Back Talk
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Chances are you or someone you know suffers from back pain. Statistics point to back injuries as a frequent cause of workplace illness and injury, lost time, and insurance claims.
While back problems may arise from acute injury or illness, many injuries develop over a long period and worsen as the body ages. Often, the cause is related to prolonged bad habits and improper behaviors, such as poor lifting techniques or other activities that put excessive stress on the muscles and spine.
Fortunately, those things can be corrected, and, when practiced, can go a long way toward keeping your employees’ backs healthy.
PROPER LIFTING TECHNIQUES
DOs
- Ask for help or get mechanical assistance if you’re not physically able to lift something.
- Convenient placement: Be sure there’s enough room for you to comfortably reach and lift the load.
- Bend the knees.
- Get a good, solid grip on the load.
- Keep the load close to the body. This is one of the more important rules of proper lifting.
- Placement of feet: close to the load, spread apart for stability, one slightly ahead of the other.
- Lift by primarily straightening legs.
DON’TS
- Don’t twist the back or bend sideways.
- Don’t do awkward lifts.
- Don’t lift at arm’s length.
- Don’t raise loads above shoulder height.
Safe@Work is brought to you by Federated Insurance®. This article is for general information and risk prevention purposes only and should not be considered legal, medical, or other expert advice. It is not a guarantee that the risk of loss will be eliminated or reduced. Always consult your personal physician for questions regarding your health concerns. Qualified counsel should be sought regarding questions specific to your circumstances.
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