Back Safety

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Back Safety Lifting
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Can you eliminate ALL incidents??
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Test your Spine QTrue or False

• Very few people are affected by back pain
• Back injuries cost employers an estimated 10
  billion a year
• The back is a complex system of bones, discs,
  muscles and nerves
• The spine is a straight column of rigid bones
• The safest way to lift an object is to stand
  close to it, bending your knees and letting your
  legs do the work.
• Regular exercise will keep your back limber and
  help prevent injury

• False
• False
• True
• False
• True
• True

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Test your Spine QTrue or False

• A lumbar support or rolled-up towel placed in the
  small of your back while sitting will relieve
  stress on your spine
• Your lower back is subject to greater mechanical
  stress than any other part of your body
• If you're under 50, there is no need to worry
  about osteoporosis
• Once you've injured your back you can never fully
  recover

• True
• True
• False
• False

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Why have Training??

• Second most common injury in the state
• Second (only to the common cold) most frequent
  visit to the doctors office
• Statistically, 8 out of 10 will suffer some sort
  of back pain throughout their life
• One of the leading causes of disability and time
  lost from work
• Direct costs estimated at 24 billion, indirect
  costs reaching 35 billion with a total of nearly
  60 billion to the employer

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State Statistics
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Anatomy of the Back

• 7 Cervical Vertebrae
• 12 Thoracic Vertebrae
• 5 Large Lumbar Vertebrae
• Sacrum
• Coccyx or Tailbone

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Lumbar Spine with Disc Details

• Spinal Cord
• Disc
• Vertebra
• Spinal Nerves

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Top View of Healthy Disc
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Normal Spine Position
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Deep Muscles of the Back
Erector Spinae
Posterior Serratus Muscles
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Deep Muscles of the Back
Serratus Anterior and Transversus
External Oblique
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The Force is Against You
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The Forces Involved

• The amount of force you place on your back in
  lifting may surprise you!
• Think of your back as a lever.
• With the fulcrum
• in the center, it only
• takes ten pounds of
• pressure to lift a ten
• pound object.

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The Forces Involved

• If you shift the fulcrum to one side, it takes
  much more force to lift the same object. Your
  waist acts like the fulcrum in a lever system, on
  a 101 ratio.
• Lifting a
• ten pound
• object puts
• 100 pounds
• of pressure
• on your
• lower back.

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The Forces Involved

• When you add in the
• 105 pounds of the
• average human upper
• torso, you see that
• lifting a ten pound
• object actually puts
• 1,150 pounds of
• pressure on the
• lower back.

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The Forces Involved

• If you were 25 pounds
• overweight, it would add
• an additional 250 pounds
• of pressure on your back
• every time you bend over.

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Does SANTA have back pain??
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Types of Back Injuries
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Back Strain

• Definition Strains are tears or stretches in
  the muscle fibers or the tendons that connect
  muscles to bones. Strains can range from
  relatively mild injuries, with some muscle fibers
  being torn, to large muscle tears with swelling
  and bleeding present.
• Symptoms/Signs
• Pain, swelling, and tenderness in a muscle group
  or joint

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Back Sprain

• Definition A sprain occurs when a ligament --
  the tissue that connects bones together -- is
  stretched or torn.
• Symptoms
• joint pain or muscle pain
• swelling
• discoloration of the skin, especially bruising
• impaired joint function

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Bulging Disc

• A bulging disc appears to have moved or slipped
  out of place. Discs cant really move, but
  swelling or years of poor posture can leave them
  protruding from between the vertebrae. The
  vertebrae squeeze the bulging disc and cause pain

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Herniated Disc

• A herniated disc is a rupture of the jelly-like
  substance from inside one of the fibrous discs
  that provide cushioning between the vertebrae of
  the spine. Herniation results in pressure on
  nearby nerves which can result in a variety of
  symptoms, depending on the location of the
  affected disc.

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Causes of Back Injuries
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Common Causes of Back Injuries

• Anytime you find yourself doing one of these
  things, you should think
• DANGER! My back is at risk!
• Try to avoid heavy lifting . . . Especially
  repetitive lifting over a long period of time

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Common Causes of Back Injuries

• Twisting at the waist while lifting or holding a
  heavy load. This frequently happens when using a
  shovel.

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Common Causes of Back Injuries

• Reaching and lifting over your head, across a
  table, or out the back of a truck . . .

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Common Causes of Back Injuries

• Lifting or carrying objects with awkward or odd
  shapes . . . .

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Common Causes of Back Injuries

• Working in awkward, uncomfortable positions . . .

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Common Causes of Back Injuries

• Sitting or standing too long in one position. . .
  Sitting can be very hard on the lower back . . .
  .

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Common Causes of Back Injuries

• Improper Sitting
• If you stand or sit with your head forward, your
  upper back rounded and your chest collapsed, your
  posture is less than optimal and can result in
  muscle strain throughout your body
• While standing or sitting, you should practice
  proper posture. Keep your head erect, your
  shoulders back but relaxed and your stomach in.

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Common Causes of Back Injuries

• It is also possible
• to injure your
• back slipping on
• a wet floor or ice . . .

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Prevention
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Prevent Back Injuries

• Avoid lifting and bending whenever you can
• Place objects up off the floor
• Raise/lower shelves
• Use carts and dolleys
• Use cranes, hoists, lift tables, and other
  lift-assist devices whenever you can
• Test the weight of an object before lifting by
  picking up a corner
• Get help if its too heavy for you to lift it alone

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Prevent Back Injuries

• Use proper lift procedures . . . Follow these
  steps when lifting . . .
• Take a balanced stance, feet shoulder-width apart
• Squat down to lift, get as close as you can
• Get a secure grip, hug the load
• Lift gradually using your legs, keep load close
  to you, keep back and neck straight
• Once standing, change directions by pointing your
  feet and turn your whole body. Avoid twisting at
  your waist
• To put load down, use these guidelines in reverse

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Help your Back
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Things You Can Do

• Minimize problems with your back by doing
  stretches and exercises that tone the muscles in
  your back, hips and thighs
• Note Before beginning any exercise program, you
  should check with your doctor

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Stretch and Exercise!

• Exercise regularly, every other day.
• Warm up slowly . . . A brisk walk is a good way
  to warm up
• Stretching loosens the muscles and prepares them
  for the workout
• Inhale deeply before each repetition of an
  exercise and exhale when performing each
  repetition.

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Stretches To Help Your Back Double knee-to-chest
stretch

• Keep the back relaxed
• Hold for 45 to 60 seconds.
• Release. Repeat 2 times.
• Do once per day

• Lie down on back.
• Pull both knees in to chest until you feel a
  comfortable stretch in lower back.

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Stretches To Help Your Back

• Trunk flexion stretch
• On hands and knees, tuck in chin and arch back
• Slowly sit back on heels, letting shoulders drop
  toward the floor
• Keep the back relaxed
• Hold for 45-60 seconds
• Release. Repeat 2 times
• Do once per day

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Stretches to Help Your BackMid-back rotation
stretch

• Lie on stomach. Lift body so that only hands and
  feet touch the floor
• Reach to each side as far as possible, keeping
  chest as low to floor as possible
• Hold for 45-60 seconds and release
• Do once per day

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Stretches to Help Your BackLower trunk rotation
stretch

• Lie on back
• Keeping back flat and feet together, rotate knees
  to one side
• Hold for 45-60 seconds
• Release. Repeat 2 times
• Do once per day

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Exercises To Help Your BackAlternate arm-leg
extension exercise

• Face floor on hands and knees
• Raise left arm and right leg. Do not arch neck
• Hold for 10 seconds and release
• Raise right arm and left leg. Do not arch neck
• Hold for 10 seconds and release. Repeat 10-15
  times on each side
• Do once per day

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Exercises To Help Your BackPelvic tilt exercise

• Lie on back with knees bent, feet flat on floor
  and arms at sides.
• Flatten small of back against floor. (hips will
  tilt upward.)
• Hold for 10-15 seconds and release. Gradually
  increase your holding time to 60 seconds
• Repeat 2 times
• Do once daily

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Exercises To Help Your BackCurl-up exercise

• Lie on the floor on back.
• Keeping arms folded across chest, tilt pelvis to
  flatten back. Tuck chin into chest.
• Tighten abdominal muscles while raising head and
  shoulders from floor
• Hold 10 seconds and release
• Repeat 10-15 times. Gradually increase your
  repetitions.
• Do once per day

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Exercises To Help Your BackDiagonal curl-up

• Lie on back on floor with arms folded across
  chest and knees bent.
• Keeping arms folded, tilt pelvis to flatten back
  and tuck chin into chest.
• Lift head and shoulders from floor while rotating
  to one side.
• Hold to 10 seconds and release
• Repeat 10-15 times. Gradually increase your
  repetitions
• Do once per day

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Take care of your back

• And it will take care of you
• Exercise daily
• Avoid Heavy Lifting
• Get Help with heavy or bulky objects
• If you must bend over, do it properly
• Avoid twisting at the waist when carrying objects
• Always watch where you're going

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What About Back Belts?
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CDC/NIOSH Study

• In the largest study of its kind ever conducted,
  the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions
  (CDCs) National Institute for Occupational
  Safety and Health (NIOSH) found no evidence that
  back belts reduce back injury or back pain for
  retail workers who lift or move merchandise,
  according to results published in the December 6,
  2000 issue of the Journal of the American Medical
  Association (JAMA).
• http//www.cdc.gov/niosh/backbelt.html
• http//www.cdc.gov/niosh/backfs.html

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A Special Consideration
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Pregnancy

• Muscles and ligament are already being stressed
  beyond normal levels
• Spine joints become less stable due to hormonal
  changes in the body
• The curve in the lower back increases. The back
  muscles must work harder to help maintain balance

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In a Nutshell

• Employees need
• An Atmosphere that Promotes a Safe Workplace
• Education
• Training on Proper Technique
• Proper Tools for the Job