Did you know that sprains and strains continue to be the number one work zone injury in the United States every year? Hundreds of thousands of injuries continue to occur in nearly every industry, costing tens of billions of dollars in lost productivity and workers compensation. Of these sprains and strain injuries, one of the most common is a back injury.
Like all safety products, back supports require training, especially in the areas of fitting and proper use. Follow these steps to ensure a proper fit. To begin, slip the back support on, grasping each end of the waist band, stretching the right end across the left and attach. The upper edge of the waist band should be just below the navel and the outer elastic bands fastened loosely at the side. To ensure a good fit, do the one finger test. If the back support is equipped with adjustable suspenders, adjust them for a comfortable fit without tension. Suspenders simply allow the back support to rest on the wearer's shoulders when not in use.
All Ergodyne back support suspenders are detachable. If they are not wanted, simply remove. It won't affect the back support's performance. If the back support has secondary elastic tension bands, leave them loosely fastened at the side when not lifting. On this Ergodyne model, the Power Panel Positioners ensure the tension bands stay close by. Prior to lifting, grasp these bands and stretch them forward as far as possible, securing in a snug position. The back support is now active, and the worker can prepare for the lift.