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 back problems develop over a long period and worsen with age. Often, the cause is related to prolonged bad habits and poor behaviors, such as improper 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 back healthy.
Proper Lifting Techniques
Do’s
- Ask for help or get mechanical assistance if you’re not physically able to lift something.
- Be sure there’s enough room for you to comfortably reach and lift the load.
- Bend your knees.
- Get a good, solid grip on the load.
- Keep the load close to your body. This is one of the more important rules of proper lifting.
- Place 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.
Back safety awareness is as important to job performance as having the right equipment and training. Keeping your back healthy helps you maintain your earning power.
Safe@Work is brought to you by Federated Insurance®. This article is for general information and recommendations regarding risk prevention only and should not be considered legal or other expert advice. The recommendations presented may help reduce or eliminate the risk of loss, but are not guaranteed to do so. Seek qualified counsel with questions specific to your circumstances. ©2018 Federated Mutual Insurance Company.
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