Safety First When Moving Items
FACTS:
Back injuries are often caused by unsafe lifting and carrying of heavy or awkward objects (Bureau of Labor, 2016)
Back injuries account for 20% of all injuries and illnesses in the workplace (BLR)
Material handling injuries account for 32% of all worker comp claims (The Travelers Company, 2016)
Strains and sprains resulted in 57 missed work days per incident in 2016 (Travelers)
Injuries impact quality of life for those affected as well as time and money for employers. According to the Brewers Association, the cost to a person with a workplace injury may include:
Medical treatment
Physical therapy
Lost wages or career
Mental therapy
Effect on family
ERGONOMICS: An applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that things and people interact most safely and efficiently.
According to the Material Handling Industry Association, to reduce injuries, strains and sprains, ergonomic systems are employed/should be employed to support workers performing processing and handling tasks in a variety of areas to include:
Assembly—securing and elevating products for production processes
Picking—lifting a container to a comfortable height for removal and placement of items
Positioning—Angling or rotating a load so the operator can perform required tasks without bending, stretching, or reaching
Transportation—Facilitating load movement with wheels or powered propulsion
Storage—Transporting heavy items to and from storage areas
Whether moving kegs, boxes, heavy or light objects/products in any of the above mentioned areas, it is important for companies to provide their team members with a safety program and ergonomic equipment that may help prevent catastrophic or nagging injuries.
For additional safety information, go to:
www.mhi.org
www.brewersassociation.org
www.travelers.com/resources/workplace-safety/creating-a-safety-culture-in-the-workplace
