Strains & Sprains Stand-Down
Join FFVA Mutual’s 2024 Safety Campaign
Sprains and strains in the workplace are common and costly. Luckily, they are also preventable.
FFVA Mutual’s Strains & Sprains Safety Stand-Down helps employers identify specific hazards and control measures in addition to creating awareness and a positive safety culture for employees.
Strains & Sprains Stand-Down Resource Guides
What is a Safety Stand-Down?
A Safety Stand-Down is a voluntary, organized break from work with the goal of bringing employees together to discuss workplace safety.
What’s the Difference between Strains & Sprains?
Strains are injuries to a muscle or tendon, attaching muscles to bones, and are often caused by overuse, force, or stretching.
Sprains are tissue injuries such as a tear to a ligament connecting two bones, resulting from wrenching, or twisting a joint.
Symptoms: There is one main difference in symptoms: with a sprain, you will usually see bruising while a strain will not, but it can have spasms of the affected muscle.
Treatment: Initial treatment for both strains and sprains include RICE – rest, ice, compression, and elevation. Mild sprains can be successfully treated at home. Severe sprains sometimes require surgery to repair torn ligaments. For workplace injuries, always have the injured worker see a doctor for a professional evaluation and diagnosis.
Why Hold a Strains & Sprains Safety Stand-Down?
Safety stand-downs create an opportunity for employers to meet with employees to talk about workplace safety and reinforce ways to prevent strains and sprains.
Ideas for Successful Strains & Sprains Safety Stand-Down Participation
- Review your company’s Safety Program.
- Have workers complete strains and sprains safety training.
- Develop hands-on activities to increase strains and sprains hazard awareness.
- Encourage active employee participation.
- After your stand-down, be sure to download the customizable Certificate of Participation to recognize your company and your employees for participating.
Planning Tips for your Strains & Sprains Safety Stand-Down
- Take a break to talk about how to prevent strains and sprains at work.
- Provide strains and sprains safety training for all workers.
- Plan a strains and sprains safety toolbox talk or other safety activity.
- Take a photo of your group and tag #FFVA Mutual and #SafetyStandDown
Looking for more safety resources?
- View our Stand-Down English Packet
- View our Stand-Down Spanish Packet
- Register for this Strains & Sprains Safety Webcast
- View our Strain, Sprain, and MSD Prevention Trending Topic
- View our Top Ways to Prevent Strains & Sprains flyer