Key Takeaways:
– Learning proper lift technique
– Learning methods to reduce the hazards around material handling
– Improving productivity and ease in the workplace

Course Description
This course is aimed at teaching about the importance of proper materials handling because it causes back pain.

Back pain is referred to as one of the most common reasons for missed work and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. It is also the third most common reason for seeing a doctor, after skin and joint disorders. In other words, back pain is likely to be visible in every workplace. What may not be obvious, is all the potential causes of back pain. Back pain can be caused by poor lifting techniques, poor posture, psychological stress, and also various internal organ diseases. It’s highly beneficial for the workplace to prevent back pain as much as possible; prevention will increase productivity, efficiency, and the duration of time an employee can spend with the company.

According to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), back pain causes over 264 000 000 lost workdays annually, with an estimate that 80% of the population will experience back pain in their lifetime. The health care costs are huge, add if you account for lost wages and decreased productivity, ACA estimates that back pain costs over $100 000 000 000 annually in just the United States. Not only does back pain commonly affect workers, it will probably happen to you or someone you know. However, back pain is something that can be easily reduced and managed in the workplace if preventative actions are taken.

This lesson will discuss techniques and methods that can be implemented in any workplace to reduce the risk of back pain. Materials handling is fundamental and can’t be avoid, but with the proper skills it doesn’t have to be a workplace hazard. Both higher end controls such as investing in equipment and easy controls like proper lift technique will be discussed in this course, along with the benefits of each.

Save both yourself and others some strain by taking the time to learn about better ways to handle materials.