In yesterday’s Advisor, we looked at two of the three keys to preventing workplace back injuries. Today we’ll look at the third key—fitness—and at a resource that will train your workers to keep their backs in top shape.
Facts about Fitness
The third key to back safety and health is fitness (you can see the other two keys here). Out-of-shape, overweight employees are more likely to have back injuries than those whose muscles are toned and whose backs don’t have to support extra pounds. As little as 10 minutes a day of exercises like stomach crunches and knee bends, combined with another 15 or 20 minutes of walking or some other physical activity, can help employees maintain a healthy weight and toned muscles.
Oh, My Aching Back!
If employees do injure their backs, they can minimize the damage and pain, and get back on their feet sooner by knowing how to treat back problems correctly.
Sudden, extreme pain needs medical treatment. If an employee is in a lot of pain, don’t fool around. Try to avoid moving the injured worker, and call for medical help right away. Some back injuries can be serious.
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. Get the details.
For lesser injuries and everyday backaches, recommend these remedies:
- Cold packs can be applied for 15 to 20 minutes for the first 24 to 48 hours after a minor back injury.
- Heating pads are recommended for symptoms after 48 hours.
- Over-the-counter pain relievers can be used for a few days to take care of the pain. But remind employees to read the label on the bottle and take only the recommended dosage.
- Rest can help by giving the injured muscles and other tissues time to heal.
Five ‘Musts’ of Back Safety
Remind workers of these essentials:
- Keep your back strong and fit with a healthy lifestyle.
- Maintain good posture whether you’re standing or sitting.
- Be aware of your back every time you move.
- Remember the common causes of back injuries, and avoid awkward movements that can cause back problems.
- Use good body mechanics when you lift.
Now that you have a handle on what information to convey to your workers about maintaining back health, the question becomes how best to convey it. Our editors like the Back Safety presentation included in BLR’s Safety Training Presentations.
The PowerPoint® presentation will train your workers—particularly those who lift, carry, and unload materials—to:
- Understand how back injuries occur.
- Prevent back injuries.
- Use proper materials-lifting, load-carrying, and unloading techniques.
- Think intelligently about their backs.
In addition to the detailed, 28-slide Back Safety presentation, Safety Training Presentations also provides a related quiz, handout, and three training exercises. Just as important, the training guide provides you with helpful suggestions for making the training session memorable, including:
- Ask trainees to describe the types of back injuries they have sustained on the job.
- Discuss activities specific to your workplace that can cause or contribute to back injuries.
- Have the class stand up and practice lifting techniques with you.
- If it’s necessary in your workplace to lift bags on occasion, have someone in the class demonstrate the proper technique.
- Materials to have on hand: Bags.
- Have trainees practice team lifting by moving an object in the class.
- Demonstrate carrying techniques by moving a box or other object; then ask trainees to practice.
Try Safety Training Presentations at no cost and no risk. Find out more.
And the Back Safety session is just 1 of 25 core safety presentations, each one responsive to either an OSHA training requirement or to common causes of workplace accidents. All are customizable, so you can add your specific hazards or safety policies.
Each lesson also includes completion certificates, sign-in sheets, evaluation forms, and training records. In short, it contains everything you need to motivate, reinforce, retain, and transfer new knowledge—and document that you did so.
The topics covered include:
-Bloodborne Pathogens
-Back Safety
-Emergency Action
-Ergonomics
-Fire Prevention
-PPE
-Welding/Cutting/Brazing
-Portable Power Tool Safety
-Scaffolds
-Lockout/Tagout
-Forklift Operator Safety
-Confined Space Safety
-Fall Protection
-Respiratory Protection
-and more!
Of course, training needs change as OSHA introduces new requirements or as new work practices and technologies bring new hazards. To cover this, you receive a new CD every 90 days you’re in the program, each containing five additional or updated topics.
Just as important for those on a budget (and who isn’t these days?), the cost of these presentations works out to under $20 each.
We’ve arranged for Advisor subscribers to get a no-cost, no-obligation look at Safety Training Presentations for 30 days. Feel free to try a few lessons with your own trainees. Please let us know , and we’ll be glad to set it up.
OSHA doesn’t always require you to train your workers in the safe use of fire extinguishers, but as our Safety Training Tips editor points out, it’s never a bad idea.
Our Safety Training Tips editor says that, when it comes effective scheduling, you need to know the “SCORE.”