It's All About the Back

MAKE-IT-SAFE MONDAY

Happy Holidays from all of us at Ergologistics and Lift'n Buddy! I would like to dedicate this post to all the hard, dedicated workers who make the world go 'round while many of us enjoy the time off with friends and family, specifically those workers in public utilities, transportation, hospitality, law enforcement, and many others. Simply, thank you! I wish you all the warmth of the Holiday Season.

I would like to focus this blog post on going back to the basics of back health. It is a subject I dedicate a lot of thought to, as I believe it is core to health. As many of us go through our daily lives, micro-trauma to the back can creep up on us, and typically manifests itself in recurring pain at the most inopportune times. My philosophy has always been to save your back for the grand kids, or weekend round of golf.

What a tragedy it is when we injure this delicate human structure at the work place! With proper, dedicated, and regimented care, we can all keep are backs in optimum condition. Let's go back to basics and discuss what it means to have a healthy back. The following informuation is from University of Maryland, Division of Administration & Finance and Department of Environmental Safety. This is great food for thought:

Having a Healthy Back

Your back is the main support structure of your entire body. Along with your muscles and joints, it allows you to move (sit, stand, bend, etc.) and to bear weight. But the back is also a delicate, finely balanced structure that can be easily injured if it is not cared for properly. Knowing the basics of back care can make the difference between a healthy back and an aching one!

A Healthy Back

The back (or spinal column) is composed of 24 moveable bones called vertebrae. Between each vertebrae is a cushion-like pad called a disc that absorbs shock. These vertebrae and discs are supported by ligaments and muscles that keep the back properly aligned in three balanced curves. When any of these various parts becomes diseased, injured or deconditioned, back problems and pain are almost certain to follow.

A Balanced Back

A healthy back is a balanced back--your cervical (neck), thoracic (chest) and lumbar (lower back) curves are all properly aligned. (You know your back is aligned properly when your ears, shoulders and hips are "stacked" in a straight line.) A healthy back is also protected and supported by flexible "elastic" discs and well-conditioned muscles.

An Aching Back

A number of physical conditions, such as curvature of the spine (scoliosis), arthritis and herniated (ruptured) disks, can cause back pain, but the majority of backaches are due to poor posture and weak supporting muscles. Improper posture places excess stress on the spinal column. Over time, poor posture can lead to sudden or recurrent back pain. Weak muscles contribute to, and are often responsible for, poor posture since they cannot adequately support the spinal column.

Preventive Back Care

Once you understand how your back works, and what can go wrong, you're ready to start taking care of your back--for the health of it. By using proper posture (when you sit, stand, lift, recline and move) and by exercising the muscles that support your back, you can prevent the most common causes of backaches. The result is freedom from back pain and a stronger, healthier back.

Thank you for your time and attention.  Let's make it safe this Monday.

Aaron M. Lamb
President, Ergologistics

Lift'n Buddy Attends Largest Ergonomics Event

MAKE-IT-SAFE MONDAY

Hi, my name is Nikki Lamb and I am the Director of Sales for Ergologistics and I will be your guest blogger for this week's Make-It-Safe Monday series.  We are incredibly excited to be at the 18^th annual Ergonomic Exposition and Convention at Caesar’s Palace this week in Las Vegas.  With the highest attendance expected since 2008, it is encouraging to know that companies such as Boeing, Honeywell, and Disneyland are all committed to continuing to ensure worker safety by exploring new products at this year’s show.

This is the first time our company has had an opportunity to exhibit our award-winning innovation at a trade show this far west in the United States.  Lift’n Buddy has been nominated for the “Attendees Choice Award” at this year’s show.  A vote for Lift’n Buddy is a vote for good health and worker’s safety.

The Ergo Expo is the largest ergonomics event in the nation; not only in numbers of exhibitors and attendance, but also education in ergonomics for professionals looking for new ways to reduce workplace related injuries, improve productivity, and grow the bottom line. Lift’n Buddy fits perfectly in this mix as an easy way to reduce injuries associated with repetitive and heavy lifting.  The Lift’n Buddy raises materials to ergonomically correct heights which helps companies reach their long-term safety and health goals.

If you happen to be at the show, please stop by Booth #612 for an engaging conversation on worker safety and how Lift'n Buddy can provide a unique solution for a multitude of work applications.  If you are reading and not at the show, feel free to contact me at your leisure at info@liftnbuddy.com, or call 1-855-LIFT-BUD.  I look forward to continuing this ultra-important conversation with you.

Thank you for your time and attention.  Let's make it safe this Monday.

Nikki Lamb
Director of Sales, Ergologistics

Extent of Exposure - Thankful for Safety

MAKE-IT-SAFE MONDAY

It is the week of Thanksgiving and that means one thing, we are all going to eat a lot, for a long time, and go back for multiple servings of that delicious Thanksgiving meal. What does this have to do with safety you may ask? Well when it comes to musculoskeletal injuries in the workplaces the three main factors all have striking similarities to a delicious Thanksgiving meal. Magnitude, duration, and frequency result in the loosening of your belt during Thanksgiving and are the leading causes of musculoskeletal injuries. While overdoing it during Thanksgiving is an acceptable tradition, exceeding your limits in the workplace is a major problem and needs to be avoided.

To ensure safety in the workplace, today’s Thanksgiving week Make-It-Safe Monday will examine the “Extent of Exposure” and review how to stay safe. To take extent of exposure into account, consider questions:

·         What is the magnitude of the exposure?

o    For example, how much force is needed or how severe is the awkward posture?

o    Limit lifting objects that are too heavy, are awkward to lifting and have large lifting ranges

·         How long (total time) is the worker exposed to the risk?

o    For example, is the worker exposed to the risk for a full shift, or for two hours?

o    Long periods of lifting or exposure should be limited, especially if at high magnitude

·         How frequently is the worker exposed to the risk?

o    For example, is the task repeated many times each shift, or does it occur only occasionally?

A Risk Assessment should also consider the following:

·         What is the combined effect of all the identified risk factors?

o    For example, lifting heavy objects from the floor to a height above the shoulders several times a minute poses a greater risk than lifting the same objects between the knee and waist level infrequently.

In order to limit injury, lost time, lost productivity, and compensation costs it is important to limit the magnitude, duration, and frequency of workplace procedures. Endless stats and facts can be found on the cost of workplace injuries to businesses which is why I include a friendly reminder that devices that aid in ergonomics in the workplaces can result in large savings in the long run. Equipment such as the Lift’n Buddy (www.liftnbuddy.com) can aid in all areas of  “Extent of Exposure” in the workplace.

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you all a safe week.

Demand Generation Specialist

Joe Wheatley 

http://www.worksafebc.com/publications

Thank you for your time and attention.  Let's make it safe this Monday.

Aaron M. Lamb
President, Ergologistics

Is Your Company A Safe One? Yes or no, someone is WATCHING you!

MAKE-IT-SAFE MONDAY

In honor of Veterans Day, not only do we respect the vets here at Ergologistics, we rallied our own troops to each contribute a few points on workplace safety.  

First, I would like to point you to a great webinar from the National Safety Council. This weeks blog title should resonate and take deep root with everyone in charge of keeping records for workplace safety initiatives and programs.  When inspected, a company's attitude towards safety is ONLY as good as its records. Like it, or be forced to liked it, somebody is watching your company.  My advice is to be prepared and PROUD when this happens, because your motivation should be to show off how excellently compliant your company is to safety standards.  

The following webinar is worth your time and resources.  Click on the following for full registration:

OSHA Recordkeeping: Maintain Records that Pass Inspection

Live Webinar: November 29, 2012, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET

Course Description:
Recordkeeping is now on OSHA’s enforcement radar as more employers face penalties for incomplete or incorrect safety records. Are your records in order? More importantly, are they OSHA compliant and ready to be presented should OSHA drop by for a surprise inspection? Don’t get caught off guard! Attend this Webinar, where you’ll receive proven and practical strategies for maintaining safety records that can pass OSHA’s tough recordkeeping standards.

By the end of this Webinar, participants will learn:

• Key elements of the OSHA recordkeeping regulation, including OSHA Recordkeeping Regulation 29 CFR 1904, Subparts- A-G

• Records you must keep for statutory compliance, including injury/illness records, training certifications, maintenance and inspection records, MSDSs, and more

• Key OSHA reporting requirements for workplace injuries, hospitalizations, and fatalities

• How to use the OSHA forms correctly, including OSHA forms 300 and 301

• How to record workplace injuries without error

• How to maintain records that will pass inspection

• Risks and exposures you face by not having complete and accurate records

Presenter: Robert Lewis, JD, Senior Safety Consultant, National Safety Council

Take advantage of this educational opportunity to improve your ground game of preparedness when safety overseers come a-knocking.  

Enjoy the next contributions by a couple of Ergologistic's own 'boots-on-the-ground':

Dale Bromenshenkel

Demand Generation Specialist:

Lifting heavy and bulky objects can overtime cause serious damage to your body and specifically your back.   The Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety did a study and found that three out of every four workers whose job involves manual material handling (MMH) suffers from back pain due to working at some time.  The back injuries due to MMH account for one third of all lost work and one third of all compensation costs.  Financial costs and loss of work are bad, but worse is the human suffering.  Several thousands of workers each year are permanently disabled by back injuries, and many others are unable to return to their previous jobs due to back injury.  

Many people have to find new jobs due to work related injury.  All these facts and more are reasons why MMH should be limited in the work place by using automated machinery to lift heavy or bulky items.  The initial cost of buying the machinery will be high, but the long run costs of saving labor and workers compensation is much lower and not to mention saving some people some pain and suffering.

Joe Wheatley

Demand Generation Specialist:

7 Steps to Workplace Safety

The Workers Safety Corporation puts out a list of ways to minimize workplace safety. It is important to note these are relevant for any kind of business from manufacturing to shipping and are vital to worker safety. As we view each step it is evident that each category is as significant and the next and only when a company succeeds in all aspects can they truly minimize injuries to workers and the cost of that compensation. An OSHA study noted that occupational injuries make up 77 percent of workers compensation costs (OSHA). In order to minimize those injuries and costs to business, Make-It-Safe Monday will focus on the 7 steps you and your company can take to make the workplace a safer place.

Health and Safety Policy

Develop a statement of the employers commitment to the health and safety program, including the aims of the program and the responsibilities of the employer, supervisors and workers. This statement really unites employer and employee and states the main focuses to ensure safety in the workplace.

Regular Inspection

Regularly monitor work procedures, equipment and machinery to ensure hazards to workers are eliminated and controlled.

Education and Training

Make sure workers know about all pertinent hazards in the workplace; are familiar with health and safety regulations that apply and ensure and that workers demonstrate competency at the tasks they are required to perform. It is important to note education/training is not a one-time event but an continuous fluid program to ensure safety.

Monthly Meetings

Discuss health and safety matters, identify any unsafe condition or practice and implement solutions to any health or safety concerns. Communication at this monthly meeting between employer and employee is vital to safety. The employees are the ones experiences everyday challenges and risks while the employers are the keys to implementing safety corrections.

Accident Investigation

Determine the causes of accidents and near misses so that corrective actions can be taken to prevent similar incidents.

Records and Statistics

Maintain a first aid treatment record book, inspection and accident investigation reports, and records of program activities and training. These will allow you to identify trends of unsafe conditions or work procedures.

Maintaining an Effective Program

Review the program annually to identify the extent of effectiveness and deficiencies of the existing health and safety activities. Examine the potential for future injury and the progress of the organizations current safety effort. Maintain a strong commitment to safety policies and procedures and the interest and involvement of the workers. A strong annual evaluation is vital to future injury prevention. In some cases major safety overhaul may be needed while at other times only minor adjustments necessary.

For the full article or more information on workplace safety similar to this, visit www.worksafebc.com.

Just remember nothing is more important in the workplace than safety so everyone has the opportunity and right of a safe, injury free week.

Thank you for your time and attention.  Let's make it safe this Monday.

Aaron M. Lamb
President, Ergologistics

Back Savings Time - ALL YEAR LONG

MAKE-IT-SAFE MONDAY

I found this wonderful post below from The Spine and Injury Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia.  Obviously, when you need to report to a chiropractor or a doctor, things have gone too far in terms of workplace injury.  PREVENTATIVE MEASURES are key to curb back injuries in the workplace.  However, some of the food for thought in this article are great to have on the front of the mind when even experiencing the slightest of ailments. Dr. Reno and Dr. Erika do a unique job in framing injuries from the standpoint of how a child manages pain:

It’s been reported that educating the patient about their condition reduces unnecessary anxiety and fear, which in turn, allows a more swift resolution of their condition. The intensity of low back pain (LBP) can sometimes be so severe, the patient can hardly move without getting a sharp, knife-like pain that stops them in their tracks. When one experiences this kind of pain, it’s very easy to assume what’s causing this, “….must be lethal!” Or perhaps, “how can anything hurt this bad and not be cancer?” These types of thoughts can lead to unnecessary (and frankly, inappropriate) behavior including fear of activity (including work), anxiety, depression, and poor coping skills. In this regard, all LBP guidelines include the important recommendation of offering appropriate reassurance and advice through patient education as it is KEY to reducing this unnecessary fear and anxiety. This includes educating the patient as to what hurts them (anatomical tissue damage), why it hurts so badly (the inflammatory cycle), and what they can and should do to get out of the acute, painful stage as quickly as possible (“RICE” or, Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate).

It's one thing to treat acute Lower Back Pain,
it's quite another to address chronic LBP.

Education is related to experience. Stop and think about how a child manages pain. When they fall down and skin their knees, the intensity of their crying can be deafening! It’s obvious the child’s the reaction is exaggerated, as exemplified by that blood curdling scream. The reason for this heightened reaction is due to the lack of experience or, “knowledge” about this type of injury – they don’t realize the pain will dissipate with a few minutes and as a result, they over react. As we age, skinning our knees is more irritating mentally than it is painful – we look at it, after muttering a few words under our breath (which won’t be repeated here), and then we go about our daily routine, knowing fully well that it will hurt for a while and eventually get better. Studies have shown that people who have graduated from high school or college have a higher pain threshold than those who have not. This may be because, through learning about the body in science class, they understand the anatomy and physiology (structure and function) behind a cut on the skin. As a result, there is no overreaction, just a “reaction.”

So, when can this educational process start? The answer is simple – as soon as possible; and actually, before we become patients! A recent study published in the journal “SPINE,” found 8 year old school children were capable of out-performing a similar aged “control” group that were not educated on management and prevention of low back pain. Tests were administered initially, at 15 days and at 98 days after beginning the education process. They used a comic book as the method to educate the 266 member group of 8 year old's while a “control” group of 231 kids did not receive the comic book educational tool. Initially, the 2 groups scored similarly (about 73% correct answers for both groups). The comic book was given to the 266 kid group at day 8 and both groups were retested again at the 15 and 98 day time points. The results showed the group receiving the comic book education about LBP scored significantly higher at 15 days and retained the information at 3 months. Though no one will know if the educated kids will be less prone to develop chronic pain due to this gain of knowledge, the increased likelihood certainly exists.

The take home message is, use the internet and all other resources to learn as much as you can about your back condition. A great website to help you is www.spine-health.com.

Again, special thanks to Dr. Reno and Dr. Erika from The Spine and Injury Center on their thoughts on back pain.  I am a firm believer in the age old adage, 'an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure.'  Let's keep a colossal distance between pain and your back.

Thank you for your time and attention.  Let's make it safe this Monday.

Aaron Lamb 

President, Ergologistics

Totally SCARY Stats

MAKE-IT-SAFE MONDAY

Today's blog is multi-themed; working together to avoid injury and scary statistics. Halloween is right around the corner. In honor of this, let's go right to the TOTALLY SCARY STATS:

If you receive this document, there is a major hole
in your company's safety program.

“Musculoskeletal Disorders are the #2 Cause of lost time from work, behind only the common cold. Slightly over 20% of all workplace injuries are back injuries and of those back injuries 80% of all back injuries are to the lower back. The total direct and indirect costs are estimated to exceed over $50 billion annually.” (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Is your company OKAY with just paying  for injuries,
rather than safety programs and devices?!

It is clear these musculoskeletal back injuries are a major problem for employers. Mayo clinic lists the major causes of these injuries as:

1. Excessive force-moving heaving objects and exerting too much force on the back.
2. Repetition- repeating certain lifting movements leading to fatigue of muscles and injury.

The best ways to limit back injury in the workplace are to modify repeated tasks, avoid over lifting, limit stresses on employees back, and to lift properly. (Mayo Clinic)

A great way to prevent excessive stress on the back and repeated lifting movements is by using a mechanical lifting device such as the Lift’n Buddy (www.liftnbuddy.com). The Lift’n Buddy provides repeated lifting cycles to limit repetitive stress on the employee and with a lift capacity up to 500 lbs. it can provide a mobile solution to lifting heavy loads of any form. Limiting back injuries in the workplace can significantly limit missed time and loss of productivity and a great solution is the Lift’n Buddy.

Injury statistics, as referenced above, are everywhere.  They are a dime a dozen. They are so prevalent, that for the common reader it is far to easy to gloss over these.  Because of this, the scare factor is diminished and complacency can take over.  This is when you are at the epicenter of the danger zone of workplace injury.  Therefore, I will exclamate, highlight, underline, and bold text to SCREAM through type the seriousness of workplace injury and the SOLUTIONS to eradicate this disease.  The following post is a contribution from Joe Wheatley, Demand Generation Specialist for Ergologistics:

Working Together to Prevent Injuries in the Workplace

This Monday represents the beginning of European Week for Safety and Health at Work. This year’s campaign theme is “Working Together for Risk Prevention”, a valuable safety lesson for all to learn. It emphasizes employers and employees to work closely together focusing on making workplaces as safe and healthy as possible.

Martin O’Halloran, Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority states, “Although the management of any organization has the ultimate responsibility for workplace safety and health, it is vital that workers can do their part and contribute to a safe and healthy working environment. We know that the best results will be found where managers and employees are working closely together towards the goal of healthy, accident-free workplaces.”

O’Halloran continues on to emphasize cooperation, “The efforts of employers are likely to fail without active worker participation. Managers should do more than just consult with their employees; they should foster a culture of genuine cooperation. Right from the top of the organization and down through all employees, the effective management of safety and health should be seen as an everyday part of running a business.”

The theme of working together on prevention to create a safe workplace is something we should all take to heart. Employees face the daily risks are able to make suggestions to improve them, while a cooperating employer has a great opportunity to listen and put into effective safe solutions. Working together to create a safe workplace is something that benefits everyone involved. Employees receive a safe workplace while businesses are improved though fewer missed days, reduced insurance, and increased productivity.

Make it a safe Monday by keeping in mind cooperation between workers and employers is key to a safe workplace.

Joe Wheatley.

Thanks Joe, I couldn't agree more.  

Thank you for your time and attention.  Let's make it safe this Monday.

Aaron Lamb 

President, Ergologistics

Source:

http://www.hgvireland.com/10/22/working-together-to-prevent-workplace-accidents/

Indiana Foundry Hits Record on Days Without Lost Time

Make-It-Safe Monday

A colleague of mine forwarded me the following article posted a couple weeks ago.  I was moved to incorporate it into our Make-It-Safe Monday blog, while I give this organization a HUGE standing ovation on how to address workplace injuries head on.  Pay particular attention to the underline portions, as I believe these are key points to mimic their success:

Bremen Castings Celebrates 495 Days

Indiana Foundry Hits Record on Days Without Lost Time

Foundries and machine shops are notoriously known for being dangerous places, but one Indiana foundry is changing the tides of the industry. Bremen Castings Inc. (BCI) in Bremen, Indiana has gone almost 500 days without lost time. Lost time injury is defined as an occurrence that resulted in a fatality, permanent disability or lost time from work of one day or shift and possibly more.

President JB Brown notes, “We have an incredible staff that come to work and every single day, but we’ve implanted strategies and procedures to make sure that everyone is accountable for everyone’s safety while at work. One example is that require all employees to file “near miss” reports. So if there is a cable in the way or a slippery step, the employee is responsible for moving it and filing a report to inform upper management of the issue. This example is then looked at by our executive team to determine how we can possibly change things in the future to prevent a possible situation from happening.”  BCI’s last lost time occurred over a year ago and required their employee to miss one full shift of work. Since then the foundry and machine shop have gone incident free.

In the future BCI would like to establish a zero incident culture, 1,000,000 man hours without a lost work time and two years without lost work time. JB Brown is available to speaking about this milestone and their safety initiatives within Bremen Castings. Please contact me to schedule an interview.

Thanks,

Carolyn

About Bremen Castings Inc.: this family owned foundry and machine shop was founded in 1939 in Bremen, Indiana. With over 70 years of experience, BCI is known worldwide for its quality gray and ductile iron machined castings. As a leader in the machining & foundry industry, Bremen houses its own machine shop & foundry. Keeping up with technology is high on the priority list with the Brown family as the company continually reinvests in new equipment for production, environmental, and automation improvements. BCI uses 92% recycled ferrous material to produce world class gray and ductile iron castings for our world market. For more information about Bremen Castings Inc. please visit their website at www.bremencastings.com

I can only imagine you are just as impressed as I am with how they approach work place injury.  Let's break this down into key talking and DOING points:

1. Indiana Foundry Hits Record on Days Without Lost Time.  I love how they turned their success into a press release.  This is how it should be.  Notice the release did not highlight increased productivity, higher revenue streams, greater positioning in the marketplace.  It focused solely how their bragging rights to bring greater command on dealing with workplace injury.
2. Foundries and machine shops are notoriously known for being dangerous places.  Tremendous first start, they recognized the problem.  Identifying the problem is paramount to  a path to elimation.  I am sure there are many companies out there that may be in a semi-state of denial when it comes to their own problems.  Bremen Castings Inc. can be a good example of how a very good place to start is to admit the problems are there.
3. 500 days without lost time.  Bravo!  It can be done.  Bremen Castings Inc. set a goal, put policy in place, and made it a reality.  
4. We have an incredible staff that come to work.  That's right, it is STILL always about the people.  I love how Bremen Castings Inc. is giving its compliments to its workforce.  As I said in my first post, workplace safety is a TEAM sport.  It is by the people, and for the people.
5. Everyone is accountable.  This is exactly how it should be.  I think there are few moments in life where you resign your survival to the hands of others; being a passanger in an airplane or car, jumping in a roller coaster, or maybe putting yourself in the hands of a doctor for surgery. When it comes to workplace safety, EVERY INDIVIDUAL has a say through actions of how safe they remain that day.  
6. Require all employees to file “near miss” reports.  I think this is the most compelling statement of the above article.  First, notice what this is NOT.  It is NOT an accident report. It is NOT a hospital report.  It is NOT an insurance claim report.  It is NOT a report to a family informing of lost work by the families' primary wage earner.  Simply, it is the acme of preventative measures.  I imagine this to be much like a game of safety telephone that could play out like this:  THE FLOOR ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE WAREHOUSE IS UNUSUALLY SLIPPERY.  EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN WALKING. PASS IT ON.  By informing others of impending danger, and filing these BEAUTIFUL near-miss reports is the front line to workplace injury prevention.
7. Looked at by our executive team to determine how we can possibly change things in the future.  Clear leadership on workplace safety is vital to not only initiate measures, but to maintain them overtime and throughout an organization.  In the case with Bremen Castings Inc.  it is part of their daily and weekly agenda to make regular assessment on their safety policy and its effectiveness.  Imagine if the President of the United States gave a "state of the union" address on a daily basis.  Despite a little ennui, issues of the nation would be on the front of your mind DAILY.  In essence, this is how companies need to be when it comes to addressing injury.  This is how you get to 500 days without an injury.
8. Establish a zero incident culture.  I was once told by a business mentor of mine that the difference between dreams and goals are that goals have a timeline.  I would be willing to bet that there are a significant amount of Environment and Health Safety managers that dream of turning their company into a completely injury-free environment.  Save from rendering themselves jobless if this were to actually occur, The spirit is there when a goal like establishing a zero incident culture is the true objective.  To make this policy, you have to put a timeline to the dream.  Little by little, bit by bit, calculated improvements can be made to eradicate the disease of workplace injury.  Do you think Bremen Castings Inc. is done with safety considerations now that they acheived 500 days without injury?  NO! 1000 days is right around the corner for them, and I look forward to reporting this when it happens.

Thank you for your time and attention.  Let's make it safe this Monday.

Aaron Lamb 

President, Ergologistics

Make-It-Safe Monday

Make-It-Safe Monday

The phrase you see above - WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR HEALTH, YOU HAVE EVERYTHING - was told to me by my grandmother since I was a little boy.  How true this is!  This statement has ricocheted in my brain throughout the years, and became more profound when I started studying work place safety.  To study worker safety is actually a study in lack of safety, injuries in the workplace, incidence rates, sorting through a mountain of statistics, and the ability to decipher relevance, trends, and match these up with preventative measures. 

Make-It-Safe Monday is a blog by Ergologistics, developers of Lift'n Buddy.  Lift'n Buddy is line of ergonomic lift assists that are designed to take the heavy out of heavy lifting, save workers backs, and improve a company's bottom line by lowering insurance payouts and compensation claims.  Because we are a company that provides solutions in the work place, we are front and center to treat and prevent the disease of work place injury.  This series will be tidbits of our own observations, things we have learned along the way through discussion with workers, managers, and even competitors.  We felt it best to share our blog on MONDAY - early in the day, early in the week, to keep safety as fresh on the mind as possible.

Safety programs and injury prevention are a team sport.  Much like a doctor who needs to be a diagnostician in the first steps to eradicate a disease, This blog will reflect our efforts to study and analyze safety and what works.  It will show our dedication to be a voice and and agent of change.  It will position us as advocates for the worker and to keep their safety and well-being as paramount.

Feel free to enter your own comments to keep these conversations fluid and dynamic.   

The following data is compiled by Joe Wheatley, Demand Generation Specialist for Ergologisitics:

“Preventing back injuries is a major workplace safety challenge. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than one million workers suffer back injuries each year, and back injuries account for one of every five workplace injuries or illnesses. Further, one-fourth of all compensation indemnity claims involve back injuries, costing industry billions of dollars on top of the pain and suffering borne by employees.” (U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet)

“Lifting which occurs below knee height or above shoulder height is more strenuous than lifting between these limits. In a recent study it was determined that up to one-third of compensable back injuries could be prevented through better job design, known as ergonomics.”  (OSHA Fact Sheet)

The award winning Lift’n Buddy (www.liftnbuddy.com) can provide the proper ergonomic help to employees. It provides easy movement of products as well as lifting the products to the proper height, resulting in fewer workplace back injuries due to lifting heavy, awkward, and bulky objects.

Thank you for your time and attention.  Let's make it safe this Monday.

Aaron M. Lamb
President, Ergologistics