2018
Back Safety B A S I C S
Introduction Back and s houlder injuries are painful, debilitating, and can negatively impact every as pect of your life, both on and off the job. No one wants to have back problems . Nearly one-third of all los t-time injuries in the workplace are related to the back and s houlder. There are many reas ons for this s uch as : P oor pos ture Being overweight Lifting items improperly.
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Introduction Everyone lifts items , regardles s of their job. S ome people lift heavy items , others lift light items . No matter what you lift, everyone needs to follow s afe lifting procedures and maintain neutral body pos tures to keep our backs and the res t of our bodies s afe and healthy.
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Keys to Maintaining a Healthy Back What are the keys to maintaining a healthy back? S imple—preparation, fitnes s , and technique. To keep your back s trong and healthy, you mus t approach your work with a certain pos itive attitude, take the time to properly exercis e and warm up your back before lifting, and ins ure you practice proper lifting techniques at all times . Lifting, bending, s tooping, pus hing, pulling, handling and carrying objects of varying s izes , s hapes and weights is inevitable. Yet des pite the s tatis tics , back injuries can be reduced or eliminated by us ing the principles of preparation, fitnes s , and technique.
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Overview of Course In this cours e, we will examine ways that you can improve the health and fitnes s of your back and what s teps you can take to avoid a potential back injury. We’ll dis cus s : The anatomy of your back Exercis e and fitnes s P roper lifting techniques and the lever principle S lips and falls
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Anatomy Firs t, let’s dis cus s the anatomy of your back. This knowledge will give you an unders tanding of how your back works s o you can make better decis ions about how to lift anything. The human s pine cons is ts of 26 bony vertebrae, each of which are s eparated by s oft dis cs that abs orb the s hock of movement and impact. The mos t common location of a back injury is the lower lumbar region, where the greates t force occurs . When the s pine is bent and placed under the s tres s of weight, pres s ure is exerted unevenly on the dis cs and on the back mus cles . When the s pine is kept erect during a lift, the lifting force is dis tributed evenly over the dis cs .
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Anatomy P oor pos ture, an unhealthy back, and improper lifting techniques can, over a period of time, lead to degeneration of thes e dis cs . This condition is permanent and can have painful and las ting effects . Nerve roots branch out from the s pinal cord and go to different parts of your body. Improper lifting can als o pinch, irritate or damage thes e nerves . There are mus cles and ligaments in your back that s tretch and move as you lift. Thes e too can become damaged or torn from improper lifting techniques . However, even though the back is a complex and delicate s tructure, there really is no excus e for a back injury. Now that you know you your back works , let’s talk about how you keep it injury-free.
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Exercise and Stretching A commitment to regular s tretching exercis es before work or any time during the day, after long periods of s itting either in chairs or in your vehicle, can pay a lifetime of dividends . The bes t way is to s tretch each major mus cle group, es pecially the backs of your legs . Always move s lowly and s moothly when s tretching. Thes e s imple s tretching exercis es can provide a s afety margin for s trains and s prains . Firs t, s tretch the mus cles in the backs of your legs by placing your hands on a s turdy object s uch as a wall. With one leg in vertical s tanding pos ition, s tep back with the other leg and place your foot flat on the ground. Hold this pos ition for a few moments . Then repeat with your other leg. Next, s lowly bend over and come as clos e as you can to touching your toes without s training your back. K eep your legs s traight. Hold this pos ition for a few moments to get a good s tretch.
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Exercise and Stretching To s tretch your back, rais e your arms over your head and s tretch your arms upward as far as you can. R emember, poor pos ture and being overweight can be contributing factors to back problems . A healthy diet and regular exercis e can help you los e weight and improve your pos ture. When you s pend long periods of time in a s itting pos ition, whether at a des k or in your vehicle, the mus cles in the back of your legs can tighten and caus e undue s tres s on your back when bending. To keep thes e mus cles loos e, a good habit to get into is to s it on the floor with your legs s traight for about 15 minutes each night with your back up agains t a firm s urface s uch as a s ofa. This exercis e will s tretch the mus cles in the back of your legs and provide additional flexibility, taking s ome s train off your back.
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Safe Lifting Techniques Now that you’re warmed up, let’s talk about s afe lifting techniques .
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Safe Lifting Techniques and The Lever Principle Lifting is done according to the lever principle. When a lift is performed correctly the ratio is an even 1 to 1. When you lift incorrectly by bending at the hips and lifting with your back, the ratio increas es to 10 to 1. This means 10 times the s train is being put on your back. If your back is bent and your arms are extended when you lift, the ratio is even higher. When lifting in this manner you not only have to lift the object’s weight by 10, but als o your upper body’s weight times 10. Keep your ratio at a s afe, even 1 to 1 and always lift correctly.
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Safe Lifting Techniques
The bas ic s afe lifting procedure is s imple. Firs t, s ize up the weight of the item you are going to lift. If you feel the item is too heavy or awkward to lift by yours elf, as k s omeone for as s is tance. Know the path you will take after you lift the item and where you will s et the item down. P lace your feet clos e to the item with your feet about s houlders ’ width apart. Bend your knees and s quat down clos e to the object. Get a firm palm grip on the item. P ull the item clos e to your body and then s tand up, keeping your back as s traight as pos s ible, us ing the mus cles in your legs , not your back. That’s the bas ic s afe lifting procedure and it does work.
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Safe Lifting Techniques
But, you’re not always jus t picking up a box. Your job pres ents different lifting challenges , each requiring your attention to the s ame s afe lifting techniques . S ometimes you can’t get the item clos e to your body, or the item could be in an awkward location. In thes e ins tances , think about how you can lift the item s afely and us e a free hand for s upport if pos s ible. Als o, if an item is too heavy to lift by yours elf, as k for as s is tance from a coworker. Or us e mechanical lift devices s uch as a hand truck to make lifting and moving heavy items eas ier. Always remember, the weight of an object is n’t what caus es back injuries .
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Safe Lifting Techniques
You can injure your back when lifting s omething as light as a pencil, if you do it incorrectly. Bending over, reaching or twis ting your back, regardles s of load, can lead to problems . Never reach or twis t when lifting anything. Ins tead of twis ting, lift the item, pivot your feet, and then s et the item down. It does n’t take a lot of time and it does help to protect your back. S tretching to lift or retrieve s omething over your head can als o lead to s train and potential injuries . If you need to lift s omething over your head, us e a ladder, or, if this is not pos s ible, firs t place the item on a mid-level s helf or other s urface, re-pos ition your grip, and then lift the item over your head. R es t the item on the s helf and us e the s helf to help s upport the weight as you lever the item into pos ition.
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Slips and Falls
S lips and falls can als o caus e back and s houlder injuries . Be aware of hazards s uch as potholes , curbs , s tairs , wet s urfaces , or hos es on the ground. R emember, s lips and falls can be prevented.
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Conclusion
P reventing back injuries is n’t difficult and it does n’t take a lot of time. What it does take is a pers onal commitment on your part. S tretch your mus cles before your s hift, periodically throughout your s hift and after any breaks , lunch or other down times . When you do lift, think about how to bes t lift s afely and follow the procedures outlined in this cours e to the letter. S afe lifting and back injury prevention are really up to you. It takes 30 days to form or change a habit. The way you lift is a habit. S o, it is mos t important to cons cientious ly focus on how you lift each and every time you do. R emember, it’s your back and you have a choice …take the health of your back s erious ly, or take a chance. Make the right choice.
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Thank You