What are the most common types of injuries and why do they occur? Learn the facts behind back injuries.
The most common types of back injuries are:
- Strain. A strain happens when you overuse or overstretch your back muscles. This often happens to people who try to do too much when their backs are not properly conditioned. Back strains are very common in the workplace as well as in many sports. Back strains often occur suddenly when the back is twisted or overly exerted when picking up a load.
- Sprain. A sprain happens when a ligament in the back is torn or excessively stretched. This could be the result of a sudden forceful movement, or from a small movement that injures an already weak ligament.
- Bulging disk. A bulging disk occurs when a disk begins to come out from between two vertebrae. This can cause painful pressure on the spinal cord or other nearby organs. Often, the back muscles try to compensate for this injury, until the muscles themselves become strained. A bulging disk can be very painful and requires medical attentions as soon as possible.
- Hernated disk. A herniated disk occurs when the disk begins to leak its cushioning fluid. The disk loses its ability to cushion the vertebrae, resulting in pressure on vertebrae, the spinal cord, and possibly, other organs. A herniated disk can develop into a serious and long lasting condition if it is not properly treated promptly.
Think you have no time to train? Think again. BLR’s 7-Minute Safety Trainer helps you fulfill key OSHA-required training tasks in as little as 7 minutes. Try it at no cost and see!
Which Activities Contribute Most to Back Injuries?
It might surprise your employees to know that often back injuries are caused by very simple activities that they do everyday. These activities, when performed correctly, are very safe to do. But one wrong move, and “Oh, my aching back!!”
While there are many different activities that can lead to back injuries and aches, these are among the most common:
- Reaching into a rack or bin, or reaching overhead while lifting something
- Bending over to lift or unload something, or even to tie your shoes,
- Sitting or standing for long periods of time, or using poor posture while sitting or standing, can also lead to back injury and pain.
- Improper lifting and carrying. Making the wrong moves when lifting, such as lifting with the back instead of the legs, or twisting while carrying, can easily lead to a back injury.
Training Prevents Injuries
Fortunately, proper training can prevent back injuries. And that’s where we can help. To train employees in a broad range of safety and health topics, including back safety, savvy safety professionals have for years relied on the BLR® 7-Minute Safety Trainer.
This essential training resource allows you to provide concise, memorable training easily and effectively in just a few minutes. Materials are ready-to-use, and each session supplies a detailed trainer’s outline as well as a handout, quiz, and quiz answers to get your points across quickly—and cost-effectively.
Can you picture safety training in effective, 7-minute sessions? Get the details.
All told, this “trainer’s bible” contains 50 prewritten meetings covering almost every aspect of safety you’d want or need to train on, in a format designed to be taught in as little as 7 minutes. Major topics include:
—Confined spaces
—Electrical safety
—Fire safety and emergency response
—HazCom
—Machine guarding and lockout/tagout
—Material handling
—PPE use and care
—Housekeeping/slips, trips, and falls
—and dozens more
Just make as many copies as you need of the included handouts and quizzes, and you’re ready to train.
Equally important is that the program ships new meetings every quarter to respond to new and changed regulations. This service is included in the program price, which averages just over $1 a working day. In fact, this is one of BLR’s most popular safety programs.
If you’d like to personally evaluate 7-Minute Safety Trainer and see how it can build safety awareness, we’ll be happy to send it to you for 30 days on a no-cost, no-obligation trial basis. Just let us know, and we’ll arrange it.