Lifting and twisting incidents involve twisting your body while carrying a heavy item. Examples of these incidents could include a worker bending and turning while unloading heavy items from a truck, or slipping while carrying tools, and making a sudden movement to stop from falling.
Common injuries resulting from twisting and lifting incidents include strains, sprains, and muscle tears in the trunk, back, and arms.
Higher-Risk Industries & Occupations
In the north, the following occupations are at the highest risk for exposure to twisting and lifting hazards:
- Mine labourers
- Janitors, caretakers, and building superintendents
- Heavy equipment operators
These occupations involve a lot of lifting and twisting because of the nature of their job tasks and work environments.
Preventing Injuries
Employers must provide training to workers so they know how much weight they can safely lift, how to use equipment that can assist with lifting, and proper lifting techniques and body mechanics. For instance, a workers’ toes, hips, shoulders, and nose should all be facing the same direction when lifting and carrying any load.
Workers and supervisors can prevent lifting and twisting injuries by working together to identify tasks at the worksite that involve heavy lifting, moving objects around, and other hazardous factors such as slippery or uneven floors. After identifying these hazards, workers and supervisors can determine the best way to control them, following the Hierarchy of Controls:
- Can you eliminate twist and lift hazards from the worksite?
Consider options that may remove these hazards entirely, such as having heavy materials delivered directly to the place workers need it, rather than workers moving these items manually. - Can you substitute a piece of equipment or a task with one that has a lower risk?
For example, using a front-end loader to move a pile of dirt instead of workers using shovels to manually move it in multiple loads. - Can you engineer a solution?
Worksite layouts and work processes can be changed to avoid these hazards. For example, rearranging an office space so that workers carrying heavy boxes of paper have a direct route to where it is stored, and do not need to twist or bend awkwardly to put it away. - Can you develop an administrative solution?
Review safe work procedures for lifting and moving objects with workers, and ensure these procedures include training workers to use any lifting aids or equipment. - Protect workers with personal protective equipment (PPE)?
For example, using non-slip footwear can help reduce slipping, which can cause awkward twists. Workers who regularly lift heavy materials may benefit from a lumbar belt.
Resources
From CCOHS:
- Manual Materials Handling – See this page for information on many topics related to materials handling, such as how to lift drums and barrels, hoisting and moving a heavy object such as a refrigerator, and office layout suggestions for storing supplies.
- Manual Materials Handling – Poster
- Shovelling Snow – Practical information about snow shovelling, with attention to using the correct shovel for snow.
- Client Lifting Fast Facts Card – For health care providers, this card gives tips for how to safely transfer patients.
- Musculoskeletal Disorders – Infographic