A Back Injury Prevention Guide For Health Care Providers PDF Download

This is another in a series of Safety Guides for installation commanders, leaders, and workplace supervisors to help them protect their work forces against accidental losses. The focus here is one of the most common and most costly workplace injuries -- back injury. Applying the methods outlined in this booklet will help leaders mount effective back-injury-prevention programs. It contains ideas developed throughout the Army during the early phases of our back-emphasis effort. New approaches include added emphasis on ergonomics and contributions from a broader spectrum of Army health are professionals. Learning from earlier loss control successes, we know the Army's back-injury-prevention campaign must be a shared task. It can succeed only through coordinated staff action. Like all important leadership responsibilities, elimination of back-related losses is a "Commander's Program. But commanders lead, they do not administer. Keeping a lid on back-injury costs demands a lot of attention to detail from first-line supervisors and help from the installation's staff specialists. Chronic dollar losses are so great that their reduction will easily return the cost of control. The ideas and management tools in this pamphlet will help installation officials develop their own unique programs. While effective prevention of back injuries is required by Army and Federal regulations, no single approach is mandated. But most workplaces have room for improvement. Their leaders can profit from the prevention and care strategies outlined in this guide.