With a third of all injuries reported to HSE associated with manual handling injuries it is no great surprise that most people either have a musculo-skeletal injury or know someone who does.
Back pain can be particularly debilitating having adverse effects on almost every facet of life – not just work but also leisure and even sleeping. Even mild back pain will stop the sufferer working to their full capacity and will often lead to time off work; more established injuries can take many months to heal leaving the individual permanently concerned for the condition of their back.
So ensuring employees understand the means of avoiding injury is important for them as individuals as well as the performance of the organisation. Having suitable risk assessments, provision of methods to reduce the risk and evidence of training/instruction can help employers defend allegations that an injury is work-related.
SWSM can help by
- reviewing your working processes and the risk assessments
- undertaking a safety briefing for personnel
