15 Million Reasons To Bend Your Knees
Suppose you walk out on your lawn every morning to pick up the newspaper. On your way in the house, you stop to pet the dog. Before scurrying off to work you spend your last precious seconds stooping down to hug your toddler good bye. Over the course of 10 years, you would have placed over 15 million pounds of additional stress on your lower back as a result of those seemingly innocuous movements! Most back injuries are the result of cumulative effect rather than an acute incident. Is it any wonder that low back pain is the most common cause of decreases in work capacity for workers between the ages of 25-44?
When investigating back injuries, here is what we often find: the worker bent over to pick up a screwdriver, a pen, a piece of paper or some other very small object; or they were performing a routine task when their back went out. Though that action may have been the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, the true cause was most likely the cumulative effect of years of improper lifting and poor posture.
According to National Safety Council statistics, over 300,000 back injuries occur in the workplace each year. Thirty cents of every dollar spent on Workers Comp expenses is for overexertion injuries primarily to the lower back. Eight of 10 individuals suffer some form of disabling back injury during their lifetime.
The human body is an engineering marvel. The musculoskeletal system which enables us to stand, walk, lift and perform other movements is comprised of bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Thirty three bones called vertebrae form what is known as the spinal column or back. Tendons connect muscles to bone. Movement takes place with the contraction of the muscle, which pulls the bone in the desired direction. Body movement is based on the principle of a lever.
The spinal column also functions as a lever with the waist serving as the fulcrum point. The back operates at a 10-to-1 ratio. What this means is that a 1 pound object feels like 10 pounds to your lower back when you bend at the waist to lift it. In addition, not only must your back support the weight of the object being lifted, it must support the weight of your upper body too. If the average adult’s upper body weighs 145 pounds, bending at the waist to pick up a one pound object places 1,450 pounds of stress on the lower back.
To put this in perspective, if a person has bent at the waist just three times per day over the last 10 years to pick up the paper, pet the dog, or other reason, they will have placed more than 15 million additional pounds of unnecessary stress on their lower back during that period. That is why most back injuries are the result of cumulative effect versus an acute incident.
Twisting when lifting can compound the impact. Proper posture and technique are essential when lifting to reduce exposure to the risk factors associated with musculoskeletal disorders.
When lifting an object that is below the knees stand directly in front of the load with the feet about shoulder width apart. One foot should be slightly in front of the other to increase balance. Bend the knees to lower the body while maintaining the natural S-shape of the spine. Firmly grip the object and pull it as close to the body as possible.
Lift with the legs while avoiding jerking motions or bending at the waist. Move the feet to turn with the load and avoid twisting with your trunk. When setting the load, follow the same procedures. Maintain a firm grip until the load is set and secured. Whenever possible or feasible, a person should use mechanical assistance to lift or handle material. If the object is an awkward shape or size, or is heavy in weight, another person should assist.
When lifting unbalanced loads, keep the heaviest part of the load closest to the body. Slide objects in the trunks of vehicles, on shelves, or in other containers as close to the body as possible before lifting them.
The human body may be an engineering marvel, but it is not indestructible. Back injuries are one of the most frequent and costly types of injury in the workplace. Simply by remembering to bend at the knees and not the waist, a person can eliminate millions of pounds of unnecessary stress on the lower back.
Keep an eye on your workers! Their aching back, incurred at your worksite and due to poor supervision, will cost them dramatically in quality of life…and may cost your company big dollars in workers compensation claims.
Contact us or request a proposal for more information!
