• Common causes of ergonomic injuries include poor lifting, fatigue, repetitive motion, and awkward postures and movements.

Ergonomics-related injuries are a major hazard in the workplace. Not only do they cause employees pain and trouble at the time, they can take a long time to heal — or even be permanently disabling. According to the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, employers are responsible for providing employees with a safe and healthful workplace.

These types of injuries add up to a lot of missed work which can result in low productivity. Do your best to prevent injuries and keep your facility running smoothly. Common back injuries employee face include:

• Fatigue,
• Repetitive motion injuries,
• Injuries caused by awkward postures and/or movements,
• Slipped disks, and
• Pinched vertebrae.

These types of back injuries can be debilitating no matter how minor or severe. Keep in mind, even minor injuries can get worse as they progress overtime. Stress to employees the importance of reporting back injuries early on. Their best chance at getting healthy and back to work sooner is to address the injury as fast as possible.