Moving
wheelchairs, pushing carts, and opening and closing overhead doors are all contributors
to sprains or strains. Although many of us don't handle cargo regularly, sometimes
we use our bodies for leverage to maneuver objects. We would like to think that
this would not produce an injury. However, you can suffer sprains or strains
from overexertion when pushing or pulling.
There are
three areas that things can cause injury for a push/pull task: equipment, environment
and human error. Risks associated with these three areas include, but are not
limited to:
1.
Equipment
The right
equipment for the job (size, weight, capacity and design); well-maintained equipment;
removing hazards from equipment; and deciding whether or not additional
equipment is needed for the job. Safe footwear like closed toes, anti-slip
soles and ankle supports also may be considered.
2.
Environment
The
environment contributes to hazardous situations due to surface conditions:
wet, dirty, dusty, uneven, unsupported, poorly illuminated, badly designed
storage, temperature extremes, chemical or biological exposure.
3. Human
error
The human
factor is most volatile, and what we have the ability to control: human error,
miscalculation of load assessment, attitude: “I can handle this without
help;” fatigue, physical or mental distractions.
No comments:
Post a Comment