How to prevent back injury at work

Injury at work is a hugely underrated issue, costing significant amounts of money for both employees and those who manage specific firms. While improvements in safety requirements and regulations caused the rate of fatal workplace injuries to fall 9% lower than the average for the previous five years, the same cannot be said for non-fatal physical injuries and stress-related conditions. Back complaints are particularly problematic, so this is something that many private firms are working hard to tackle.

Essential tips for preventing back injuries at work as an employer

With this in mind, what practical steps can you take as an employer to prevent staff members from experiencing back injuries? Consider the following ideas: –

Improve lifting procedures and invest in Equipment that can carry the load

If your business employs manual labourers or warehouse staff, there is a pressing need to develop procedures that prioritise employee safety. This first stage of this process is to improve the lifting procedures in your place of business, initially by educating staff members and ensuring that they are aware of best practice. You should also run an audit of all existing lifting and load bearing procedures, highlighting any potential issues and investing in equipment that can resolve these in a progressive manner. The Tiger Handling Equipment Shop is an excellent resource for such equipment, with items like pallet stackers and forklift trucks available at competitive price points.

Perform a full Audit of all Office Space

While the typical office may seem less dangerous than a warehouse or manufacturing plant, there are innumerable back injuries that can be caused by poor posture or a badly aligned work space. You must therefore be proactive in identifying these problems before they result in an injury, and the best way to achieve this is to perform a full audit of all office and desk space. Through this, you can quickly determine which employees need to alter their seat height or the angle of their screen, while also discovering if any staff members require specialist equipment to help secure their safety in the office.

Empower employees to take charge of their own safety

While you can work hard as a company to perform regular workplace audits and streamline manual lifting procedures, there is also an onus on employees to assume responsibility for their own physical well-being. This not only means encouraging them to follow all company guidelines and safety requirements to the letter, but also punishing those who risk the safety of those around them through acts of negligence. By training staff on best practice and the benefits of adhering to this at all time, you can hopefully create an independent team that safeguards themselves from back injury.