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Back Pain in the Workplace

Causes of pain

Back pain can be caused by different work factors. The exact cause is often unclear, but back pain is more common in occupational roles that involve:

  • Repetitive tasks: such as manual packing of goods.
  • Force: heavy manual labour, handling tasks, pushing and pulling loads that require excessive force.
  • Posture: Poor/ awkward postures such as stooping, bending over or crouching.
  • Duration: maintaining the same position for long periods of time e.g. working with computers or driving long distances. Also working when physically overtired.
  • Vibration: operating vibration tools.
  • Cold temperature: working in low temperature environments e.g. outdoor working in winter.

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Things to remember about risk factors for back pain

  • Risk factors may be experienced during non-occupational activities. In addressing any issue of back pain it would be a mistake to focus solely on the workplace.
  • As individuals we are all different,  the variation exists e.g. in our size, shape, strength, endurance, flexibility, knowledge, experience and skill.
  • Two individuals exposed to the same combination of risk factors and to the same degree will respond differently.
  • One employee may NOT experience any discomfort, while another might develop back pain.
  • Other predisposing factors can also increase  the risk of  developing back pain.

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Consult your employees

  • You have a legal duty to consult with all your employees or their elected representatives.
  • Talking to your staff is good because they know what they find difficult and often have good ideas about how to improve things.
  • Involving employees and safety representatives in discussions about how to improve health and safety will also make it easier to agree changes and employees will be more likely to follow procedures that they have helped to design.
  • Some people are more susceptible to back pain than others, so it is important to consult employees in the risk assessment process.



Next: Predisposing factors for back pain

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