make a toolbox talk about proper lifting

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# Back care-Basic lifting ## Explain dangers Some jobs involve a lot of manual lifting. This can cause back, neck, and shoulder injuries. The risk of injury increases when: - Lifting in cramped spaces - Lifting while in awkward positions • Lifting heavy or irregular-shaped objects • Performing repetitive lifting tasks. If not addressed, these types of injuries can become so severe that you may not be able to do your job anymore. ## Identify controls - Safe lifting starts with planning: - Size up the load before you start to lift. - Get help from a co-worker if you cannot handle the load by yourself. - Use a dolly or other type of material handling equipment whenever you can. - Store heavier materials closer to the work location to reduce the distance you will need to carry it. - Make sure the path you will travel with the load is clear. - Avoid lifting above shoulder height. This causes your back to arch and puts a lot of stress on your shoulder and on the small joints in your spine. • Avoid storing items on the floor. Store them between knee-height and shoulder-height. This prevents you from reaching overhead or bending at the waist. • Push rather than pull a load. Pushing lets you maintain the normal curve in your back and puts less stress on the spine. • Split large, heavy loads into smaller loads. Making more trips with smaller loads puts less stress on your back. • Don't try to catch falling objects. Your muscles may not have time to coordinate properly to protect your spine. ## Demonstrate ## LIFTING PROCEDURE Demonstrate the proper lifting procedure below as you talk. 1. Get as close to the load as possible. This is very important. Our lifting capacity is reduced the further away we are from the load. 2. Put yourself in the best possible position for the lift. Try to avoid twisting from the waist, reaching out, and leaning over material or equipment when you lift. 3. Use a well-balanced stance with one foot slightly ahead …

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# Back Injury Prevention (cont.) ## How can we prevent back injury resulting from manual materials handling? (cont.) - job design and redesign (including the work environment) - pre-placement procedures, where necessary - education and training The design or redesign of jobs involving materials handling should be approached in the following stages: - eliminate the need for heavy manual materials handling - decrease the demands - reduce stressful body movements - pace of work and rest breaks - improve environmental conditions ## How do you eliminate the need for heavy manual materials handling? Consider using powered or mechanical handling systems if eliminating the tasks completely is not possible. Mechanical aids lower the risk of back injury by reducing the worker's physical effort required to handle heavy objects. Manual handling such as lifting and carrying can be easier and safer if mechanized by using lift tables, conveyors, yokes, or trucks. Gravity dumps and chutes can help in disposing of materials. However, it is essential that the worker is properly educated and trained in the safe use of the available equipment. ## How can we decrease the demands? Where possible, use mechanical aids. The next step is to decrease the manual material handling demands. There are several ways to achieve this: - Plan the workflow. Often poor planning of the workflow results in repeated handling of the same object (e.g., when articles are temporarily stored in one place, moved to another, stored again, and moved again). - Decrease the weight of handled objects to acceptable limits. - Reduce the weight by assigning two people to lift the load or by splitting the load into two or more containers. Using light containers may also decrease the weight of the load versus other containers. Back Injury Prevention CCOHS

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Construction Materials Handling: Drywall Toolbox Talk NIOSH CPWR [● Workers who handle drywall sheets are at high risk of overexertion. The weight and bulkiness of drywall can intensify any bending, twisting, turning, or lifting motions and cause serious injury. ## Sam's Story Sam had worked as a drywall installer for 10 years. On his last job, he began to feel pain in his elbow after lifting and carrying a 10-foot section of drywall up 20 steps. Sam went to his doctor and was diagnosed with tendonitis. - What caused this incident? *How could this have been prevented? *Have you ever been injured from lifting or handling drywall, or do you know someone who has? If so, what happened? ## Remember This • Always stage materials as close as possible to where they will be used. ## How can we stay safe today? • Always use safe lifting practices such as lifting with leg muscles and avoiding twisting while carrying materials. Try out safe lifting practices through a free app "Best Built Plans" available at Amazon, App Store, or Google Play. - Lift only one sheet at a time. Never try to lift materials weighing more than 50 pounds by yourself. C D C National Intend Health NIOSH CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION • Use two workers to lift larger, thicker, and heavier sheets. Never try to lift materials weighing more than 50 pounds by yourself. • Use lifting tools and devices to move sheets instead of carrying them by hand. • Use a vertical lift to position and hold the drywall so you can screw sheets to the ceiling more safely. • Follow these steps for vertical hanging: 1. Raise the sheet. 2. Shift grip to opposite sides of the sheet. 3. Rotate the sheet into a vertical position. 4. Secure it to the wall. - Plan your lifts; make sure the path is clear and you are facing the direction of travel before lifting. • Keep materials and tools orderly and stored safely to prevent tripping and other safety hazards. What will we do at the worksite to …

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# Back Injury Prevention (cont.) ## How can we decrease the demands? (cont.) - Change the type of movement required. Lowering objects causes less strain than lifting. Pulling objects is easier than carryingthem. Pushing is less demanding than pulling. - Change work area layouts. Reducing the horizontal and vertical distances of lifting substantially lowers handling demands. Reducing the travel distances for carrying, pushing or pulling also decreases work demands. - Assign more time for repetitive handling tasks. More time reduces the frequency of handling and allows for more work/rest periods. - Alternate heavy tasks with lighter ones to reduce the build-up of fatigue. ## How can we reduce stressful body movements when handling materials? It is important that tasks are designed to allow the worker to do tasks without excessive reaching, bending, and twisting. These body motions are particularly dangerous and can cause back injury even when not combined with handling loads. - Provide all materials at a work level that is adjusted to the worker's body size. - Eliminate deep shelves to avoid bending. - Ensure sufficient space for the entire body to turn. - Locate objects within easy reach. - Ensure that there is clear and easy access to the load. - Use handles or have a good grip whenever possible. - Use slings and hooks to move loads that do not have handles. - Balance contents of containers. - Use rigid containers. - Change the shape of the load so the load can be handled close to the body. ## Why is the pace of work important? Pace of work, particularly when externally imposed, may significantly contribute to the worker's discomfort, and consequently to the onset of musculoskeletal injuries. Generally speaking, pressure to work at a certain pace creates the mental need to work in a hurry. This perception, in turn, creates tension not only in the mind but also in the body. Tensed muscles are much more prone to injury. Back Injury Prevention CC…

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# The most common actions These actions are the most common that lead to ergonomic-type injuries. Lifting objects Bodily reaction Repetitive motion Overexertion Holding, carrying, or wielding objects Pulling or pushing Ergonomics: The relation between people, and objects, machinery, or work processes. For training purposes only Oregon OSHA PESO - MANUAL MATERIAL HANDLING 10 Oregon OSHA PESO - MANIPULACION MANUAL DE CARGAS Únicamente para adiestramiento

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Manual Material Handling Five activities of manual material handling Lift / lower Push/pull Twist Carry Hold Never lift and twist at the waist! Turn with your feet, not your waist. Imagine placing a tomato between the palms of your hands and applying pressure with both hands. It is well within your abilities to apply enough force to cause the tomato to burst. Now imagine using another tomato and apply force while at the same time twisting your hands is opposite directions. The tomato would burst under much less force. The results would be similar but the latter example would happen more quickly and with less warning. ## Two correct lifting methods The Power Lift The Diagonal Lift Partial squat, head up, back Squat, head up, back arched, feet arched, feet spread one foot spread one foot ahead as you lift. ahead as you lift. Adapted from: The Saunders Group Inc., [redacted street address], Chaska, MN [redacted postal code] Oregon OSHA – PESO TOOLBOX SHEET For more information, call Oregon OSHA 1 (800) 922-2689 or visit osha.oregon.gov HOJA INFORMATIVA de Oregon OSHA - PESO Para mayores informes, llame a Oregon OSHA 1 (800) 843-8086 ó visite osha.oregon.gov

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# Back Injury Prevention (cont.) ## How can we improve the environment to reduce the risk for injury due to material handling? (cont.) More details about working and doing manual material handling activities in hot and cold environments are available in CCOHS publications Groundskeepers Safety Guide, Working in Hot Environments, and Cold Weather Worker's Safety Guide. ## How effective is pre-placement screening in back injury prevention? The objective of pre-placement screening is to try to determine if an individual is likely to be injured by activities of their work. There is limited research available to help determine the effectiveness of these measures. In general, it appears that the screening is more accurate when job specific tasks can be included or evaluated. ## How can education and training be used to help prevent back injuries? When combined with work design, education and training are an important element in the prevention of injuries. Part of this education and training also includes showing the worker how to actively contribute to the prevention of injuries. A program should: - Make the worker aware of the hazards of manual material handling. - Demonstrate ways to reduce unnecessary stress. - Train workers in appropriate material handling techniques Instruction on how to lift "properly" can be a controversial issue. While there are many guidelines there is no single correct way to perform a lift. Because of this fact, on-site, task specific training is essential. Some general lifting techniques include: - Plan the lift- remove obstacles from the path that will be travelled. - Prepare to lift by warming up the muscles. - Stand close to the load, facing the way you intend to move. - Use a wide stance to gain balance. - Ensure a good grip on the load. - Maintain the natural curve in the back (helps the mechanical forces to be distributed more evenly over the spine). - Tighten abdominal muscles. - Bend the knees (removes forces …

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# Back Injury Prevention (cont.) ## How can education and training be used to help prevent back injuries? (cont.) - Lift the load close to the body. - Lift smoothly without jerking. - Keep the load close to the body, where possible. - Breathe through the lift. - Do not tense muscles. - Do not twist or side bend while lifting. - Do not perform the lift if you are not certain that you can handle the load safely. It is also important that workers: - Take advantage of rest periods to relax tired muscles; this rest prevents fatigue from building up. - Report discomforts experienced during work; reporting will help to identify hazards and correct working conditions. Know how to recognize a manual material handling hazard and report concerns. Finally, there is an aspect of training that cannot be overlooked if training is to be part of an effective prevention program. Workers should be educated that muscles, tendons and ligaments are not prepared to meet the physical stress of handling tasks when they are not "warmed up." Pulls, tears or cramps are more likely when stretched or contracted suddenly under such conditions. These injuries can lead to more serious and permanent injury if physically stressful work is continued. Warming up and mental readiness for physically demanding tasks are important for any kind of material handling, but particularly for occasional tasks where the worker is not accustomed to handling loads. Fact sheet last revised: 2023-01-18 ## Disclaimer Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy, currency and completeness of the information, CCOHS does not guarantee, warrant, represent or undertake that the information provided is correct, accurate or current. CCOHS is not liable for any loss, claim, or demand arising directly or indirectly from any use or reliance upon the information. Back Injury Prevention CCOHS

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# Lifting and TALK Carrying Materials (cont.) ## Remember This (cont.) CPWR TOOLBOX THE CENTER FOR CONSTRUCTION RESEARCH AND TRAINING # Lifting and TALK Carrying Materials Play the Game! - Whenever possible, use mechanical equipment like a dolly to horizontally move heavy objects. - Never try to lift an item weighing over 50 pounds by yourself. - Plan your lifts; make sure the path is clear and you are facing the direction of travel before lifting. ©2017, CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training. All rights reserved. CPWR is the research and training arm of NABTU. Production of this document was supported by cooperative agreement OH 009762 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH. CPWR [ THE CENTER FOR CONSTRUCTION RESEARCH AND TRAINING

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CPWR TOOLBOX THE CENTER FOR CONSTRUCTION RESEARCH AND TRAINING # Lifting and TALK Carrying Materials Back injuries are caused by lifting and carrying heavy materials, working in awkward positions, and bending often to lift materials off the ground. Construction has one of the highest rates of back injuries of any industry. ## Jeff's Story Jeff worked on a masonry crew at a construction site. Over the course of a day, Jeff and his crew moved 200 30-pound bags of concrete from the delivery location to the work area by hand because they thought it would take less time than finding a cart or forklift to do the job. His back began to bother him, but he wrote it off to just being part of the job. The next day the pain became so bad that he had to leave work and see his doctor. They told Jeff that he had damaged a disc in his lower back and could no longer do that kind of work. * Have you or someone you know ever had a back injury from lifting and carrying? If so, what happened? - How could the injury have been prevented? ## Remember This ➤ Whenever possible, use mechanical equipment like a dolly to move heavy objects horizontally. ➤ Never try to lift an item weighing over 50 pounds by yourself. ➤ Plan your lifts; make sure the path is clear and you are facing the direction of travel before lifting. ➤While lifting, tuck in your chin to keep your neck straight, and keep your back as straight as possible. - Lift with the leg muscles, which can help protect your back. ➤ Ask for help with heavy or awkward objects. ➤ Avoid twisting your body while carrying an object. ➤ Coordinate and practice team lifting before using it for moving objects. How can we stay safe today? What will we do at the worksite to prevent being injured from lifting and carrying? 1. 2. OSHA Standard: Section 5(a)(1) of the OSHA Act ©2017, CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training. All rights reserved. CPWR is the research and training arm of NABTU. Production of this documen…