Learning Objectives
- Recognize how practicing good posture, improving your work area conditions and working ergonomically will protect and strengthen your back.
- Identify how a healthy lifestyle, and improving your strength and flexibility, can protect you from work-related back injuries.
- Describe specific actions you can take to prevent work-related back injuries when moving or lifting materials.
Available in English
5 Minutes
“Low back pain is the #2 reason that Americans see their doctor—second only to colds and flus.” U.S. National Library of Medicine
Common Factors That May Increase Your Risk of Back Injury
The Natural Aging Process
As we age, the discs between the vertebrae in our backs wear away and shrink. The bones eventually start to rub against each other, which causes pain and stiffness. In addition, the space around our spinal cord narrows over time, putting pressure on the cord and spinal nerves, and causing pain.
Forceful Exertion
Forceful exertion involves the amount of physical effort expended to overcome the weight, resistance, or inertia of the body or a work object. Activities that require forceful exertion include carrying a heavy box from a delivery truck to a storage room or operating a handcart full of heavy materials.
Awkward Postures
An awkward posture is a body position that involves bending, twisting, or reaching. Working in an awkward posture compresses tendons, nerves, and blood vessels, and increases the force a worker must apply to complete a task. Activities that involve awkward postures include reaching up to run wiring to an overhead light fixture or kneeling and bending to install carpet.
