Back Activities
Reaching, bending over, sitting
Skiing, hiking, bike riding
Playing with your children and grandchildren
Working and feeling productive
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
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
Lifting Equipment
Powered equipment such as forklifts, powered carts, and electric pallet jacks
Handtrucks, carts, pallet jacksCranes and hoistsConveyors
Size up the loadWeightShape and size
Clear the pathObjectsTight 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
Proper Unloading
Squat down with the loadDo not bend your back over with the loadBe careful of fingers
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 levelUnload slowly
together
Think About Your Back
Don’t be lazyThink long
termDon’t try to lift
too muchConsider your
back in all things
Summary
Maintain back posture and conditioningUse available lifting equipmentHave a lifting planUse your legsAlways 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.
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