Workplace Safety Incentives Since 1991
As most of us know, back injuries are the most prevalent of all workplace injuries. They're also the most enigmatic since their exact causes and effects often remain a medical mystery.
Chronic back disorders can develop gradually as a result of repetitive actions over time. Because of the slow onset and insidious character of these internal injuries, the condition often may be ignored until it becomes "chronic".
Acute back injuries usually are the immediate result of improper lifting or too heavy loading. Injuries can arise in muscles, tendons, bursa and ligaments, either singly or in combination. Every year, an estimated 10 million employees in the United States encounter back pain that impairs their job performance.
Approximately 1 million of these workers file workers' compensation claims with an estimated impact of $10 billion in comp payments alone. In addition, there's the cost of lost productivity due to the injured employee's absence, not to mention the cost of finding and training a replacement.
Obviously then, those companies which formulate an effective injury prevention strategy to reduce, if not eliminate, work-related back trauma will minimize such costs. There are many strategies including the redesign of equipment and jobs, as well as worker training, conditioning, consulting and screening programs.
Other injury prevention and/or control methods include rotating employees, providing regular periodic breaks, putting additional employees on the job and assigning light work. The most frequently used measures cited by experts include:
Safe Lifting Practices:
Such practices include analyzing the size, shape and weight of the load before lifting; placing feet about a foot apart and standing close to the object for balance; bending the knees to a comfortable position; lifting the object into a carrying position to avoid unnecessary twisting movements; turning the body by changing foot positions; and lowering the load by bending the knees.
Support Devices:
Personal protective equipment for back injury prevention includes back support belts as well as cushioning shoe insoles. In addition, special furniture is available for proper sitting.
Improving Job Design:
Many ergonomists believe that many elements of the way a job is accomplished -- tool and furniture design, size and weight of objects handled, not to mention work scheduling -- can be adjusted to minimize risk of back injuries.
Work objects should be easy to handle and at least waist high to avoid needless bending and twisting. Work flow should be monitored to avoid rushed work, jerky and repetitive motions, and standing for long periods of time. Effective job design depends on careful evaluation of the entire work process, the employees performing the work, and detailed recommendations for improvement.
Screening Programs:
While screening to determine which workers are best able to perform high-risk jobs {without injury} can be an effective way to reduce back problems in the workplace, special attention must be given to the selection process and the use of the results, both for program effectiveness as well as for legal considerations. Common screening methods include strength/flexibilty testing, pre-employment physicals, and spinal x-rays.
Finally, don't forget the enormous value incentives can be to employee involvement in these strategies. The Safety Pays program provides not only group and individual incentives to secure the workforces' active commitment to these techniques, but it also assures employee compliance through the utilization of game "safety violations".
For those customers interested in learning more about back injury prevention, give your insurance carrier's loss control department a call, or we'll be more than happy to refer you to a risk manager who specializes in this area.