DES PLAINES, IL - The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) will be host to a webinar on the American National Standards Institute's (ANSI) voluntary consensus standard "reduction of Musculoskeletal Problems in Construction" (ANSI/ASSE A10.40-2007), a standard aimed at reducing musculoskeletal problems/disorders (MSDs) in the construction industry, on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 from noon until 1:30 p.m. CST.

During the session, the ANSI/ASSE A10 Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) on Construction and Demolition Operations members Frank Burg of Accident Prevention Corporation, Scott Schneider of the Laborers International Union of North American and Richard King of Black & Veatch will introduce the A10.40 standard and discuss how employers and employees can implement it into their construction and demolition operations.

The objectives of the webinar are: to learn the components of the standard; discover what factors can lead to musculoskeletal problems on construction and demolition sites; and examine how to implement the outcomes from use of the standard on work sites.

The construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries in the U.S. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2006 there were 2,640 non-fatal occupational repetitive motion injuries and 26,680 non-fatal overexertion injuries in the construction industry.

According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), types of MSDs include back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, rotator cuff syndrome, sprains, and strains. NIOSH notes that work-related MSDs are caused by work conditions and activities such as lifting, repetitive movements and confined areas. Some of the potential solutions in the A10.40 standard aimed at reducing MSDs include risk elimination, substitution, use of engineering controls, administrative changes, training, use of protective equipment and assessment of individuals' physical capabilities.