MANUAL TASKS

Group WHS October 2015

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the completion of this module you should:

– Understand the mechanics of the back

– Recognise the causes of Muscular Skeletal Pain

– Be able to describe how to care for your Muscular Skeletal System

– Be able to describe how to undertake correct manual handling techniques

– Understand how to assess and control manual task risks at work

By eliminating manual tasks (the hands off approach), we eliminate the risk of injury.

By minimising manual tasks, adopt good practices and utilise handling aids, we reduce the risk of

injury

However there may be times were manual tasks cannot be avoided, in these cases you need to follow

the techniques and principles outlined in this module to minimise the risk of injury.

WHAT IS A MANUAL TASK ?

A manual task is any task that requires a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or otherwise move, hold or restrain any person, animal or thing, involving one or more of the following:

–repetitive or sustained force

–high or sudden force

–repetitive movement

–sustained or awkward posture

–exposure to vibration.

These factors (known as characteristics of a hazardous manual task) directly stress the body and can lead to injury.Source: Safe Work Australia

MUSCULAR SKELETAL DISORDERS (MSD)

• A MSDs is an injury to, or a disease of, the musculoskeletal system, whether occurring suddenly or over time.

• MSD may include;– sprains and strains of muscles, ligaments and tendons.

– back injuries, including damage to the muscles, tendons, ligaments, spinal discs, nerves, joints and bones

– joint and bone injuries or degeneration, including injuries to the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, hands and feet.

– nerve injuries or compression e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome

– soft tissue hernias and chronic pain.

Source: Safe Work Australia

WHAT ARE THE COMMON CAUSES OF MSD:

• gradual wear and tear to joints, ligaments, muscles and inter-vertebral discs caused by repeated or continuous use of the same body parts, including static body positions

• sudden damage caused by strenuous activity, or unexpected movements such as when loads being handled move or change position suddenly.

Injuries can also occur due to a combination of these mechanisms.

MSD RISK FACTORS

Force and Exertion

• The weight of an item needs to be considered.

• The distance between the item and your body

Awkward Postures and Positions

• Posture and positions can impact upon how our backs bend and twist, as well as our shoulders when we reach up high

Repetition and Duration

• The more we repeat a physical activity; and the longer we perform a physical activity, the risk of injury increases

Unstable/Unbalanced and hard to hold loads.

• These increase the risk of injury

MSD RISK FACTORS

• Risks Factors can be seen in situations where:

– A load is held away from the body

– Reaching and handling loads above shoulder height

– You bend your back or neck forwards and handle

loads below mid-thigh height

– Twisting the back and neck whilst undertaking the

task

– Bending sideways or handle a load on one side

– Carrying a load for long distances

THE COST OF MSD AND INJURIES

MSD and injuries can be severe and costly, and impacton the injured worker, life outside work, and theworkplace.

Nationally 42% of all serious workers compensationclaims are as a result of muscular skeletal strains andsprains. *

• MSD’s are the most common form of workplace injuries in Australia.**

• Most jobs involve some type of manual task and cover a wide range of activities including, but not limited, to stocking shelves, lifting slides and samples, assisting a patient and entering data into a computer.

*Key Work Health and Safety Statistics, Australia 2014 http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/about/publications/pages/key-whs-stats-2014

**Ref Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice Safe Work Australia http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/about/publications/pages/hazardous-manual-tasks-cop

ANATOMY & BIOMECHANICS

Knowledge on anatomy and biomechanical principles

provides the basis for a better understanding of what

happens to the body during a manual handling activity,

helping you to avoid injury.

This next section of this module will briefly cover;

• Anatomy of the spine

• Principles of biomechanics

ANATOMY OF THE SPINEThe spine is made up of 33 small bones called vertebrae. They are divided into 3 areas.

The vertebrae form 3 spinal curves. Good posture requires that these 3 neutral curves are maintained. Correct posture = maintaining these 3 curves while carrying out any manual task.

Top 7 - cervical vertebrae

Next 12 - thoracic vertebrae

Next 5 - lumbar vertebrae

The remaining vertebrae are fused,

with the coccyx.

PRINCIPLES OF BIOMECHANICS

• A weight at a short distance from the body

requires less effort to move than the same

weight at a longer distance from the body, where

the lever arm is longer.

• When lifting a load, the closer it is to the

person’s body, the less stress there is on the

body, and therefore the lower the risk of injury.

• If the load is further away, there is greater strain

on the person handling the load.

PRINCIPLES OF BIOMECHANICS

Load close to body = decreased risk of injury

Why is the risk of injury

reduced in this situation?

- Requires less effort

- Load close to the bodies

centre of gravity

- Using the large leg muscles

PRINCIPLES OF BIOMECHANICS

Load further from body = increased risk of injury

XWhy is the risk of injury

greater in this situation?

- Greater effort is required

- Weight of the load is further

from the bodies centre of

gravity

PRINCIPLES OF BIOMECHANICS

XLoad further from body = increased risk of injury

Lifting a 10kg weight with a bent back can put approximately 240 kg of pressure on your lower back!

PRINCIPLES OF BIOMECHANICS:

LIFTING • Plant your feet wide apart to obtain a wide base

of support for stability

• Become familiar with the load and try to get a good grip of the load.

• Maintain neutral curves of spine

• Hold the load close to your body

• Use the muscles of the legs to create force where possible (squat don’t stoop)

• Execute smooth, controlled movement

• Stabilise the back by using the abdominal muscles.

PRINCIPLES OF BIOMECHANICS: LIFTING

PRINCIPLES OF BIOMECHANICS:

SHOULDERS & WRIST

• Avoid working where the upper arm is away from the side of the body

• Avoid working above shoulder height or below knee height

• Avoid twisting of the body

• Avoid holding one position for long periods of time (static posture)

• Avoid repetitive movement

• Avoid carrying loads long distance

• Try to maintain a neutral position of the wrist and forearm

CARING FOR YOUR BACK

Poor lifting techniques can become habitual,

accelerating your spinal degeneration process

and increasing your risk of long term damage

By not bending your knees you are allowing your

back to do all the work involved in the lift

Your legs have larger muscles and are better

equipped to handle the load compared to the

smaller muscles in your back.

CARING FOR YOUR BACK

Exercise and stretching aids in strengthening,

mobilising and maintaining maximum flexibility

of the entire spine, as well as for improving

posture in general

It should be recognised however, that these are

only part of a wider approach to the problem

Remembering to lift correctly, stand, sit, and

carry out other functional activities is vital in

caring for your back.

Principles of Safe Patient Handling and Movement

The best way to minimise the risk of injury is to determine from the patient, the extent to which they can manoeuvre themselves. If they can manoeuvre themselves let them, and adopt the “hands-off” approach.

If the patient is independent and mobile, direct the patient to position themselves.

If the patient has limited capacity, but can assist you, provide minimal assistance and direct the patient to assist as much as possible

Principles of Safe Patient Handling and Movement

If the patient needs assistance utilise manual handling aids and correct manual handling techniques. Still direct the patient to assist as much as possible

Remember:

– The health and safety of staff takes precedence over the patient’s requests.

– Communication is key.

– Remember, the more the patient can do to manoeuvre themselves, the less risk there is of you being injured.

THANKYOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

This is the end of the presentation, can you now

complete the quiz

If you are uncertain of any of the presented

material or would like further information please

contact your State WHS Manager