Back Hazard Evaluation
Presented by QBE
Loss Control Services
Foundations of a Back Safety Program
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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
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Safety rules
Inspections
Training
Accident investigation
TRTW program
Audits of safety program
Emergency procedures
Substance abuse policy
Records
Type of Risk
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Moving & storage
Warehousing
Furniture stores
Beverage distributor
Construction
Operations
• Delivery staff
• Maintenance personnel
• Other specific departments or tasks within
a facility
Records
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OSHA 300 Logs
Workers’ Compensation Data
Accident investigations
Employee complaints
Symptom surveys
NIOSH Risk Factors
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Heavy physical work
Lifting and forceful movement
Awkward postures
Whole-body vibration
Heavy Physical Work
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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
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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
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Poor posture
Lack of exercise
Being overweight
Age
Sex
Stress, fatigue and
anxiety
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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
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Work organization
Work load
Mental demands
Job control
Pay, benefits, status
Interpersonal
relationships
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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
Unexposed
0-1
1-2
2-3
>3
Low Back Pain
19%
21%
27%
37%
27%
NIOSH Lifting Index
Lifting Index
1
2
3
%Male
99
80
27
% Female
75
20
<1
Look out for these Factors
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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
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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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