No matter what you call them – sprains and strains, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) or repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) – these injuries account for about 34 per cent of all allowed lost-time claims in Ontario workplaces every year. 

To put that in perspective, between 2021 and 2025 about 128,000 people, close to the population of Thunder Bay, missed an average of 27 work days due to sprains and strains. And it’s younger people, between 25-29 years old, who tend to be most impacted.

“MSDs don’t usually have an immediate traumatic impact, so people tend not to think of them as particularly serious injuries,” said Lisa Hanna, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) Ergonomist. “However, when you consider that sprains and strains are the leading cause of injury in Ontario workplaces, they do qualify as a serious problem. But the good news is they can be prevented.”

With RSI Awareness Day approaching on February 28, 2026, Hanna says now is the perfect time for businesses and organizations to make sure they know how to prevent these injuries in the workplace.

“This is particularly important for people working in the retail, health care, and manufacturing industries,” Hanna said. “They’re the top three industries with sprains and strains as the most commonly reported injury in the last five years.”

Hanna pointed to the Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders’ (CRE-MSD) MSD Prevention Guideline as a helpful tool for businesses. The guideline includes an introductory video, hazard identification and control approaches, graphics and downloadable templates and documents.

It also shares a few tips to consider to help prevent sprains and strains in the workplace such as:

1. Store it off the floor: Store – and work on – objects between hip and chest height.
2. Keep it close: Store objects or work close to the belly button.
3. Hands below head: Work with hands below the head.
4. Look straight ahead: Work with the head straight and level.
5. Get a (good) grip: Tools and gloves should fit the hands, keep hands and wrists strong.
6. Change it up: A well-organized job has variety and pauses that give the body time to recover.

Another resource available to all WSIB-registered businesses is free access to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety’s Business Safety Portal which includes a podcast on how to prevent repetitive strain injuries. 

If someone does get a sprain or strain at work, the WSIB is always here to help. People can easily submit a claim online. It’s also easy for anyone to check the number and leading types of injuries in any workplace by using WSIB’s Safety Check.