Strain Injury Prevention Overview

Back Activities Reaching, bending over, sitting Skiing, hiking, bike riding Playing with your children and grandchildren Working and feeling productive

Back Safety Goals Back injury and injury prevention Lifting techniques Quiz

Back Statistics 80% of Americans will have a back injury that requires medical attention Back injuries are the second most common cause of lost work time, next to the common cold Back injuries occur more often at home than they do at work Injured backs are often subject to reinjury In addition to missed work, there may be a lifetime of pain

Back Parts Vertebrae Spinal cord Disks Muscles, ligaments, tendons

Potential Back Injury Strain or sprain Bulging disk Herniated disk

Causes of Injury Years of abuse Poor posture Unconditioned back Excess weight and potbellies Bad lifting techniques

Back Posture Maintain the back’s natural curves Standing Sitting Sleeping Changing posture and stretching Adaptive posture

Conditioning Your Back Physical conditioning Flexibility Excess weight and potbellies

Exercises Walking Stretching Sit-ups Leg lifts Squats

Lifting Equipment Powered equipment such as forklifts, powered carts, and electric pallet jacks Handtrucks, carts, pallet jacks Cranes and hoists Conveyors

Back Safety Goals Back injury and injury prevention Lifting techniques Quiz

Size up the load Weight Shape and size Clear the path Objects Tight doorways or corners Unloading zone Lifting Plan

Proper Lift Stand close with a shoulder-width stance Squat by bending your knees and hips Pull the load close and grip it Tighten your stomach, lift your head Rise up with your legs

Carrying the Load Make sure you can see Take small, stable steps Do not twist your back

Proper Unloading Squat down with the load Do not bend your back over with the load Be careful of fingers

Overhead Loads Shoulders level with the load Slide the load close Use your legs

Long Loads Pick up one end Place the balance point on your shoulder Watch the ends

Using A Vacuum Cleaner Keep your arm close to the body to reduce excessive forces and awkward postures caused by arms too far away from the body Keep back upright and take small steps rather than bending or twisting. Workers tend to bend forward with vacuum and twist to the side when taking wide sweeps. Use knee or kneeling pads when it is necessary to kneel such as when changing bags Lighter weight vacuums can ease the forces used to push the vacuum and longer wands on the vacuum can reduce how much a person leans forward.

Team Lifting Designate a person to lead the lift Lift at the same time Keep the load level Unload slowly together

Think About Your Back Don’t be lazy Think long term Don’t try to lift too much Consider your back in all things

Back Safety Goals Back injury and injury prevention Lifting techniques Quiz

Summary Maintain back posture and conditioning Use available lifting equipment Have a lifting plan Use your legs Always think about your back

Quiz 1. More back injuries occur at work than at home.True or False 2.Poor __________ can cause back pain by disrupting the back’s natural curve. 3.Name 2 things to check before attempting to lift a load: _________________, __________________. 4.Lifting with your legs is necessary only when attempting to lift heavy loads.True or False 5.Describe 2 of the more common back injuries: __________________, __________________.

Quiz (cont.) 6. A “weekend warrior” might incur a back injury because his back is not _______________________. 7.When conducting a team lift, the first thing you should do is _______________________________. 8.Back injuries are usually the result of a single traumatic event.True or False 9.Name some of the material handling equipment that your company has available: __________________. 10.Is your back more suited for pushing or pulling a load? ___________________________________

Quiz Answers 1. False. More back injuries occur at home. That’s why we also need to consider our backs when away from work. 2.Poor posture disrupts the back’s natural curves. 3.Size up or evaluate the load, clear the pathway. 4.False. Lifting incorrectly even with light loads constitutes back abuse. 5.Strained muscle, sprained or torn ligament, bulging disk, herniated or ruptured disk.

Quiz Answers (cont.) 6. The “weekend warrior’s” back is usually not properly conditioned for strenuous work. 7.Designating a lift leader help to coordinate the lift to keep all participants safe. 8.False. Back injuries are usually the result of years of abuse until the weakened back snaps. 9.Material handling equipment might include: cart, forklift, handtruck, pallet jack, conveyor, hoist. 10.The back has more strength pushing than it does when pulling.