More than 1 million workers suffer back injuries each year, which accounts for one of every five workplace injuries or illnesses, according to an OSHA Fact Sheet entitled “Back Injuries — Nation’s Number One Workplace Safety Problem.”

Moreover, though lifting, placing, carrying, holding and lowering are involved in manual materials handling (the principal cause of compensable work injuries) a Bureau of Labor Statistics survey shows that four of five of these injuries were to the lower back and that three of four occurred while the employee was lifting.

In 2006, injuries related to lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying, or throwing cost businesses $12.4 billion in direct costs, according to the 2008 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index. In fact, it can cost an individual employer up to $65,000 for a single back injury.

OSHA says, no approach has been found for totally eliminating back injuries caused by lifting, though it is felt that a substantial portion can be prevented by an effective control program and ergonomic design of work tasks.

Suggested administrative controls include:
• Training employees to utilize lifting techniques that place minimum stress on the lower back;
• Physical conditioning or stretching programs to reduce the risk of muscle strain. Suggested engineering controls include:
• A reduction in the size or weight of the object lifted. The parameters include maximum allowable weights for a given set of task requirements; the compactness of a package; the presence of handles, and the stability of the package being handled.
• Adjusting the height of a pallet or shelf. Lifting which occurs below knee height or above shoulder height is more strenuous than lifting between these limits. Obstructions which prevent an employee’s body contact with the object being lifted also generally increase the risk of injury.
• Installation of mechanical aids such as pneumatic lifts, conveyors, and/or automated materials handling equipment.

In one study it was determined that at least one-third of compensable back injuries could be prevented through better job design (ergonomics). Other factors include frequency of lifting, duration of lifting activities, and type of lifting, as well as individual variables such as age, sex, body size, state of health, and general physical fitness.

To prevent lifting injuries, the OSHA Fact Sheet offers suggestions including the “installation of mechanical aids such as pneumatic lifts, conveyors, and/or automated materials handling equipment.”

Some of the nation’s largest, most proactive companies have heeded the call to prevent operator back injury while benefitting from higher, more streamlined production, and quick ROI.

3M, a global, diversified technology company, produces thousands of imaginative products with the goal of making life easier and better for people around the world.

A similar goal of improving plant operator health, safety, and production was hatched a decade ago, according to Jim Joreski, a maintenance supervisor at 3M’s Medina, Ohio plant.

“At the time, lifting, handling, and packing heavy, pressure-sensitive rolls of consumer labels for shipment at the plant was very labor intensive,” said Joreski. “Workers might handle a couple hundred rolls per shift, each ranging from 50 to 250 lbs., which could wear them out or expose them to potential lift injury.”

The plant turned to a pneumatic, lift assistance device made by AirOlift Lifting Systems, an Akron, OH-based builder of ergonomic clamping and vacuum lifting systems for some of the largest companies in the world. The lift-device specialist tailored a lift with an attachment for gently handling rolls in a range of sizes without damage. The specialist stayed on-site at the plant during installation, start up, and initial training, which taught best practice use of the equipment for efficient operation and injury prevention.

After buying its first pneumatic, lift assistance device about a decade ago, the plant has added several more over the years.

“Since installing the equipment, we’ve eliminated lift-related injuries in that part of the plant process,” says Joreski. “Productivity is up about 40 percent over the previous method, and there’s no problem with operator fatigue or repetitive motion injury.”

Joreski appreciates the safety features built into the equipment. For drop protection, for instance, a series of sensors assure the load cannot be released until it’s placed. If there’s ever a catastrophic air loss, the device slowly lowers items held to the ground, protecting operators and eliminating product damage.

Because the system is all pneumatic, operated by a single shop airline, it eliminates electric hazards such as shock from frayed wires. It also avoids running costly electrical connections in the working area.

“From higher productivity alone, a study showed payback on our equipment in about two years, but payback could be immediate if it prevents even one back injury,” says Joreski. “It has saved wear and tear on our people and boosted morale.”

The original lifting device purchased for the plant is still in use a decade later, with virtually no unscheduled downtime or maintenance, according to Joreski. “We’ve had no breakdowns or drop problems,” he says. “It’s a workhorse that helps our operators lift product as safely and productively as possible. I can’t imagine operating without it.” FSM

For more info, call 800-605-8612; or go to www.airolift.com.