Cleaning up after special events such as holidays may have church volunteers and staff members performing more physical activities, such as storing away decorations, re-arranging furniture or starting maintenance projects.
Lower back pain is of particular concern with these types of activities. Most low back problems are due to muscle strains and sprains and are acute in nature, meaning the person can usually return to work within a few weeks. However, studies show people who have experienced back pain are up to four times more susceptible to a recurrence in the future.
Manual material handling, one of the leading causes of on-the-job back injuries, is defined as the unaided moving of objects, often combined with twisting and awkward postures and contributing to back, shoulder and neck injuries. Typically, these types of injuries result from repeated unsafe lifts or awkward motions and not from one specific incident. The conventional approach to resolving back injuries suggests that employees must be “trained” to lift safely. Training is important, particularly when applied in the actual work setting, but it often fails due to a lack of reinforcement and supervision. Church leaders are encouraged to employ a systematic approach to creating a safe lifting environment, without relying solely upon workers to lift safely.
The elements of a systematic approach include the following:
- Reducing the size or weight of the materials to be lifted
- Reducing the distances the materials or objects must be lifted or carried
- For storage areas, placing the heaviest and most frequently lifted items in the middle racks in order to minimize awkward postures
- Allowing materials to be slid rather than lifted
- Providing handles on objects to be lifted
- Providing aids such as carts or dollies when heavier items must be moved
- Considering job rotation for people involved in constant manual material handling tasks
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The information in this publication was compiled by Zurich Services Corporation from sources believed to be reliable. We do not guarantee the accuracy of this information or any results and further assume no liability in connection with this publication, including any information, methods or safety suggestions contained herein. Moreover, Zurich Services Corporation reminds you that this publication cannot be assumed to contain every acceptable safety and compliance procedure or that additional procedures might not be appropriate under the circumstances. The subject matter of this publication is not tied to any specific insurance product nor will adopting these procedures insure coverage under any insurance policy. ©2008 Zurich Services Corporation