St. Louis Work Accident Lawyers - Work-Related Back Injuries

Preventing work-related back injuries is a significant safety challenge.

In the U.S. each year, more than one million workers suffer back injuries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Back injuries account for one of every five reported work-related injuries or illnesses. A fourth of all compensation claims involve back injuries. The most common cause of work-related injuries is believed to be lifting, carrying, lowering, and holding of materials. Four out of five of these injuries are lower back injuries and three out of four were caused while lifting.

OSHA Safety Regulations

Unfortunately, there is no single way to totally eliminate back injuries caused by lifting. However, many of these injuries can be prevented by ergonomic design of work tasks and an effective control program. OSHA has developed training programs to reduce work-related back injuries. For example, administrative controls include careful selection and training of workers so that they are able to perform lifting tasks safely. Engineering controls involve redesigning a job in a way that lifting becomes less hazardous.

OSHA Recommended Administrative Controls

• Strength testing of workers, which is known to prevent up to a third of workplace injuries by ensuring that the work is assigned to workers with adequate strength capabilities to do the job.
• Training workers to utilize proper lifting techniques that put minimum stress on a worker’s back.
• Physical stretching and conditioning programs to reduce the risk of muscle strain in workers.

OSHA Recommended Engineering Controls

• reducing the weight or size of an object lifted
• the compactness of a package
• maximum allowable weights for task requirement
• the presence of handles
• the stability of the package being lifted or handled
• adjusting the height of shelving
• removing obstructions between the worker and the object being lifted
• installing mechanical aids including conveyors, pneumatic lifts, and automated materials handling equipment

A recent study has shown that up to a third of work-related back injuries can be prevented through better ergonomics. Other factors that increase the likelihood of injuries include duration of lifting activity, frequency of lifting, and type of lifting. Risk of injury is also affected by individual factors such as sex, age, state of health, fitness level, and body size of the worker.