1. Review of safe moving principles
All images from Careerforce (2013) US23452 Workbook
(Reproduced with kind permission from Careerforce, 2013)

2. The rules Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992
Employers must provide safe working environment
Workers must ensure their own safety and the safety of others
District Health Board Policies
Under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992
It is the employer’s responsibility to provide a safe working environment
It is your responsibility to take all practicable steps at work to ensure your own safety

3. ACC claims Examples of reasons for health staff injuries:
Lifted a patient and developed acute neck pain down to shoulder and arm
Transferring patient and injured lower back
Lifting patient and slipped pulling shoulder muscles
Working at a rest home helping an elderly lady stand and pulled back muscle
Lifting patients is the most common reason for long term injury

4. Don’t catch a falling client
To catch a falling person weighing 60kg, you would need to exert a force equal to 480kg to hold them by the time they reached the floor.

5. Moving task
What would you need to know if you had to move equipment or a person?
What would you have to prepare before you did the moving task?
How would you look after yourself when doing the moving task?

6. Back injury A common form of workplace injury
Twisting or jerking when carrying things can damage
back joints
discs between vertebrae
ligaments holding bones together
Back Injury
one of the most common forms of workplace injury
twisting or jerking when carrying things can
injure the small joints in your back
damage the discs between the vertebrae
damage the ligaments which hold the bones together

7. Your back 33 small bones (vertebrae) and discs The discs are
soft, elastic jelly-like substance inside a tough, fibrous outer casing
act as shock absorbers between each vertebra
Is made up of 33 small bones (vertebrae) and discs
The discs are
soft, elastic jelly-like substance inside a tough, fibrous outer casing
act as shock absorbers between each vertebra

8. Avoid combining these stress factors:
To Protect your back
Avoid combining these stress factors:
Bending forward from the waist
Moving and transferring quickly
Too heavy loads
Holding a load away from your body
Holding a load for too long

9. Protect your back Good posture Regular exercise
Warming up and stretching
You can care for your back by:
maintaining good posture
exercising regularly (back, stomach and leg muscles)
warming up and stretching before you start work

10. Protect your back You can care for your back by:
Organising equipment to minimise bending and lifting
Using the right aids and equipment
Using the right technique
You can care for your back by:
organising equipment to minimise bending and lifting
using the right aids and equipment (e.g. trolleys and hoists)
Using the right technique

11. Push the load

12. Don’t overload your container

13. General principles
What are the bio-mechanical rules?
Always bend your knees and your hips, not your back, this may mean sticking your bottom out!
Don’t bend and twist at the same time
Always have heavy objects/loads, close to your body
Push (not) pull if possible

14. General principles
Use your body weight, using your whole body, not just your arms
Move your whole body when changing direction

15. General principles Work with others where possible
If it is difficult, find another way, for example:
A person weighing 50 kg requires a 40 kg pulling force to re-position them; a slide sheet reduces this to 12 kgs

16. Headlights Headlights: This can help you not to twist
All the lights should point in the same direction

17. LITE Load Individual Task Environment
weight, shape, size, surfaces, and edges
Individual
the support worker’s age, fitness level, size, fatigue, knowledge and training
Task
what has to be done and best handling method e.g. pushing, pulling, carrying
Environment
space available, layout of area, lighting, type of flooring surface

18. Two memory aids The headlight principle The LITE principles LITE =
Load
Individual
Task
Environment