Safety Shorts: Repercussions Of Pushing Through Pain or Injury with Libby Pritchard

Sep 2, 2021

Today Libby looks at overexertion and the idea of pushing through pain or injury. More than a quarter of injuries in the Aggregates Industry over the last five years have been because of overexertion, and most occur while lifting, pulling, or pushing an object. A major challenge related to overexertion is pushing through pain. Pain is the body’s way of telling us to stop what we’re doing, rest, and take care of ourselves, but this is not always our first instinct. Libby shares her story of being injured as a volleyball player in college, and how pushing through the pain cost her a professional career in the sport. She highlights the importance of listening to your body when it’s communicating its needs, and concludes by offering important advice on how to avoid injuries at work and at home.

 

Episode Highlights

• Most overexertion injuries occur when lifting, pulling, or pushing an object
• They are also caused by repetitive motions, or unbending, crawling, twisting, or kneeling
• They can occur while doing any number of activities, from conducting machine maintenance to shoveling material or climbing ladders
• Another challenge related to overexertion is pushing through pain
• Pain is the body’s way of telling us to stop, rest, and take care of ourselves
• Libby’s story of being injured as a college volleyball player and repercussions of playing through her pain
• Best practices to avoid injury at work and at home, including listening to your body and encouraging a culture where physical limits are respected

 

Toolbox Talk Discussion Questions

• What can you do if you have a small injury and are worried about making it worse at work?
• How is our company culture around working through pain or pushing through injuries?
• What are the most common tasks we do on the job where overexertion may be an issue? What are the least common ones that could still cause issues?
• Does anyone have a story about an injury they’d like to share?

 

Quotes:

“More than a quarter of injuries in the Aggregates Industry over the last 5 years have been because of overexertion.”

 

“Almost 10% of overexertion injuries from 2016 to 2020 were not due to moving objects, but occurred when minors were getting on or off equipment.”

 

“The data also clearly shows that the back is the most commonly injured body part due to overexertion, followed by shoulders, knees, ankles, and wrists.”

 

“It’s important to listen to your body. Pain is our body telling us to stop doing what we’re doing, rest, and take care of ourselves. But that’s not always our first instinct.”

 

“I decided to play through the pain, and in the morning I knew I made the wrong decision.”

 

“Pushing through an injury cost me my professional career, and it was within my control to prevent.”

 

“You never know what pushing through an injury could cost you.”

 

Links:

National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association website