Monthly Archives: March 2012

//March

Mining Boom May Lead to Injury Boom

Due to the recent INPEX announcement earlier this year, in this months column I’d like to focus on the mining industry CAA member Chiropractors commonly treat employees of the mining industry for a wide range of spinal complaints. Mine workers often work long shifts, perform physically challenging and repetitive tasks and are therefore at an increased risk of musculoskeletal injury. The hard manual work performed by mine employees often leads to low back pain, whilst employees that operate machinery often suffer mid to upper back and neck injuries as a result of the more stationery nature of their occupation. Other common causes of musculoskeletal pain and injury in the mining industry include overexertion, vehicle jarring and vibration, frequent bending and twisting of the trunk, lifting and falls. These are all frequent causes of musculoskeletal pain that commonly leads people to seek Chiropractic care. In the Territory, even though mining only accounts for 3.08% of all workers compensation claims, ranking it 13th out of the 17 industry groups, it accounts for 10.51% of the money paid in claims by WorkSafe, ranking it 2nd behind the construction industry.1 Chiropractors have a great deal of experience in diagnosing and treating all aspects of work induced injury, however the most important aspects of Chiropractic care is maintenance or wellness care. Once the patients symptoms have resolved, CAANT member Chiropractors commonly provide ongoing maintenance care, including adjustments, stretches, soft tissue work and exercise prescription, this regular “tune up” is popular with workers who want to stay well and prevent injuries from occurring. Mining companies that encourage staff to receive regular chiropractic care will be providing a safer and healthier work environment, reducing absenteeism resulting from injury, and improve the wellbeing and productivity of their workforce.. If you work in the mining industry or have a physically demanding job, contact a local CAA member Chiropractor today. 1. NTWorkSafe. Five year claim and injury data 2005-2009.