Getting Match Fit | Health and safety focus

January and February’s health and safety focus is about ‘getting match fit’ – refreshing you on best practice to help you keep safe.

Manual handling is not always seen as high risk, but it is a high frequency risk, and these injuries can be debilitating for a person, affecting their personal life as well as work capability.

Starting your day with a short stretching routine can help prevent injury by preparing your muscles for the day ahead. Stretching:

• Wakes up the nerves that help activate your muscles

• Boosts circulation by allowing blood flow into the muscles and joints you’ll be using

• Increases your muscles’ range of motion

• Reduces muscle strain and fatigue
   

Here are some tips for warming up for work:

• Create your own quick exercise or stretching routine

• Complete your routine before you start your workday

• Stretch slowly and deliberately, and hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds to properly engage the muscles
   

Recommended times to stretch:

• Before your shift starts to warm up your muscles

• Every couple of hours to help alleviate muscle tension

• At the end of your shift to cool down your muscles and help your recovery
   

If you notice pain or discomfort, let your supervisor or leading hand know as soon as possible so they can refer you to a doctor or your sites’ health and safety team.