TXWCC Back Injury Prevention

Handout on preventing back injuries including common lifting mistakes and best practices and procedures to prevent injury while material handling.

Goal

This program provides information on proper care of the back to help reduce the potential for back injuries in the workplace and at home.

Objective

The participant will understand how to care for their back by learning about body mechanics, ways to change lifestyle, the difference between a strain and sprain, some common mistakes made when lifting, and the eight steps to proper lifting.

Introduction

Everything we do affects our back. Unfortunately, the back is not very resilient. Once the back has been injured, it will never be as strong as it was before the injury. How many times a day do we lift, push, pull, stretch, and otherwise put a strain on our back? We do not strain our back intentionally, never less, our back takes a huge beating every day. Prevention is the key to protecting our back from injury.

Body Mechanics

Body mechanics is nothing more than how to properly move and position the body for different activities in order to…