Training doesn't prevent work induced back pain
February 11, 2008
Finnish researchers writing in the British Medical Journal have concluded that providing advice or training in working techniques does not prevent back pain.
The study challenges the current widespread practice of advising workers on correct lifting techniques. It notes that back pain is highly prevalent and that the resulting disability has enormous consequences in terms of distress and the economic costs of absence from work and reduced productivity.
In terms of the law, employers must ensure that workers receive proper training and information on how to handle loads correctly and the risks to which they might be exposed. Specific techniques have been advocated to reduce the load on the back.
However, the results of the study question how well this approach is working. The scientists from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki reviewed 11 different studies into workplace back injuries and compared employees who had received training on safe lifting with those who had not.
They found no difference in the rate of injury between the two groups and concluded that either the advocated techniques did not work in reducing the risk of back injury or the training did not lead to adequate change in lifting and handling techniques.
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