) Awareness Day, held February 28, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) is urging employers to take a more systematic, prevention‑focused approach to one of the most common – and often overlooked – work-related injuries. In Ontario, new data from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) underline just how widespread these injuries are.
RSIs common, gradual and widely misunderstood
Repetitive strain injuries develop gradually when workers perform the same motions repeatedly, such as typing, lifting, twisting, pushing or pulling. They can affect muscles, tendons, nerves and joints in the neck, shoulders, back, arms, hands and other body parts, leading to pain, stiffness, reduced function and, if unaddressed, potentially permanent damage.
CCOHS occupational health and safety specialist Shahzad Bansraj stressed that RSIs are not confined to a narrow set of jobs or sectors. “RSIs are a work-related injury that can affect any worker in any industry, and they are preventable,” he said.
Because symptoms tend to emerge slowly, employers and workers may underestimate the seriousness of these injuries or delay acting on early warning signs, making conditions harder to treat and more disruptive over time.
The Ontario picture: leading cause of lost‑time injuries
WSIB figures show sprains and strains – often referred to as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) or RSIs – account for about 34 per cent of all allowed lost‑time claims in Ontario each year. Between 2021 and 2025, roughly 128,000 people – close to the population of Thunder Bay – missed an average of 27 work days each because of sprains and strains. Workers aged 25 to 29 tend to be most affected.
“MSDs don’t usually have an immediate traumatic impact, so people tend not to think of them as particularly serious injuries,” said Lisa Hanna, ergonomist at WSIB. “However, when you consider that sprains and strains are the leading cause of injury in Ontario workplaces, they do qualify as a serious problem. But the good news is they can be prevented.”
Hanna said the risk is particularly high in retail, health care and manufacturing, the top three industries where sprains and strains have been the most reported injury in the last five years.
Start with hazard and risk assessment
Bansraj recommends treating RSI risks like any other workplace hazard – by starting with a structured hazard and risk assessment. Supervisors, joint health and safety committees, representatives, workers and employers should collaborate to identify ergonomic hazards in each job.
Key risk factors include repetitive movements, awkward postures, excessive force, overexertion, compression, vibration and the duration of exposure.
“Each job may have different hazards, different types of motions, different requirements,” Bansraj said. “You want to target your control measures based on the nature of those hazards for those jobs.”
Once risks are identified and assessed, employers should implement appropriate controls and monitor their effectiveness over time.
Practical prevention tips: from guidelines to the shop floor
Hanna pointed to the Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders’ (CRE‑MSD) MSD Prevention Guideline as a practical resource. It includes an introductory video, approaches to hazard identification and control, graphics, and downloadable templates and documents.
It also highlights basic prevention principles that can be applied in many workplaces, such as:
- Store it off the floor: Keep stored items – and work surfaces – between hip and chest height.
- Keep it close: Store or handle objects close to the body, around belly‑button level.
- Hands below head: Arrange tasks so workers can keep their hands below head height.
- Look straight ahead: Position work so the head and neck stay straight and level.
- Get a (good) grip: Ensure tools and gloves fit properly and support a neutral hand and wrist.
- Change it up: Design jobs with variety and built‑in pauses so the body has time to recover.
Early reporting, new tech and next steps
Beyond formal assessments, Bansraj emphasized encouraging workers to report early symptoms and training supervisors to recognize signs and contributing factors. Early intervention can prevent RSIs from developing or becoming chronic.
Emerging technologies – from exoskeletons to AI‑based posture monitoring tools – may offer new options, but Bansraj said employers should apply the same disciplined risk‑assessment lens to these tools and ensure they do not introduce new hazards.
CCOHS is using RSI Awareness Day to highlight prevention at the source, including reducing repetitive work where possible, improving job and workstation design, planning frequent rest breaks, and ensuring workers feel safe to speak up early.
To support organizations, CCOHS offers free posters, infographics, social media images and fact sheets for RSI Awareness Day. For Ontario employers registered with WSIB, free access to the CCOHS Business Safety Portal includes a podcast on preventing RSIs and other tools to support health and safety programs. Injured workers can submit WSIB claims online, and anyone can use WSIB’s Safety Check tool to look up the number and leading types of injuries in any Ontario workplace.
