By Travis Halsted, Loss Control Consultant

Many of you have asked questions as to how you can lower your number of back injuries. While there are many contributing factors to a back injury, there are aspects to investigate that could possibly point to a root cause. After a back injury is reported it is paramount to try to identify any common aspects, such as the task at hand, work areas, and even down to a particular item being produced, that could give details on how the injury occurred and what can be implemented to prevent it from happening again. With the act of lifting being such a common practice, we often tend to do it without thinking of the effects of improper lifting.

Improper lifting can result in a variety of different injuries. Of these injuries a back strain is a very common one that is a result of over-stretching certain muscles. Another injury from improper lifting is a hernia. A hernia is an injury that occurs from continued extreme exertion. With back injuries being involved in 24% of all occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work, it is easy to understand why so many companies are looking for fixes to the rising issue. (more…)