It's a fine line

Doing some sorts of work is good exercise and helps us keep fit.

But there can come a point where the level of exercise gets too much.

Serious injuries can result from manual handling, if it is too strenuous.

For example, in the last two weeks of January, 2004, half of the 40 most seriousclaims to ACC were the result of people doing manual handling tasks.

These injuries are serious, more than just strains or sprains and are experienced by ordinary New Zealanders doing their daily work.

Why fix this problem?

• Because it is painful to the employee
• To stop small problems from getting bigger
• To get people currently off work with manual handling injuries back into work
• So more people can do the tasks -so employers have more flexibility
• To reduce costs - to everyone.

What can you do?

There are two sorts of back problem -

1. Acute Low Back Pain
2. Serious Back Injuries

You have to do different things about each of them.

Acute Low Back Pain

Acute low back pain is difficult to prevent.

Most people know someone (if they haven't done it themselves) who has bent down to pick up an object and suddenly hurt their back.

The good news is that if a person gets back pain like this we know exactly what to do to help the person get better quickly.

You can find out what to do in the ACC Guideline Acute low back pain management. It's free from ACC if you call 0800 844 657 or visit www.acc.govt.nz

To make sure your employees get the best treatment,

• tell them about the Acute low back pain management publication.
• make sure the doctor or other treatment provider your employee goes to follows other ACC Guidelines aimed at medical people.

Serious Back Injuries

Serious back injuries often come from doing tasks that are too demanding.

First, we will look at tasks we might do once in a while and then we'll go on and talk about tasks that go on for a long time.

One-off handling tasks

Examples might be lifting a bag of cement off the back of a ute or storing boxes of photocopier paper on a low shelf.

Generally speaking, one-off lifts of bags over about 25Kg can pose problems, though this can vary depending on the person and the circumstances of the lift.

When you do these sorts of tasks think about where you are doing it - how low down or high up and how far from the body.

Arrange the handling so it can be done in a safe location - between mid thigh and shoulder and close to the body.

Continuous handling

At work, people will sometimes be handling lots of boxes and other stuff each day - perhaps for long periods.
Examples might be:

• A baggage handler at an airport
• A packer in a warehouse
• An order picker in distribution store
• A courier driver

How can you tell how much is too much?

You need to weigh up several factors to come to a decision about how demanding the task is. The factors are to do with:

• Load - How heavy is it? Can you grip it easily? - Is it stable? - Is it hot? - Has it got sharp edges?
• Posture - Can you hold the load close to the body? - Is the trunk upright? - Does the trunk need to twist or bend? - How much walking with the load? - Reaching below knees or above shoulder? Environment - Is the floor tidy? - Slopes and steps? - Lighting? - Confining spaces?
• Frequency or time - How many times a day does the action occur or how long does it go on for? - What rest breaks are there?

These are some basic points, but there may be other things you need to consider. You will find a complete summary in the Code of Practice for Manual Handling.

Once you've thought about the risk you will need to decide what controls you'll need.

You should consider eliminating, isolating or minimising the risk, in that order of priority.

You should consider altering:

• The load - make it smaller and lighter, or make it heavier so it has to be handled mechanically, use slides, rails, roller tracks or castors, and so on.
• The environment - tidy the floor and make sure it's not slippery, provide good lighting, reduce noise, provide enough space for safe handling, and so on.
• The workplace design - store heavy items below shoulder height and above mid-thigh height, provide seating, provide properly designed tools, and so on.
• The work systems - provide a variety of tasks, provide breaks, involve staff in the task design and so on.

Sensible controls for all handling tasks:

• Store heavy objects above mid thigh height
• Provide handles for a good grip
• Avoid handling objects above shoulder height
• Use tote bins, visit a plastics store and see the huge variety available, and pick sizes that won't hold too many heavy objects
• Spread the work - don't do it all at once
• Use mechanical aids
• Make sure there's always a clear pathway!

Training

You'll need to train your staff about handling safely but giving your staff training about 'how to handle' won't work if that's all you do.

If you control the task andcommit to training, you'll likely see a reduction in injuries and back pain.

You need to do the right sort of training.

Teaching people 'how to handle' is one sort of training but it's better to tell your staff how to identify the risks of a manual handling task and then what they should do about controlling them.

• Identify the hazards in the task first
• Implement controls to reduce the risk
• How to approach the handling safely

Monitoring

If your staff are at a significant risk of developing back problems, you need to monitor how they are getting on.

For more information

1. Call your local Department of Labour Office
2. For the publications listed here, call 0800 844 657
3. Visit the Department of Labour and ACC Websites

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Issued by the Department of Labour, New Zealand
http://www.osh.dol.govt.nz

No. 28 - January 2007