Back trauma accounts for almost 20 percent of all workplace injuries, but our expert says that implementing a simple stretching program can greatly reduce the number of back injuries and other MSDs in your workplace.
Another football game, another player down. And, if our collective memory serves, it was Howard Cosell who used to lament, “The knee, the knee, always the knee!”
But if Howard were still with us and able to comment on workplace injuries, his refrain would probably change to, “The back, the back, always the back!”
A recent survey of physicians determined that about 80 percent of people will report having back pain at some point in their lifetimes.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), back injuries account for nearly 20 percent of all injuries and illnesses in the workplace, and affect more than 1 million workers. Back injuries cost the nation an estimated $20 billion to $50 billion per year, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and one-fourth of all compensation indemnity claims involve back injuries.
All the safety training you need in one program: 25 subjects, one low price. It’s BLR’s Safety Training Presentations. Try it at no cost. Click for details.
But many ergonomists and safety professionals say it doesn’t have to be that way. The use of workplace warm-up exercises to combat back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) has met with success in a number of countries, including Japan.
The exercises not only reduce soft tissue injuries but also result in improved productivity and job satisfaction, says Richard R. Bilheimer, CDS, a former senior safety specialist with Federal Express, and now president and owner of RRB Safety Consulting in Boca Raton, Florida.
Bilheimer suggests that we should treat employees like “industrial athletes” (minus the numbers and names on the jerseys, of course). And, just like pro athletes, your employees need pre-work stretches, too.
The stretching doesn’t need to last more than 4 to 5 minutes, and you can have employees take turns being leader of the warm-ups. Bilheimer’s recommended seven-step program consists of:
1. Loosen up your neck by rolling your chin close to your chest from side to side for 20 seconds
2. Roll you shoulders by lifting them up toward your ears and rolling them forward and back for 20 seconds
3. Place both hands on the lower part of your back and lean back slowly for 20 seconds
4. Place one arm over your head and grab it with the other hand, pulling it over your head. Hold for 20 seconds (repeat with the opposite arm and hand).
5. With your feet shoulder-width apart, slowly bend over and try to touch your feet with your hands. Hold this position for 20 seconds. Repeat three times.
6. With your feet shoulder-width apart and keeping your back straight, squat down and hold that position for 20 seconds.
7. With one arm outstretched, reach out with your other hand and bend the fingers of the outstretched arm back toward your wrist. Hold for 20 seconds. Do twice for both arms and hands.
Bilheimer emphasizes that all of these warm-ups should be done slowly, and with NO BOUNCING.
Try Safety Training Presentations at no cost and no risk. Click for details.
Ergonomically designed furniture can also help cut down on back problems and other MSDs. In an article on The Posture Blog, corporate fitness consultant Mehernaaz Damania says that if a firm installs such furniture, it won’t mean much unless employees are trained in its proper use.
And Mehernaaz, like Bilheimer, believes that there is no substitute for adequate exercise. She recommends that workers get up and move around every 15 minutes and stretch at regular intervals during the workday.
In tomorrow’s Advisor, we’ll look at some more practical back safety tips and at a comprehensive tool that meets all of your safety training needs.