Tradies National Health Month 2021
August is Tradies National Health Month. Between physical demands and a lack of on-site kitchen facilities, the trades are not the career group most often associated with health.
According to the Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA), 60% of tradies gets aches and pains from working in a physical job. To help reduce these numbers, the APA launched Tradies National Health Month 9 years ago.
The month aims to educate tradies on how to keep fit and healthy at work, as well as to highlight the importance of prioritising employee health to site managers and foremen.
As the month is particularly focused on aches and pains, we will start with a focus on ways to improve physiological health.
Ergonomic Workstations
Ergonomic workstations are usually associated with office jobs – standing desks and perfectly positions computer screens – but they are just as essential to tradies.
Ergonomics is the practice of designing products to fit the human body. It can be applied to every part of a workstation – tool size, the placement of furniture and the safety mechanisms in place.
For example, a non-ergonomic workplace, such as an unlevel or hard concrete floor, can be made ergonomic with the addition of some comfort, such as kneepads or an anti-fatigue mat.
You can make your environment more ergonomic by adopting a position that reduces the pressure on your joints. Take breaks where possible if working in an unnatural position (such as working on a ceiling above your head).
An occupational physiotherapist from the APA can conduct an assessment at your workplace. They will be able to advise you of areas that can be made more ergonomic. Prevention is always better than cure, so investing in a few adjustments now might save serious injury later.
Proper safety tools of the correct size and proper positioning of your body all work towards keeping tradies safe at work.
Proper Health and Safety
Health and safety is taken seriously in Australia compared to other countries, but that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone looks after themselves as well as they should.
Small differences can make a big impact over time. Balancing out your toolbelt, for example, might seem like a small change, but can save muscle imbalances causing serious pain later on.
The same study by the APA found that while 88% of tradies reported looking after their tools carefully, only 61% looked after their bodies – the most important tool of all, as notes the research.
Warming up before work, having a good stretch and using the proper lifting techniques are all prevention methods that can make working in a trade safer and more comfortable. As warming up for work is not considered the norm, the onus is really on employers to change that.
Follow health and safety guidelines such as proper lifting techniques and warming up and stretching before work.
Activity Outside Work
Many tradies think that having an active job is enough to keep them healthy but keeping fit outside work is really important.
Strength training is particularly important in preventing injury to your muscles, bones and joints. Lifting weights builds muscle, which protects your joints and bones from injury.
Stretching before and after work is important but stretching on your days off too can build resilience, flexibility and range. It isn’t the first sport that springs to mind when you think of tradies, but yoga is a great way to give your body and mind a boost.
Working out in general is great for mental health, but we will focus more on that another week. In a male-dominated industry, mental health is often dismissed, as is seeking help for injury.
Exercising outside of work can help build strength and endurance, keeping you safe during work.
Keeping your body healthy as a tradie
The best way to avoid long-lasting or debilitating effects from injury is to prevent injury from occurring in the first place. Supplementary exercise, proper technique and ergonomic workstations are some ways to minimise the risk of accident or repetitive strain.
If you do get injured or start to feel aches and pains, get help immediately. The earlier you seek intervention, the easier it will be to ease your pains and get you back to work. You don’t want to risk needing additional time off work because of a serious health problem that could have been avoided.
If you are worried about your muscular health, reach out to your doctor who can conduct an initial assessment and refer you to a physiotherapist if needed.
Felicity Thompson
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