Back Safety and Care
One of the most important joints in our entire body is our spine. Comprised of 24 bones (vertebrae), 3 groups of muscles (extensors) and a multitude of tendons, ligaments, nerves, and blood vessels, the spine allows us to move, sit, stand and acts as a pathway for nerve signals and blood flow. Back injuries can be very debilitating and result in severe and, in some cases, chronic pain, it can restrict movement, and it can lead to a decrease in our quality of life.
If I were to poll workers who are primarily involved in manual materials handling (MMH), what do you think would be the most common joint for injury risk? The lower back. Due to the forces and postures required of the lower back, many manual materials handling tasks put an increase in pressure and strain on the back muscles and joints.
With many workplaces moving digital, we have seen an increase in lower back related injuries attributed to office workplaces. The difficulty in many cases, both office and MMH, is identifying what has caused the injury and how to prevent future injuries from occurring as it is rarely a single incident, but rather a cumulative build-up of tension and muscle fatigue.
Unfortunately, there is no way to eliminate lower back injury risk, however companies and workers can implement some easy and effective work practices to reduce their risk of suffering from an injury.
Industrial/MMH Work Practices
The first step to implementing work practices in an industrial or material handling environment is to conduct a thorough risk assessment, making sure to include the workers completing the tasks, as this will help with implementation.
When conducting a risk assessment, you should consider factors such as workflow, job design and work environment, education and training, and human capabilities and limitations. There are several equations used by workplaces to calculate material handling demands including, but not limited to; NIOSH equation, Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), Liberty Mutual Manual Material Handling Equations (LM-MMH), and Snook Tables (quick reference for acceptable force and weight values). To learn more about these equations, click here.
Once a workplace has identified tasks or activities that have the greatest risk of injury, applying a hierarchy of controls to control the hazards is the next step. See below for what a hierarchy of controls entails.
The most effective method is to eliminate the hazard. This can include installing conveyors, overhead lifts, or robotics to remove the manual lifting of materials. If elimination were not possible, replacing the hazard with something less dangerous, such as lowering the weight of the object, would be the second option. Engineering controls can include designing items with better handles for easier hand posture, adjustable work surfaces to reduce the lifting/lowering range, or designing the process to be closer together to reduce travel distance. Administrative controls would be implementing mandatory rest breaks, stretches, job rotation, or writing procedures to make the task a two-person lift. PPE can include different gloves to offer different padding or grip options.
Training and education, an administrative control, is important for all workers as it educates them on identifying the hazards, avoiding unnecessary stress, and how to perform tasks safety.
Guidelines on safe lifting practices can help workers reduce the risk of injury, but there is not single correct way to perform a lift. General lifting guidelines include:
Warm up and prepare muscles for a task (practice the motion without a load)
Keep the object close and face the direction you intend to move
Use a wider stance to maintain balance
Keep arms straight and maintain a good grip
Tighten the abdominal muscles to stabilize the spine
Lift smoothly without jerking
Avoid twisting and side bending while lifting
Make sure you are able to handle the load safety and know your limits
Office Work Practices
While less strenuous than manual material handling, poor postures in the office can contribute to back pain and injury. Starting with a workstation adjusted for the individual is critical to their long-term health and well-being. My new book, “The Pain-Free Office”, provides individuals with a systematic process on how to adjust any computer workstation, office or home, to fit them and helps develop the awareness and understanding of proper postures. The book will be available for purchase on August 30th, 2021 or you can gain early access to the digital copy by signing up for our monthly newsletter using the form at the bottom of the page.
Movement will always be one of the most effective ways to prevent the build-up of back pain. The static postures that typical office workstations demand contribute to the development of back pain, both in the long-term and short-term.