Reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorder for nurses during continuous bladder irrigation procedures

Following a musculoskeletal injury to a nurse caring for a patient undergoing continuous bladder irrigation procedures, a workplace project was instigated. The project aimed to provide a more in-depth assessment of the manual handling task, by using four different tools and a participatory ergonomics approach. Each MSD tool confirmed the MSD risk. An evaluation survey by the eight workers involved indicated that the majority of participants found each of the MSD tools to be helpful in identifying the hazards and suitable control measures. They particularly favoured the use of worker participation, consultation and discussion. The outcomes of the project are the recommendations to implement engineering control measures for the manual handling task and to consider ways to improve the manual handling risk management system, such as through worker participation.