ergonomics body mechanic basics for your safety a few topics we will discuss include what is ergonomic s' why is it important to know who is at risk we will review some basic body mechanics for safe lifts and transfers as well as review some assistive devices that will make your environment safer what is ergonomic s' it's actually a word derived from two greek words ergun meaning work and noemi meaning natural laws so in general it's a science that seeks to adapt work or working conditions to suit the worker a few interesting statistics regarding injuries according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics employees in nursing and personal care facilities suffer over 200,000 work-related injuries and illnesses a year workers in long-term care facilities are twice as likely to be injured on the job and over half of those injuries involve the back approximately 80% of the population will have one or more episodes of back pain severe enough to prevent them from activities at least once in their life getting injured on the job is just not worth the risk workers compensation for time out of work does not start until the sixth day except with really severe injury sick days must be used before compensation can start on the sixth day payment for compensation is only two thirds of your hourly rate and payment from workers compensation cannot be received for at least 21 days or three weeks after your injury proper body mechanics should apply not only to the workplace but to everything you do and everywhere you do it you can injure yourself anywhere at any time knowing how to properly move lift or transfer residents will prevent such injuries as low back pain rotator cuff or shoulder tears job fatigue muscle strain and patient or resident injury some of the tasks you may perform that are at risk for injury include eating bathing dressing transferring the resident toileting or even just moving or walking around there is an increased economic risk with certain patient handling tasks such as repetitive motions that you do over and over lifting heavy objects or persons anything that is done with a great deal of force or done with an awkward posture or position especially when lifting or any combination of these factors can put you at risk it's interesting to know a little bit about the spine anatomy the spine is movable it can bend forward sideways and to a lesser degree backwards the back muscles are attached to the spinal column by tendons and ligaments most back problems are due to strains to these muscles tendons and ligaments back muscles are not very strong forces on the spine like gravity increase when lifting lowering or handling objects with the back bent or twisted this occurs because the muscles must handle your own body weight in addition to the weight of the load being lifted so we will review a few basic body mechanics knowing how to work safely to prevent these injuries being prepared preparation is key to safety prepare yourself mentally and physically before you start the task assess the situation do not rush into a task to get it done quickly consider your ability and your limitations stop and think before you lift move transfer or position a resident or object you need to think about what is the best method to move the object or resident are there obstacles that should be removed to provide a clear path you need to determine the distance you need to move and how far away is it consider the position of the patient their ability and where they need to go clearing the path includes scatter rugs shoes or any objects anywhere on the floor and for distance keep the destination as close you have to think about can the resident understand what you are about to do be sure to give short simple directions talking calmly to explain clearly what you want to do determine the need for assistance can the resident bear weight can they emulate if you are unsure always get help if you have any doubt of your ability to do this task safely determine where the final location of the object or resident will be and secure that position making sure it will not move once you achieve the destination it is a very important that you avoid bending reaching or twisting at any time in order to move safely you should widen your base of support with your feet shoulder-width apart and firmly planted one foot slightly in front of the other to improve your balance keep your body centered over your feet to evenly distribute your body weight then take a deep breath breathe out as you start to move squat from the knees keeping your back straight use your large leg muscles to lift not your back remember those muscles are very weak holding your breath during any activity is inefficient and can cause muscle strain bring the resident or object in close to your body use your entire body to support the weight tighten your abdominal muscles as you stand and keep your back straight a hug works great it's safer for you and so much more reassuring for the resident in looking at the picture you can see that the bed height should be at the lowest level the patient's knees should be between your legs once they are standing stop for a moment Center yourself before turning and then rotate your entire body by pivoting your feet no twisting of your body keep your knees slightly bent you can use gravity and momentum when it's appropriate rocking the body back and forth or side to side to give you some increased strength do it gently to avoid harming or scaring the resident with sudden or quick movements using ambulatory or gait belts as appropriate they offer more control of any transfer or move condition never pull a resident up from the wheelchair by their arms or wrists follow all the steps that we have just discussed for a safe hug transfer you can improve efficiency and safety by making sure the resident and anyone that's assisting you is given explicit instructions prior to the move what their responsibilities are how when and where you're going to make the move stay clearly so that they understand give your full attention to the activity and always anticipate the unusual or the unexpected to improve efficiency and safety always use equipment whenever possible to make these transfers easier and safer OSHA recommends minimizing the manual lifting of residents in all cases in eliminating the manual lift whenever possible use the assistant devices such as shown here the slide board or the Hoyer lift to do the resident transfers other assistive devices that help with job safety include shower chairs that fit over the toilet they can illuminate multiple transfers saving the health care workers multiple lifts a resident can be moved from the shower chair toileted showered and transferred back to the wheelchair toilet seat risers are another assistive device that will help you put them on the toilets to equalize the height of the wheelchair and the toilet seat making it more of a lateral transfer rather than a lift up and back into a sliding board is a slick board that is used under the residents to help reduce the need for lifting during transfer of the residents from bed to chair or chair to car residents are slid rather than lifted you can have a wheelchair with removable arms this allows for easier lateral transfers especially useful with height adjustable beds gaint belts they are to be used with any position changes or while ambulating they are easy to grip they give less stress on the caregivers spine but they are never to be used as restraints mechanical lift equipment such as the Hoyer lift will help lift residents who cannot support their own weight use caution with any manual pumping so avoid the repetitive motion disorders that can injure your arms legs or shoulders it is important that you know how to use it proper and if you are unsure please seek advice of one who knows a few key points that we need to review always take the time to plan and prepare for each lift or transfer do not rush into performing a move or a lift whether it's an object or a resident lift heavy loads close to the body remember that hug no bending no twisting of the spine stop and then turn with your entire body rotation always use a wide base of support with the proper foot position and lift with your large muscles of your legs and arms not your back never lift alone if that's possible particularly anyone that has fallen use team lifts or mechanical assistance as much as possible always know your equipment especially how and when to use mechanical and assistive devices whenever possible remember this those few extra minutes you take to get the extra help or necessary equipment could save a long time of recuperating from a significant work-related injury thank you for your attention please work safe for the wheelchair as possible plan and prepare where your beginning and ending points will be for injury