It’s behind you
No, we’re not pretending we are at a panto!
We are talking about our backs! Literally, the thing that helps us to stand, move our bodies, rotate, bend, supports our spines, and many other functions. But one function we rely on is lifting, whether it be the kettle, shopping bags, or even as a task in a place of work, it’s imperative we take care of our backs.
It’s estimated that there are 1.2 million people with back pain (Source ONS).
But even with those high figures, there is little awareness, of the causes and effects of back pain. Yet statistics by RIDDOR show it’s the most commonly injured part of the body at work.
Facts and figures
In fact, figures from RIDDOR show that in 2018/19 in Great Britain 10,347 back injuries occurred whilst people were at work. That would represent 15% of all reported injuries at work during that time.
Injuries to the back cost a staggering amount of days to be lost in fact the figure is 10 million (Source RIDDOR). A leading cause of these injuries in the workplace is Muscular Skeletal Disorders (MSDs). MSDs cause nerve and joint pain, and injury to bones.
Many are suffering needlessly and around three-quarters can be prevented. (Source HSE). Musculoskeletal disorders can affect anyone and aren’t attributed to any type of person.
It’s all about mitigating any risks to keep people safe and employers doing more than just ticking a box for legal compliance. It’s about identifying potential hazards through risk assessments and then implementing solutions to reduce those risks.
Industry stats
Worth noting is that one of the industries with the highest rates of MSDs is waste management. This is one of the reasons HSE is conducting unannounced site visits to waste and recycling businesses over the forthcoming months.
One of the things they will be looking at is how businesses support their staff to work safely which includes manual handling.
What can your business do to manage risks?
We would advise that all senior managers complete a train-the-trainer manual handling course with Ligtas and train staff on manual handling.
Course Overview
The course provides delegates with the knowledge to plan and deliver training to others on safe manual handling principles and carrying out manual handling risk assessments.
Learning outcomes
After successful course completion delegates will be able to:
- Understand how manual handling injuries occur
- Understand civil and criminal liabilities in relation to manual handling
- Carry out risk assessments of manual handling operations (as required by the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992) and make appropriate recommendations to eliminate or reduce the risks identified
- Recognise poor handling techniques in others and make appropriate recommendations
- Demonstrate good posture and safe handling techniques during manual handling tasks
For in-company bookings for this 4-day course please contact our team of trusted professionals at 02922 800 000 or enquiries@ligtas.co.uk
