Back Hazard Evaluation

Presented by QBE

Loss Control Services

Foundations of a Back Safety Program• Management commitment• Management policy statement• Defined safety responsibility• Communications• Goals and objectives• Allocation of resources• Meetings• Pre-planning• New Employee Orientation

Foundations of a Back Safety Program

• Safety rules• Inspections• Training• Accident investigation• TRTW program• Audits of safety program• Emergency procedures• Substance abuse policy• Records

Type of Risk• Moving & storage

• Warehousing

• Furniture stores

• Beverage distributor

• Construction

Operations• Delivery staff

• Maintenance personnel

• Other specific departments or tasks within a facility

Records• OSHA 300 Logs

• Workers’ Compensation Data

• Accident investigations

• Employee complaints

• Symptom surveys

NIOSH Risk Factors• Heavy physical work

• Lifting and forceful movement

• Awkward postures

• Whole-body vibration

Heavy Physical Work• High energy demand

• Large compressive forces on the spine

• Heavy, dynamic, or intense work

• Low to moderate increase in back injuries

Lifting and Forceful Movements

• Moving objects form one plane to another

• Pushing and pulling

• Asymmetrical truck loading

• Compressive forces, shear forces, torsional force

• Workers perception of lifting capacity is an important component

Awkward Posture• Bending trunk forward or laterally

• Twisting truck

• Non-neutral trunk postures (kneeling, squatting, stooping)

• Speed changes in posture

• High increase in risk if a lift is associated with these postures

Whole Body Vibration

• Autos, trucks, industrial vehicles

• Increased fatigue of muscles, and ligaments

• Disc flattening and strain

• Microfractures in vertebral end plates

• Prolonged static posture, lifting and awkward posture increase effects

Other Risk Factors• Poor posture• Lack of exercise• Being overweight• Age • Sex• Stress, fatigue and

anxiety

• Smoking• Prolonged sitting• Arthritis• Degenerative spine

conditions• Hobbies and sports

Age Physiology• Reduced tissue elasticity

• Reduced brain function and nerve conduction

• Reduced cardiovascular capacity

• Reduced kidney filtration

Psychosocial Factors• Work organization• Work load• Mental demands• Job control• Pay, benefits, status• Interpersonal

relationships

• Community support• Culture• Education• Attitudes• Personal traits

Psychosocial Factors• Mechanism poorly understood

• Perception of intense workload, limited control, low job satisfaction and lack of social support contribute to back injuries

Reducing Psychosocial Risks• Challenge employees

• Fair compensation

• Good working relationships with managers and co-workers

• Decision making

• Team building

NIOSH Lifting Equation Risk Factors• Weight of object• Horizontal distance from body to object• Vertical location of hands from floor at beginning

and end of lift• Vertical distance object is lifted• Asymmetry• Frequency of lifting• Quality of hand hold

NIOSH Lifting Equation• Recommended Weight Limit (RWL) is 51 lbs

multiplied by factors relating to the risk factors

• If each multiplier is 1, RWL is 51 lbs.• As risk factors increase multipliers drop

below 1 as RWL decreases• If any multiplier is 0, RWL is 0 and load

should not be lifted

NIOSH Lifting Equation• Lifting Index (LI) provides estimate of

stress associated with lift

LI = Actual Load Weight

RWL

Lifting Index• If LI is “1” or below, the load can safely be

lifted

• If LI is greater than “1”, there is risk of back injury

• The higher LI is above “1”, the higher the risk

Lifting Index & Low Back Pain

Lifting Index Low Back Pain

Unexposed 19%

0-1 21%

1-2 27%

2-3 37%

>3 27%

NIOSH Lifting Index

Lifting Index %Male % Female

1 99 75

2 80 20

3 27 < 1

Look out for these Factors• Repetitive bending over at the waist

• Unnecessary manual material movement

• Lifting heavy loads

• Lifting bulky or hard to handle objects

• Twisting while lifting

• Lifting above shoulder height

• Lifting from floor or below knee level

• Lifting with arms extended

Look out for these Factors• Lifting objects over barriers• Lifting/pushing/pulling in awkward postures• Stooping to perform work• Prolonged static postures including sitting and

standing• Constant sitting with poor foot and back support• Repetitive or prolonged extended reaches• High lifting frequency without adequate recovery

Evaluation of Objects• Is the object difficult to bring close to the

body?• Does the object have handles, hand holes or

cutouts?• Does the object have sharp edges?• Is the object slippery?• Is the object handled or manipulated

primarily with one hand, arm or shoulder?

Evaluation of the Environment

• Is the floor surface slippery, inclined or uneven?

• Is the lifting task conducted in a confined area?

• Are there extreme environmental conditions such as heat, cold, noise, vibration, lighting or airborne contaminants?

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