A back injury is one of the more popular ways that Australian employees hurt themselves every single day in the workplace and it means that countless days have to be taken off work and this amounts to significant losses in industry throughout the country. People put their backs at risk every single day of the week and even though they have gone through the necessary training, many forget everything that they were taught the moment that they walk out of the training room. It can be very frustrating as an employer because missing an employee from the workforce for even a day results in less productivity and fewer profits.
It might be time to introduce an up-to-date injury prevention program to make your staff more aware of the dangers that can happen in the workplace and especially so with regard to back injuries. Many staff continue to lift things that are too heavy for them and if they are doing it continually day after day then this is going to lead to repetitive strain. These are some of the ways that back injuries can occur and so the following are some top tips to help your employees avoid them in the first place.
- The right lifting procedures – You need to encourage your staff members to ask a fellow employee to help them to lift something that looks too heavy. They need to make sure that there is a clear path to where they are lifting it from to where they are lifting it to. Even though it is a piece of advice that many people know about, you need to remind them to lift with their legs and not with their backs.
- It’s all in the posture – You should be providing your staff with ergonomic pieces of furniture like desks and chairs but you may still have to remind them to not slouch forward at their desks. Try to provide them with computers and monitors that are put at a height that is comfortable to look at. You should always be encouraging them to move around and to not be sitting at their desks for the full eight hours every single day.
- Encourage them to stretch regularly – Having tight muscles is one of the contributors to back pain and so maybe some advice on how to stretch out your whole body can help to cut down on injuries. Staying healthy is another important prerequisite and so as an employer, provide them with lots of free drinking water and maybe start offering healthy alternatives from the company vending machine.
It is true to say that back injuries are a normal part of the working day but many are preventable in the first place. It takes you as the employer to be the responsible one and to take the necessary precautions every single day while your staff are working. It is up to you to promote better back safety in the workplace today and always.
