OBJECTIVES

1. REDUCING BACK INJURY…ONLY YOU CAN DO IT!!PRESENTED BY:LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

2. OBJECTIVES • Realize that lifting incorrectly can cause back injury • Recognize how your back works to accomplish lifting • Name 10 things you can do you can do to avoid back injury when doing routine ( one-person) lifting • Name 3 special lifting situations • Identify additional ways to avoid back injury in special lifting situations • Describe the proper way to load and use dollies and hand trucks

3. HELPFUL INFORMATION • NIOSH’s, “Ergonomic Guidelines for Manual Material Handling” ( in your JSAs)

4. Fact 1: Back strain/injury can cause serious pain and/or disability • Anyone is at risk for back injury, not only ones who lift heavy objects. • It is the 2nd most common excuse for missing work. • Once back strain occurs, it often returns. • Back injury often requires bed rest and occasionally, surgery. • Many back injuries result from lifting too heavy a load or lifting improperly.

5. Fact 2: Your physical health has a lot to do with protection against back injury. • Regular exercise can strengthen your back and stomach muscles. • The way your body adjusts to keep it’s balance can be upset if you sit or stand in an un-natural position. • Excessive weight can exaggerate the curve of your back and strain it. • Stress, anxiety, and depression can cause muscles to tighten and throw your back into spasms. • The harder your work, physically, the less likely you are to have back injury.

6. Fact 3: Plan before you lift, carry, reach for, or push an object. • Stretch and bend before doing any of these. • Test the weight and stability of an object to be moved; divide the load into parts if too heavy. • Decide if you need another person, dolly, or hand truck to help with these task. • For 2-person lifts, work with someone your own height to facilitate keeping the load at the same level.

7. Fact 3- Cont’d- Plan before you lift, carry, reach for, or push an object • Decide, in advance, which person will direct the move and continue to tell one another what moves you are about to make. • Choose the straightest, flattest and clearest route to your destination. • Dress properly (non-skid shoes, gloves). • Unload at the same time.

8. Fact 4: Let you legs do the work, not back when lifting an object. • Leg muscles are several times stronger that those elsewhere in your body. • You can strain back muscles or pinch nerves if you arch your back when lifting. • Stand as close to the load as possible and grip load with both hands, not just fingers. • You must bring the load close to body, with it’s weight centered over both feet. • Stand slowly with back straight and let legs push you up… NEVER LOCK YOUR KNEES!!!! • Avoid twisting your back.

9. Fact 5: You can injure back while carrying an object as easily as when lifting it. • Carry the load, waist-high. • Make sure you can see where you are going. • Never walk backwards … it will throw you off-balance. • Walk slow, taking small steps. • Balance the load. • Stop for a rest as often as needed. • Never pull a load …. Always, push it. • Move your feet to turn … never twist your body.

10. Fact 6: You can injure your back when you are un-loading or putting a load down. • Lower a load, slowly and bend your knees while doing this. • Place your hands or feet so they don’t get caught under a load when you put it down. • When placing a load on a shelf or the floor, first put the load on the edge of a surface to take the weight off your body and then slide it to it’s final location.

11. Fact 7: Lifting objects to high places requires additional precautions • Use a sturdy platform to reduce height of the lift … a ladder is not recommended. • Don’t stretch to reach the height. • Reduce the size of the object to as small a parcel as possible. • If you are placing an object above waist-level, lift load half-way, support it on a surface or hip and then change your grip to lift the item higher. • Then bend knees, lift object, then straighten up.

12. Fact 7: Lifting objects from high places requires additional precautions • Stand on platform to reduce amount of drop… a ladder is not recommended. • Don’t stretch. • Make sure you have good footing and grip. • Slide load down, letting your arms and legs do the work. • Break lift into short segments by supporting it on shelves or against walls as you lower it.

13. Fact 8: Hand-trucks or dollies can reduce the chance of injury • Select the right aid .. hand trucks support the bottom and one side of a load … dollies only support the bottom. • Hand trucks have to be tilted to move .. Dollies do not. • Always load the heavy objects on the bottom … light ones on top. • Make sure load is stable … secure with ties or rope if necessary. • Bend knees and keep back straight when moving these.

14. Fact 8- Cont’d: Hand-trucks or dollies can reduce the chance of injury • Push, don’t pull truck or dolly. • The only walk that backwards is if it necessary to maneuver through tight spots. • Don’t brace or stop a truck or dolly with your foot. • Always keep you and your truck or dolly away from the edge of platforms or loading docks.

15. CONCLUSIONS • #1 - Proper lifting can prevent back injury. • #2 - Planning and caution can save your back in special lifting and moving operations. • #3 - Hand trucks and dollies help move materials easily and safely.

16. Following these rules can save you a trip to: OR

17. Thanks to the following for providing the information for this program: • National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety • Occupational Health and Safety Administration • National Safety Council • “The 7-Minute Safety Trainer”

18. Post Test .. Question 1 • It is always better to lift something by yourself than to use material-handling aids. True or False

19. Answer to Question 1 • The correct answer is FALSE.

20. Post Test Question #2 • You are more likely to have back pain and injury if you’re: a. overweight and in poor physical condition b. too thin c. cautious about how much you can lift d. if you like chocolate pie

21. Answer to Question 2 • The correct answer is a.

22. Post Test Question #3 • When you lift, you want your legs, not your back, to do the work. True or False

23. Answer to Question #3 The correct answer is true.

24. Post Test Question #4 • When you unload, you: a. drop the load in place b. must always get another person to help c. slide the load in place d. lift them to waist high

25. Answer to Question #4 • The correct answer is c.

26. Post Test Question #5 • One hazard to look out for when using a hand truck is: a. loss of electrical power b. dangerous chemical reactions c. bending over d. running off the edge of a platform or dock

27. Answer to Question #5 • The correct answer is d.

28. Post Test Question #6 • Safety is: a. everyone’s responsibility b. only the supervisor’s responsibility c. only Environmental Health and Safety’s responsibility d. only the governor’s responsibility

29. Answer to Question #6 • The correct answer is a.

30. THANKS FOR COMING!!!!!!