INDEX PAGE
INTRODUCTION 3
ERGONOMICS 4
OBJECTIVES OF ERGONOMICS 4
RESULTS OF ERGONOMIC APPLICATIONS 5
THE BACK STRUTURE 6
BACK AND BACK PROBLEMS 6
Back injuries 6
Causes of back injuries 7
The following are common causes of back injuries:– 7
Back injury prevention 8
Back injury-preventative techniques 8
Techniques 9
Strategies 9
ORIGINAL LIFTING MODEL 10
Strain index (SI) = 10
Action limit 11
Maximum permissible limit 11
Administrative controls 12
Engineering controls 12
Limitations of the NIOSH lifting model 13
LEGISLATIVE TRENDS: STANDARDS, GUIDELINES AND INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES 13
CONCLUSION 14
APENDIX 1 15
REFERENCES 16
OCCUPATIONAL BACK INJURIES DURING MANUAL HANDLING OF MATERIAL
INTRODUCTION
Almost one third of all disabling injuries at work, temporary or permanent are related to manual handling of objects. Many of these incidents are avoidable and are the consequence of inadequate or simplistic bio-mechanical task analysis.
Injuries associated with manual materials handling have grown substantially and are currently estimated to exceed several billion dollars annually in the USA. In addition to the compensation costs are the tremendous costs associated with the suffering of the impaired workers.
Manual material handling injuries can result from lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying objects while performing activities .
Some of the most traumatic and costly manual material handling injuries impact on the back, more specifically the lower back has been the area of concern in most studies examining the low back pain associated with manual material handling.
Lifting, handling and dragging loads involve a good deal of static effort, enough to classify as h...
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LEGISLATIVE TRENDS: STANDARDS, GUIDELINES AND INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES
Ever since the 19th century, government bodies in the developed nations have attempted, for social as well as economic reasons, to influence the way industry runs itself. Industries now have to comply with regulations, which limit worker exposure to the health - threatening aspects of their job.
The requirement for good working conditions is not a new one. The Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970 requires all employees to “provide their employees with a workplace free from recognised serious hazards” irrespective of whether these hazards are covered by specific standards. If poor ergonomics constitutes a hazard, then employers are required to act.
Ergonomic Safety and Health Management Rules specify what constitutes an “ergonomic hazard” and what actions to take to remove the hazard. The rules assist employers in complying with already existing legislation.4
CONCLUSION
Through compliance with legislative trends, understanding of the back structure, and Health and Safety training programmes, the universal prevalence of occupational back injuries can be reduced and even prevented.
Safety rules and regulations can reduce or eliminate unsafe behaviors. Safety rules are designed to reduce or eliminate the risk of workplace injuries. Safety rules may consist of eliminating hazards, policies to protect its employees, and workers must follow these rules (Bernardin & Russell, 2013). It might include policies on work behavior, guidelines, rules on workplace safety, and instructions on ho...
This paper will show how the facility will continue to stay abreast of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standards. The paper will also take a look at the activities and the frequency of training and audits that the hospital will conduct throughout the year. This paper will address the possibility of the fines the hospital has received and what causes the fines. The OSHA is an organization that provides a safe work environment for all staff members.
McGuire, C. (2011, April). Workplace Safety 100 Years Ago. Safety Compliance Letter(2524), 1-6. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=60166397&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Due to poor positioning, dental hygienist are at a risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders such as “the tendons, tendons sheaths, muscles, and nerves of hands, wrists, arms, elbows, shoulders, neck and back” (Darby & Walsh page 144). 70% of members of the dental team, including dentists, assistants and hygienists reported of having some sort of back pain due to improper positioning http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2013-archive/july/posturing-for-relief). Of those 70%, 79% admitted that their back pain was indeed worsening as they continued to perform the same tasks http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2013-archive/july/posturing-for-relief).. This is primarily due to repetitive strain syndrome, which include muscoskeletal
Theis, J.L., & Finkelstein, M.J. (2013). Long-Term Effects of Safe Patient Handling Program on Staff Injuries. Rehabilitation Nursing, 39, 26-35. DOI:10.1002/rnj.108
2011 Weigel and Armijos 2011). “Little empirical data are available examining the injury experience of hired crop workers in the United States (US).”(Wang, Myers et al. 2011) Work-related injury data from a national survey collected through the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) in the years 1999, 2002, 2003, and 2004 on 13,604 crop farm workers revealed that the bulk of injuries occurred to male (84%) and Mexican born (72%) workers. “The use of hand tools, falls, and lifting overexertion injuries were identified as significant causes of injury among hired crop workers. Increased injury risk was also seen for crop workers with existing health or musculoskeletal complaints....
The leading cause of injury to nursing and hospital staff is the repeated manual lifting, and lifting and transferring of patients. This increasing incident rates cost to healthcare organizations. “Safe Patient Handling” programs have become one of the top initiatives for healthcare organizations. With the help of this program, work-related injuries and injuries due to patient falls can be reduced. Hill-Rom’s high technologies, processes, and tools assist hospitals to enhance outcomes for patients.
This industry has had the highest injury rate of any industry from accidents caused by machinery; Workers can be seriously injured by moving animals also suffer from crippling arm, hand, and wrist injuries. Back injuries can result from loading and unloading meat from trucks and from moving meat, meat racks, or meat trees along overhead rails. Workers can be severely burned by cleaning solvents and burned by heat sealant machines when they wrap meat. Many workers can also injure themselves by falling on treacherously slippery floors and can be exposed to extremes of heat and cold. Has caused workers many health effects with injuries many layoff due to safety
In a society becoming burdened by both active and sedentary work, the consequences of overuse injuries, back and neck pain, and weight gain are inevitable. In order to protect the well-being of workers and improve their overall quality of life, the implementation of ergonomic strategies in the workplace is becoming increasingly popular. It is commonly believed that work-related physical symptoms were not addressed in writing until the mid-1800s, but it must be recognized that ergonomics has crucial roots in the practices of Ancient Greece. With changing philosophies throughout history, designers have built on Greek construction methods, work regulations, and tools to improve the comfort, safety, and efficacy associated with working.
For Mobility (Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 amended): This allows care workers to assess risk relating to lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving materials. In order to prevent musculoskeletal disorders and work related ill-health and manual handling injuries. The guidance of regulation includes risk assessment, filter and checklist to help assess manual handling tasks.
Manual Handling is specifically regulated for in Chapter 4, Part 2 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work, (General Applications) Regulations 2007 (S.I. no. 299 of 2007). In the Regulations, Manual Handling is defined as any transporting or supporting of any load by one or more employees, and includes lifting, putting down, pushing ,pulling, carrying or moving a load, which by reason of its characteristics or unfavourable ergonomic conditions, involves risk, particularly of back injury, to employees.
After careful consideration of the entire record, the undersigned finds that the claimant has the residual functional capacity to perform light work as defined in 20 CFR 404.1567(b) except can occasionally climb stairs, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, and crawl but never climb ladders. The claimant can occasionally reach overhead bilaterally. The claimant can frequently, but not constantly, handle, finger, and feel, bilaterally. She must avoid hazards (unprotected heights and moving mechanical parts).
The three-month intervention targeted the following areas: improvement of worker health through the involvement of unit managers, implementation of unit-wide safety changes, and worker education. The intervention agenda included three themes: 1) improvement of unit ergonomics and safety, 2) practicing safe patient handling, and 3) enhancing staff physical fitness. Floor safety champions were appointed to guide staff during the implementation of the safe patient handling activities. The program included mentoring sessions with an ergonomic specialist, which focused on increasing awareness of strategies to reduce the risk of injury to the worker and patient. Expanded knowledge, readily available supervisor support, and the improved work environment were associated with reduced worker stress and increased consistency in the implementation of safety techniques among workers (Caspi et al.,
Employers negligent in providing health and safety in the work environment could become criminally charged, fined or sent to jail. Providing an unsafe workplace is no longer considered just as morally unjust, but an act of crime. Health and safety in the workplace has become more encompassing and broader, accepting new causes and problems that influence occupational health and safety. Health is no longer just defined as wellness of the physical body, but also wellness of the mind. Mental health is considered an area of workplace safety.
Accidents at work can occur at any time and there are a lot of consequences and considerations, especially for the injured worker. Industrial workers or people who deal with heavy objects are not the only one at risk of getting into