The Merits or Otherwise of Workers Wearing Lifting Belts - Does Wearing a Lifting Belt Help or Hinder?

The Merits or Otherwise of Workers Wearing Lifting Belts:

Does Wearing a Lifting Belt Help or Hinder?

A company decides to implement a program of 'ergonomic' abdominal lifting belts to aid their workers as they go about their tasks, but is this likely to benefit both the worker and employer or will it cause more problems than good? This paper surveys some of the available literature, investigates the options and comes to a conclusion on the merits of this strategy.

Introduction

New-style Wholesale Ltd. is a warehousing company with a large storage and distribution capacity with offices in many locations along the eastern seaboard, employing around 1500 workers directly involved in the movement of goods in and out of their facilities.

As a result of a significant recent increase in back-related injuries among these employees, and a desire to reduce their compensation claims, a senior department supervisor from New-style recently approached us for advice on the merits of purchasing 'Ergonomic Back Brace Support Belts' for their staff.

Based on two studies by Reddell in 1992, and McGill 1990, and within certain limitations, this report looks at the issues and provides some guidance on the merits of this approach.

Fundamental Questions: Benefit or Harm?

Back injuries account for a large percentage of all workplace injuries, and with the rapidly increasing human and economic costs of these injuries, many organisations have and are trying a number of preventive approaches such as the use of the industrial back support belt, to lessen economic damages. However certain questions inevitably need to be addressed:

 Are any of these belts actually effective in reducing back injury?

 Do they have any other beneficial qualities in the workplace?

 What are the potential benefits or harm of these supports?

A partial answer is provided in summary by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (C. Ammendolia, M.S. Kerr & Bombardier 2003)

Potential Benefits

The potential benefits for the use of industrial back support belts include:

 Reduction in the occurrence or recurrence of occupational low-back pain (LBP)

 Reduction in time lost from work owing to LBP

Potential harm

However there are a number of demonstrable problems associated with back belt use, including:

 Scientific and clinical studies show increases in blood and intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), back muscle weakening and possible abdominal hernia

 In extreme or unusual cases their use could exacerbate a latent coronary problem bringing on heart failure (Reddell et al. 1992 p. 328)

 Excessive heat and sweating causing heat rash problems

 Rubbing, pinching or bruising of ribs; hampered sitting and driving;

 False sense of security

Background

The advice contained in this report is primarily based on a study of the work undertaken in two scientific papers. The first is a clinical trial investigating the worth of back support belts for airline baggage handlers in the USA in 1992 (Reddell et al. 1992); and the second in a 1990 laboratory experiment under controlled conditions at the university of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (McGill, SM, Norman & Sharratt 1990).

Reddell

Observations

Over a period of 8 months Reddell and her colleagues (1992) studied 642 baggage handlers (572 males and 70 females) who worked for American Airlines. After removing those who failed to complete the full study period (n = 158) the remaining 484 baggage handlers were divided into four observational groups:

 A belt-only group - i.e. received only a belt. (n = 57);

 a training-only group that received a one-hour back education session (n = 122);

 a group that received both a belt and a one-hour education session (n = 57); and

 a control group with no additional support or training (n = 248)

 Although, there was continued observation of the 'drop-out' participants to determine the nature of any effects following a period of wearing a belt.

The belt selected and used for the trial was a 'Back Safety System Model SS-6' weightlifting belt from OK-1 Manufacturing. While no longer available it was a fabric weightlifting belt 150 mm wide to the back and approximately 100 mm wide to the front.

Training consisted of a video concentrating on body mechanics and after-injury care, developed by the Spine Education Center in Dallas, Texas, a 'Back School' booklet to reinforce the video and a 30 minute classroom practical session on body mechanics techniques. (Reddell et al. 1992)

Results

Using ANOVA analysis , the researchers observed no substantial variations among treatment groups for total back injury incident rate, lost or restricted workdays, or workers' compensation rates, although there was concern that the non-compliance 'drop-out' groups (58%) had higher lost day incident rates than either the control or training groups.

The researchers therefore surmised that there was an undefined phenomenon contributing to the increased number and severity of the lumbar injuries for those people wearing and then discontinuing the use of these belts that occurred following the trial.

Post-trial surveys asking ten (subjective) questions common to all study participants showed only one significant difference using this type of support, that was those individuals issued with a belt and given training said that the belt was hotter to wear than those issued with the belt-only.

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