backbone safety tips

8/12/2019 backbone safety tips

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BACK AND LIFTING SAFETY


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LIFTING HAZARDS AND SOME IDEAS

ON HOW TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF

LIFTING INJURY



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BY THE END OF THIS SLIDESHOW YOU WILLBE ABLE TO:

Identify the types of lifting that may cause

injuries

Review ergonomics principles used in

reducing lifting hazards and preventing

injuries

Contact L&I resources for assistance



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STATISTICS ON LIFTING INJURIES

There are 50,000 WMSDs in Washington every year.

How many of them are due to lifting?

Source: SHARP technical report No. 40-6-2002

17 000 Thats 34%!This means that about 1/3 of WMSDs are attributed to lifting.

That makes it one of the largest single sources

of injury in Washington workplaces.


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LIFTING INJURIES ARENT JUST BACK INJURIES

30% of

Shoulder

WMSDs

22% of

Elbow

WMSDs

13% of

Hand/WristWMSDs

43% of

BackWMSDs

LIFTING RESULTS IN:

Source: SHARP technical report No. 40-6-2002



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Source: American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE, 2003)

Lifting Injuries Arent Just Due to AgingOverexertion in lifting a heavy object is the

most frequent single type of injury for those

under 18 resulting in lost work-time.



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Heavy LiftingPAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO

FrequentLifting

Awkward Lifting


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HEAVY LIFTING

This worker is adding bags of dry ingredientsto a hopper in a manufacturing plant.


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FREQUENT LIFTING

This worker is palletizing totes of smallparts in a warehouse.


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Above the ShouldersBelow the Knees

At Arms Length

AWKWARD LIFTING

This worker is lifting 50-pound bags of wetfiberglass in a manufacturing plant.


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WISHA Lifting Calculator Other Tools

o ACGIH Lifting TLV

o

NIOSH Lifting Equationo Department of Energys

ErgoEaser

ANALYSIS TOOLS


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PRINCIPLES FOR REDUCING HEAVY LIFTING

Reduce the WeightIncrease the WeightUse Mechanical AssistanceSlide Instead of LiftTeam Lifting


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Reduce the Weight of the LoadREDUCING HEAVY LIFTING

This example shows using lightweight plasticpallets, which weigh from 13 to 30 pounds fora standard 40 x 48.

The traditional wooden 40 x 48 pallet weighs

approximately 60 pounds.

COSTS: About $30 more per unitcompared with wooden pallets

SAVINGS: Reduced shipping costs

(empty pallets are nestable so more can be

shipped back in one trailer)Reduced pallet repair and replacementcosts (plastic is easier to clean when used infood processing)

Fewer splinter/loose nail injuries


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INCREASE theWeight of the Load

Make it so heavy no one

would try to lift it

REDUCING HEAVY LIFTING

2,000

lbs.


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Use Mechanical Assistance

This example shows a mobilepneumatic conveyor that can beused to move powdered andgranular materials from any type

of container (bags, barrels, bins,totes, etc.) to a hopper or otherpart of a mixing system.

The discharge (funnel shapedsilver part at the top) is height

adjustable.



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Slide Instead of Lifting

This example shows how to move heavy duty batteries from one pallet toanother when picking an order.

Large truck and marine batteries can weigh up to 110 pounds (this oneweighs about 75 pounds). By taking the time to set the order pallet to thesame height as the storage pallet, the battery can be slid rather than lifted.



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Team

Lifting

Team lifting works better on larger objects, such as the wallboardshown here.

There is a labor cost involved with team lifting, although in some jobsthere is always another person around out of necessity.



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Avoid Unnecessary Lifting

Use Mobile Storage

REDUCING FREQUENT LIFTING


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The example shown is palletizing using a vacuum lift at apaper mill that produces bundles of grocery bags.

The vacuum lift costs around $10,000, but in this case it

increases productivity by allowing one employee topalletize on more than one line at a time without gettingfatigued.

It also allows rotation of all employees through this job,since physical capacity isnt a limiting factor.



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Use Mobile

Storage

The example is a mobile parts rack from a gas and wood stove manufacturer. The

metal parts can be fairly heavy (20 to 52 pounds). They go through several finishingand inspection steps before final assembly.

By placing them on mobile racks, the parts can be moved from process to processwith minimal lifting.



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Rotate to Other Jobs

Use MechanicalAssistance

REDUCING DURATION

OF LIFTING


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Rotate to

Non-Lifting

Tasks

REDUCING DURATION

OF LIFTING


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Remove Obstacles

Slide Closer

Reduce Shelf Depth

Reduce Package Size


Team Lifting

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING


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Along with object weight, lifting frequencyand duration, the distance between thehands and the low back when lifting is

one of the main factors in determiningwhether a lift is a hazard or not.

The longer the reach required to lift anobject, the more of a load it places on the

low back and the greater the risk ofinjury.

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING


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Remove Obstacles

This shows removing the side of atote can reduce can reduce the reachin many cases, although there will still

be some awkward lifting. Its one ofthe cheapest solutions, since itrequires only the time to cut out theside of the tote.

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING

Bins with flip-down sides are also available, so that asthey fill up the sides can be flipped-up into place to holdthe boxes in place.


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Slide Objects Closer

This example shows an order picking

using an inexpensive metal hook,made in-house, to pull a box close tothe edge of the shelf before lifting it.This works well for lighter items.

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING

Heavier items would need to be stored lower and slidcloser using both hands.


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Reduce Shelf DepthWhile its possible to simply reduce

the depth of shelves, you also give upsome storage space this way, or you

have to buy a lot of narrow shelvingunits.

Gravity flow racks can be a goodsolution, since they allow you to storea lot of boxes on a single deep rack.

They use a variety of types of rollersthat allow boxes to roll forward as thefront box is taken away.

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING


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Reduce Shelf DepthThe examples shown are designed to fit intoexisting standard racks, so new gravity flowracks wont need to be purchased and

installed.

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING

The costs of these systemsrange from about $60 perlane to a little over $200 perlane depending on depthand width of lanes.


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Reduce Package Size

The drawings show the difference betweenlifting a large box with many items in it versuslifting a smaller box with fewer items in it. Not

only will this reduce the weight, but it will alsoreduce the reach necessary to pick up the box.Costs to implement this idea will vary.

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING

If youre the customer, you can request smaller packaging from the

supplier and probably pay a little more per item due to their increasedpackaging costs.


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Use Mechanical

AssistanceThis is an electric hoist on a

trolley attached to a boom. It hasa 250-pound capacity, so theycan actually move two bags at atime, which helps withproductivity.

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING

The cost for the light duty hoist, trolley, I-beam and jib mounting isabout $1,000.


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Use Mechanical

Assistance to Raise the

Load

Add Handles

Arrange Storage

Avoid UnnecessaryLifting

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING


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Use Mechanical Assistance to Raise the LoadThis is a relatively common device used inindustrya scissor-lift cart. The height of the cartis adjusted hydraulically, in this case with a footpedal, although powered adjustment mechanisms

are also available. These carts cost about $1,500.

Workers can bring objects up to a better height forlifting, although the best use is to place the cart atthe same height as the shelf or table the object is

being transferred to or from, and then slide it overrather than lifting. Carts with rollers or roller ballsare available to help make the sliding transfereasier.

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING


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Add Handles

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING

This shows the difference in lifting posture betweenpicking up a box from the bottom, and picking it upusing handles near the top of the box. In this case, thisproduct is shipped in a box with pre-cut handles, so it

doesnt cost anything to use them. Theres still somebending, but the box is now lifted from above theknees, rather than below them.

There are a couple of other good ideas in this photoas well. The box has been stacked on an empty pallet

to raise it up a little (sometimes even raisingsomething just 6 can make a difference in posture).

The bottom pallet has also been designed with sometoe space below the load deck to allow workers to getcloser to the objects theyre lifting.


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Rearrange Storage

The example shown is a from alumberyard, where they took stock ofall heavy items and rearranged their

storage to place those items on shelvesbetween knee and shoulder level.

The higher items can often be sliddown to waist level before lifting them.

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING


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Avoid Unnecessary LiftingThis is an example of a commercial productdesigned to allow mechanics to hangwheels off the sides of the lift when working

on brakes, hubs, etc.This places the wheels at a better height forlifting, instead of dropping the wheels to theground. The hanger folds flat against the liftwhen not in use.

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING


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REACHING ABOVESHOULDERSArrange Storage

Use Mechanical AssistanceUse a Rolling Stair or Safety

Ladder

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING


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Arrange Storage

This shows arranging storage so that

larger, heavier and more frequently usedboxes are between knee and shoulderheight.

In this case, the height of the shelf forheavy boxes is just above the height of the

cart, so they can be slid instead of lifted.

Reaching Above Shoulders

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING


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Use Mechanical AssistanceThe device shown is a stacker, which is like ahand truck with a hand-cranked winch tomove the platform up and down so that loadscan be mechanically raised to the height theyare shelved or removed from shelves.

Stackers are available with lift heights up to12 feet. A model with a foot brake to keep itfrom moving when sliding loads is around$780.


REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING


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This example shows using a cartonclamp on a forklift to split/combine twohalves of a stack of bins, rather thanun-stacking/stacking the top layersover shoulder height.



REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING


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This is a simple solution, although safety is a

concern when using anything like this. Safetyrules dont allow going up and down ladders

while carrying loads, so a rolling stair orsafety ladder (50 degree slope or less) is

required.

An added advantage is that you can put theload down before going up or down the steps.

Use a Rolling Stair


REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/REACHING


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REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/TWISTING

Use Conveyors

Provide More Space

Arrange Storage


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Use Conveyors

Conveyors such as this one are especiallyuseful when changing directions, to helpavoid twisting. This picture shows a gravityconveyor used to unload trucks in a shipping

department. It allows the receiver to bringthe boxes over to the computer to scan in theinformation and inventory the contents. Theboxes can then be slid directly onto carts tobe put away. Lifting only needs to occurtwice, once to take the box from the truck

and place it on the conveyor, and once to putthe box away. This conveyor set up (gravityrollers) costs about $600.

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/TWISTING


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This example shows how raising the height of the upper racks can provide moreroom to get at products on the lower racks. This may involve installing additionalracks to make up for the loss in storage space. Otherwise, if the facility can getby with the racks they currently have, then its just labor costs to rearrange the

storage.

Rearrange Storage

REDUCING AWKWARD

LIFTING/TWISTING


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Resources

Your Employees

Your Suppliers

Your Industry Association

Industry-Specific Equipment Catalogs

Product Vendors

Internet Searches

HOW TO FIND IDEAS


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http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/resources.html

ERGONOMICS RESOURCES


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Training all by itself, without making changes to theworkplace, is often noteffective in preventing injuries.

Often employees are taught proper lifting techniques and

then sent out to work under conditions that dont allow them

to use these techniques.

Training is an important part of implementing changes,

though. Showing employees how to use new equipmentand explaining why its important to use it properly in order

to prevent injuries helps to make sure the equipment getsused.

Additional ResourceDaltroy, L.H., et al. (1997). A controlled trial of an educational program to

prevent low back injuries. The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 337, No.5, pgs. 322-328.

LIFTING TECHNIQUES TRAINING


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Teaching lifting techniques to

employees

Providing training alone is noteffective

Making changes to jobs andequipment is better

Making changes along withtraining is most effective



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Being trained where they work, using theobjects they typically lift and the equipmentthey use on the job helps employees to relateto what theyre being taught, rather than

showing them a generic lifting video.

Make sure that employees have learnedwhat youre trying to teach them by havingeach one of them demonstrate the liftingtechniques properly before leaving the class.

Follow-upwith them to make sure they are

able to use the techniques on the job.



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Job-specific, on-site, hands-ontraining is more effective thanclassroom

Have employees demonstrateproper lifting techniquesbefore graduating


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