For many workers, standing all day is simply part of the job. So are the sore feet and heavy legs they come home with at the end of every workday. Those aches and pains may disappear with a good night’s rest but, over time, prolonged standing can lead to serious health problems, according to experts.

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Labour expects a new ergonomics study on how health care workers move patients will help reduce injuries among workers. The study, which the ministry said is the first of its kind in the province, is being conducted by Aaron Unger and Carla Schatz, ergonomics specialists at the Saskatchewan Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety.

Although the rate of workplace injuries in Canada has been declining over the past two decades, some workers — older women in health care, for example — are much more vulnerable to serious injuries, researchers at the University of British Columbia have found.

Ergonomists everywhere are sending the same message to employers: Call us sooner than later. It’ll cost you a lot less. Honest! Yet time and time again they’re called too late, when someone has been injured and the employer fears being in contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.