Take a Knee

MAKE-IT-SAFE MONDAY

With every step you your knees take a hit. While walking the knee is constantly absorbing impacts caused by our feet contacting the ground. After long periods of time this stress can turn into an injury. Injuries that happen over an extended period of time are called cumulative injuries. This repetitive stress is very common and can cause extreme discomfort. Another type of injury employees need to be aware of is an acute injury. An acute injury is a sudden trauma to the knee such as a large impact, a severe twist, or a fall.  

There are ways in which you can protect yourself while on the job. Always try to sit down instead of kneeling or squatting. This will help take the direct pressure off of your knees. Move your work up off of the floor. Using a work bench or saw horse will eliminate the need to kneel or squat in the first place. Evaluating heavy items before lifting is a great way to prevent knee stress and sprains. Try to find a better solution to lift heavy items such as team lifts, a Lift’n Buddy, push carts, or even a forklift. This will drastically cut down on you risk of injury.

If you are forced to work on your knees a great way to protect yourself is by using knee pads. A portable cushion or knee pads are great to distribute pressure away from your knees. They will also come in handy if the surface you are kneeling on is irregular. This will pad any hard or sharp point that you may need to kneel on. If your knees hurt because you find yourself walking on hard surfaces all day it is time to invest in some quality footwear. A shoe with a supportive sole will help absorb some of the shock that your knees encounter. Good footwear will provide a strong grip that will prevent any sudden slips or twists that may cause severe knee injury.   

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

Lucas Wertish

Demand Generation Specialist, Lift’n Buddy, a Southworth Company