Material%20Handling%20and%20Back%20Safety%20Training

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Material Handling and Back Safety Training
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Many workers suffer back injuries each year,
which cost employers and add to the employees
painand suffering
Introduction
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Material Handling and Lifting Injuries are
exceedingly painful, difficult to heal, and have
an effect on everything you do
After suffering just one back injury, you are
much more likely to experience another one later
on
It is important to learn how to avoid injuring or
re-injuring your back
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Objectives

• At the end of this presentation, you
  should
• be familiar with the following
  topics
• Forces involved with lifting
• Risky moves associated with lifting
• Contributing factors to materials
  handling/lifting injuries
• Injury prevention
• Proper lifting procedures
• Using the Calculator For Analyzing Lifting
  Operations
• Body Management
• Work-specific training requirements

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The Forces Involved

• The amount of force placed on your back under
  certain conditions can
• be surprising. Anytime you bend or lean over to
  pick something up
• without bending your knees, you put tremendous
  pressure on your
• lower back.
• Think of your back as a lever. With the
• fulcrum in the center of the lever, it only
• takes ten pounds of pressure to lift a
• ten pound object.
• However, if you shift the fulcrum to one side, it
  takes much more force to
• lift the same object. Your waist actually acts
  like the fulcrum in a
• lever system, and it is not centered. In fact, it
  operates on a 101
• ratio. Lifting a ten pound object actually 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.
• Given these figures, it is easy to
• see how repetitive lifting and
• bending can quickly cause back
• problems. Even leaning forward
• while sitting at a desk or table can
• eventually lead to back related
• problems.

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Risky Moves

• Certain actions are more likely to cause back
• injuries than others. Anytime you find yourself
• doing one of these things, you should think
• DANGER! My back is at risk!
• Heavy lifting...especially repetitive
• lifting over a long period of time
• Twisting at the waist while lifting or
• holding a heavy load. (This frequently
• happens when using a shovel.)
• Reaching and lifting...over your head,
• across a table, or out the back of a truck.

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More Risky Moves

• Lifting or carrying objects
  with
• awkward or odd shapes
• Working in awkward, uncomfortable
• positions...gardening, kneeling, tasks that
• require you to bend over for long periods of
  time...
• Also, sitting or standing for too
  long
• without shifting.

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The further you bend, and the more you extend
your arms, the more significant the risk of
injury!
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Other Causes of Injuries

• It is also possible to injure yourself
• slipping on a wet floor or ice
• Tripping or falling over obstacles in
• the walkway
• Improper use of lifting of moving equipment

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Contributing Factors to Handling/Lifting Injuries

• Poor Physical Condition
• Your stomach muscles provide a lot of the
  support needed by your back. If you have weak,
  flabby stomach muscles, your back may not get all
  the support it needs, especially when you're
  lifting or carrying heavy objects. Good physical
  condition in general is important for preventing
  strains, sprains, and other injuries.

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Contributing Factors to Handling/Lifting Injuries

• Poor posture
• Is another contributing factor. When your mother
  told you to sit and stand up straight, she was
  giving you good advice. It is best to try to
  maintain the back in its natural "S" shaped
  curve. You want to avoid leaning forward
  (unsupported) when you sit, or hunching over
  while you're standing.

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Contributing Factors to Handling/Lifting Injuries

• Extra weight
• Can be a big problem. Remember the fulcrum /
  lever principle? The more you weigh, the more
  stress it puts on your back every time you bend
  over--on a 101 ratio.

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Contributing Factors to Handling/Lifting Injuries

• Stress
• Tense muscles are
• more susceptible to
• strains and spasms.

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Contributing Factors to Handling/Lifting Injuries

• Overdoing it
• Dont be afraid to say, This is too heavy for
  me to lift alone.
• Its important to recognize your physical
  limitations and abilities. Many people have
  injured their backs because they were afraid to
  ask for help.

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Preventing Back Injuries

• The best way to prevent back injuries is to
  develop
• habits that reduce the strain placed on the back.
  There
• are some basic things you can do to help.
• Avoid Lifting and Bending Whenever You Can!
• Place objects up off the floor. If you can set
• Something down on a table or other elevated
• surface instead of on the floor, do it so you
  won't
• have to reach down to pick it up again.
• Raise / lower shelves. The best zone for lifting
  is
• between your shoulders and your waist. Put
  heavier
• objects on shelves at waist level, lighter
  objects on
• lower or higher shelves.

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Preventing Back Injuries

• Use carts and dollies to move objects, instead of
  carrying them
• yourself. (Remember that it is better on your
  back to push carts
• than it is to pull them.)
• Use cranes, hoists, lift tables, and other
  lift-assist devices
• whenever you can.

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Use Proper Lifting Procedures

• You can't always avoid lifting, but there are
  ways to reduce the amount of pressure placed on
  the back when you do so
• By bending the knees, you keep your spine in a
  better alignment, and you essentially take away
  the lever principle forces.
• Instead of using your back like a crane, you
  allow your legs to do the work.

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Use Proper Lifting Procedures

• Take a balanced stance with your feet about a
  shoulder-width apart. one foot can be behind the
  object and the other next to it.
• Squat down to lift the object, but keep your
  heels off the floor. Get as close to the object
  as you can. Keep your back straight.
• Use your palms (not just your fingers) to get a
  secure grip on the load. Make sure you'll be
  able to maintain a hold on the object without
  switching your grip later.

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Use Proper Lifting Procedures

• Lift gradually (without jerking) using your leg,
  abdominal and buttock muscles and keeping the
  load as close to you as possible. Keep your chin
  tucked in so as to keep a relatively straight
  back and neck line.
• Once you're standing, change directions by
• pointing your feet in the direction you want
• to go and turning your whole body. Avoid
• twisting at your waist while carrying a load.
• By following these lifting guidelines and by
• practicing good body/back management,
• you can prevent back injuries on the job and
• at home.

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Other Lifting Tips

• Reduce the amount of weight lifted. If you're
  moving a bunch of books, better to load several
  small boxes than one extremely heavy load
• Keep a clear view ahead when carrying/moving a
  load. Never carry a load in front of your face
  as it forces you to lean or twist and upsets your
  balance
• Use handles and lifting straps
• Push a dolly or cart in a linear motion. Never
  pull, as it forces you to twist at the waist!
• Get help if the shape is too awkward or the
  object is too heavy for you to lift and move by
  yourself!

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How to determine if the load you are moving is
too much.

• Use the Calculator For Analyzing Lifting
  Operations Form. on next slide
• Easy to use formula based on factors such
• as the weight to be lifted, at what
• position you begin the lift from, the
  frequency
• of lifting, and if twisting is involved
• Simple result lets you know if lifting the
• load could be hazardous or not

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What is too heavy?
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Practice Body Management

• It's important to know your body's limitations,
  and it's important to be aware of your body
  position at all times
• Learn to recognize those situations where your
  back is most a risk bending, lifting, reaching,
  twisting, etc.
• Then take measures to avoid an injury by using
  this training whenever you handle or lift
  materials

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Finally.

• Dont forget the 4 most common
• causes of back injury
• Bending
• Reaching
• Twisting
• Heavy Lifting

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• Thanks and take care