Industrial Safety and Health for Goods and Materials Services - Chapter 17

Nó có lẽ là an toàn để giả định rằng người lao động trong lĩnh vực bán lẻ, bán buôn, và kho thực hiện một số lượng lớn các nâng nhiệm vụ như là một phần của nhiệm vụ công việc của họ một số trong đó có thể được cả hai nặng và tại những thời điểm khó xử. Người sử dụng lao động trong các ngành công nghiệp cần nâng một cách cẩn thận, kể từ khi chấn thương trở lại và cố gắng quá sức là nguyên nhân hàng đầu của chấn thương. Nó không phải là...
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Industrial Safety and Health for Goods and Materials Services - Chapter 1717 LiftingLifting is an integral part of goods and material handling.It is probably safe to assume that workers in retail, wholesale, and warehousingperform a large number of lifting tasks as an integral part of their job duties some ofwhich could be both heavy and at times awkward. Employers in these industrysectors should lift carefully since overexertion and back injuries are the leadingcauses of injuries. It should not be a foregone conclusion that back injuries are anacceptable part of doing business. Efforts should be directed toward preventionalthough many employers as well as workers view lifting as a natural activity thateveryone knows how to do correctly. This has proven to be a false belief.17.1 BACK INJURIESBack disorders can develop gradually as a result of microtrauma brought about byrepetitive activity over time or can be caused by a single traumatic event. Because ofthe slow and progressive onset of this internal injury, the condition is often ignoreduntil the symptoms become acute, often resulting in disabling injury. Acute backinjuries can be the immediate result of improper lifting techniques and=or liftingloads that are too heavy for the back to support. While the acute injury may seem tobe caused by a single well-defined incident, the real cause is often a combinedinteraction of the observed stressor coupled with years of weakening of the musculo-skeletal support mechanism by repetitive microtrauma. Injuries can arise in muscle,ligament, vertebrae, and disks, either singly or in combination. Although back injuries account for no work-related deaths, they do account for asignificant amount of human suffering, loss of productivity, and economic burdenß 2008 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.on compensation systems. Back disorders are one of the leading causes of disabilityfor people in their working years and afflict over 600,000 employees each yearwith a cost of about $50 billion annually in 1991 according to National Institutefor Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The frequency and economicimpact of back injuries and disorders on the workforce are expected to increaseover the next several decades as the average age of the workforce increases andmedical costs go up.17.2 BACK DISORDERS17.2.1 FACTORS ASSOCIATED BACK DISORDERS WITHBack disorders result from exceeding the capability of the muscles, tendons, disks, orthe cumulative effect of several contributors: . Reaching while lifting Poor posture—how one sits or stands (Figure 17.1) . Stressful living and working activities—staying in one position for too long . Bad body mechanics—how one lifts, pushes, pulls, or carries objects . Poor physical condition—losing the strength and endurance to perform . physical tasks without strain . Poor design of job or workstation . Repetitive lifting of awkward items, equipment, or (in health care facilities) patients Awkward posturesFIGURE 17.1 Stretching and poor posture can cause back injuries. (Courtesy of theOccupational Safety and Health Administration.)ß 2008 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. . Twisting while lifting . Bending while lifting . Maintaining bent postures . Heavy lifting . Fatigue Poor footing such as slippery floors or constrained posture . . Lifting with forceful movement . Vibration, such as with lift truck drivers, delivery drivers, etc.17.2.2 BEFORE LIFT ABefore a lift is performed some actions need to be taken to assure the lift is a safeone. These are as follows: . Checking the object before a lift is attempted by testing every load before lifting by pushing the object with your hands or feet to see how easily it moves. This gives an idea of how heavy it is. Remember, a small size does not always mean a light load. . Check to make sure the load is packed correctly. Make sure the weight is balanced and packed so it would not move around. Loose pieces inside a box can cause accidents if the box becomes unbalanced. . Check to see if the load can be gripped easily. Be sure that you have a tight grip before lifting. Objects with handles can be lifted in a safer manner. . Check to see if the load is within easy reach. An injury can occur if the back is arched when lifting a load. To prevent a back injury use a ladder when lifting something over head level. . Determine that the best way to pick up an object is being used. Use slow and smooth movements. Hurried, jerky movements can ...