Back Injury Awareness

Stan just got hired to work in a job where he needs to lift and carry boxes. The boxes are not very large and the weight is definitely manageable. Stan bends over and uses his arms to lift the first box… The first week, everything seems to be going great. Stan’s back feels a little sore at the end of each day, but no more than he expected, given the nature of his job. After a month, Stan’s back feels worse. He considers a trip to the company clinic. Still, he figures over-the-counter pain pills will solve the problem. Six months into the job, Stan’s back is seriously sore to the point that it hurts him to lift anything heavy. Stan finally tells his supervisor that he needs to see the company physician. The doctor explains that Stan has slipped vertebrae in his back that are going to require physical therapy to resolve. The doctor warns him that re-injury is likely once a back is injured. Moreover, Stan is surprised to learn from the doctor that his injury was completely preventable. It turns out that the way he was lifting things was hard on his back. Over time, he caused his own injury by ignoring the pain and continuing to lift the way he used to. Safe lifting specialists learn that other employees have experienced back pain like Stan. It’s determined that the heaviest boxes must be stored near waist level in order to prevent stooping. Employees in Stan’s area report immediate relief. The moral of this story is: don’t be like Stan. He was lifting things without putting any thought into the right way to do it. As a result, he formed bad habits that injured his back, habits that will take time for him to break. By lifting the safe way every day, you can form good habits and avoid back injuries.