Getting an injury on a work-related job can be costly – not only with the obvious loss of money from the resulting time off that might be needed. 

There’s the task of finding treatment solutions that work quickly and in some cases assessing whether medical insurance will cover it. 

Any injury that’s occurred on a building site will need to immediately be triaged and assessed on-site to ascertain how severe it is. From then on, it might require a trip to the ER or a visit to a physician to see what can be done regarding a treatment plan. 

It’s important to try and understand how to prevent workplace injuries through better knowledge and training – and good health and safety practices too. However, what can contractors and employers do to help themselves, or at least reduce the risk of getting injured on the job? 

We’ll take a look at this as we head further on, but first things first:

Why does fitness matter for contractors?

You might assume that people who work on building sites, or carry out hard manual labor are already fit enough – and perhaps don’t need to take any further exercise to keep them healthy. However, this isn’t the case. 

There is a good deal of evidence to suggest that those people who work in these kinds of jobs are at greater risk of musculoskeletal injuries than others. Let’s look at some of the tasks construction workers carry out daily – and some of the things they’re exposed to. 

  • frequent bending and stooping
  • lifting and carrying heavy loads 
  • repetitive motions
  • exposure to vibrations
  • exposure to extreme weather conditions

As a result, construction worker’s backs, shoulders, arms, and wrists are more likely to suffer injuries and long-term wear and tear than normal. The types of injuries likely to be picked up include:

  • Repetitive motion injuries
  • Repetitive strain injuries
  • Cumulative trauma disorders 
  • Regional musculoskeletal disorders
  • Overuse syndrome

So taking into account how injuries might be picked up, and what they might be – what can we do to tackle them?

Work-related injuries

In 2022, workplace-related injuries reached a record high of 4.53 million, and on average this results in roughly eight lost working days per employee annually. Many of the injuries are to the back, or result in sprained wrists and ankles. 

If you’re working in a fixed position, or without enough leg or headroom for long enough then it can be hard for your muscles to recover between movements. The same thing can happen when a contractor uses repetitive movements over a long period without a break and perhaps too quickly.

So what can we do to help cut this risk? Well, there’s evidence to suggest that doing some simple warm-up exercises before work every day can help reduce the risk of getting injured on the job.

These types of movements can help in the long run with joint and muscle flexibility as well as core strength – helpful if workers are in confined spaces, or doing the same kind of repetitive tasks over and again for hours at a time each day. Staying in shape can help lower costs of workers’ compensation for contractors.

We’ve asked some fitness and other health experts for their opinions on why exercise is important in this line of work and what fitness tips there are that will counteract contractor injuries. Here’s what they had to say.

Can yoga be used to minimize injuries in manual workers?

While yoga may not be thought of as the go to for those who work in manual labor, it is actually one of the most beneficial practices for people with very active jobs. Yoga is not only a movement practice that incorporates strength, balance and flexibility, it is also an awareness practice that helps a person form a better understanding of their body, which can greatly reduce injuries by noticing physical limits and practicing movement with intention and precision. Along with the physical benefits, yoga can also help reduce stress in the mind, and offer a feeling of relaxation and peace. When the mind and body is more relaxed and focused a person can perform tasks and move through the workday with an improved sense of wellbeing. Jenn Crawford, Owner and Somatic Yoga Instructor at Zen Riot Yoga & Wellness Studio

Can mechanical diagnosis and injury be used to reduce the likelihood of workplace injuries?

Mechanical diagnosis and therapy (MDT) is a very useful tool for everyone to reduce injuries and contractors are no exception. MDT is a movement based self-diagnostic approach to injury treatment and injury prevention by changing behavior. Our bodies give us signals that trouble is around the horizon, with aches, pains, and stiffness. Unfortunately, we write it off as simply “getting old.” While we cannot stop aging, we can be educated to recognize putting our joints in the same sustained or repeated positions daily (sitting, bending, lifting), is actually self-sabotage. Example, you stand up from prolonged sitting at computer and you cannot stand up straight right away, then you “walk it off.” That is your body telling you, you are getting disc displacement. Aching at the base of your neck or into your shoulder blades is the beginning of disc displacement in the neck from looking down most of the time. But all of our joints have a certain range of motion. MDT teaches you how to recognize when a joint is stiffening up and helps you be the detective to identify your behaviors that are wrecking your joints. It is often very simple to self-diagnose and self-treat once you understand and recognize those daily positions, movements, and activities that are the culprit. It is often as simply as moving the joint in the opposite direction regularly. That’s what we specialize in! Lee Poston PT, Dip. MDT, GOATA Level II coach, CSCS, Owner, Therapeutic Associates of Maui

How can good posture minimize injuries?

In the realm of fitness, especially for contractors who face physical demands daily, the significance of maintaining good posture cannot be overstated. The constant threat of musculoskeletal injuries is a reality in such active lines of work. Drawing parallels from the office environment, where good posture is essential to prevent pain and injury, contractors can also benefit from this wisdom. Recent research, including a study from Wonkwang University Gwangju Medical Center, revealed that using a massage chair (BFR-M8040) greatly alleviated neck and shoulder pain in office workers, underscoring the broader applicability of good posture and ergonomic support in reducing injury risks. This emphasizes that proper body alignment and weight distribution are fundamental, not just for sedentary office workers but for anyone engaged in physically demanding tasks. Adopting posture-conscious practices, akin to the support offered by ergonomically designed massage chairs, can serve as a cornerstone in a comprehensive strategy to reduce contractor injuries. It’s about merging the principles of fitness with the insights of modern technology to enhance well-being and minimize the risk of injury across all professions. Julia Anne Gumanay, Blog Expert / Product Specialist at Wish Rock Relaxation

Why does physical activity not equate to physical exercise?

“While there are many things the construction industry, makers of construction tools, and construction businesses can do to reduce the risks of MSDs in the workforce, one of the key things workers can do for themselves is to stay physically fit. Many people assume that construction work contributes to a person’s overall fitness, but that all depends on the variety and intensity of movements.

Most physical activity in construction is highly specialized. A drywall hanger repeats the same movements all day long, as do people in other specialized trades. That limits the exercise variety and restricts benefits to just the muscles, bones, and tendons needed for the task. And, as the person gets more skilled in the task they don’t need to expend as much aerobic energy while doing it. That reduces the desired aerobic effect.

The value of construction work to overall physical fitness is usually related to physical activity. As one study found, mostly walking or heavy labor, makes a modest contribution to a person meeting minimum U.S. physical activity guidelines. Also important from an overall fitness perspective is that numerous studies report that workers in jobs requiring high occupational activity have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. This is especially true for men who don’t have very much leisure time physical activity.” Duane Craig writing for ProCore

Are there limits to what exercise can do?

“The most common type of workplace injury resulting in lost time is musculoskeletal, such as strains, sprains and pulls. Stretching, flexibility and strength-building exercises aim to reduce these types of injuries. While research has not conclusively proven that exercise will directly reduce injury and lost time, there is evidence that using exercise programs does correspond with cost savings from lost-time injury. A 2010 report published by the American Society of Safety Engineers summarizes that programs reducing ergonomic risk have greater impact on injury reduction.

While research may not be conclusive about reduction of injury, there are plenty of positives reported. Exercise does show improvements to range of motion and a reduction of discomfort. Employees report feeling better about themselves when participating in stretching and other exercise programs. Such favorable influences likely improve employee performance and reduce lost time. There is no indication that exercise has a negative effect on workplace injuries.

Demanding physical work seems to benefit most from stretching and strength exercise. Though occurrence of injury is not demonstrably reduced, one study shows the cost of injury in the exercise group was less than half that of the control group, reports the American Society of Safety Engineers. This suggests injuries are not as severe with exercising workers. Studies on computer workers showed no significant improvement or reduction of symptoms; however, researchers found computer workers generally uncooperative with the study and suggested further research is needed.” Scott Shpak writing for Chron.com

Conclusion

To summarize, there is a big difference between the types of physical activity contractors carry out on a building site, compared to the types of physical activity undertaken when someone exercises to keep their joints flexible and mobility at its peak. 

Starting with some basic flexibility exercises and low-impact training sessions can be a huge benefit to making sure that if you’re a contractor, you can stay injury-free on-site and in the event you do have an accident or are injured as part of your work, you can bounce back from it as quickly as possible.