Safety MattersOur blog discussing workplace safety opportunities in Nova Scotia and around the world.https://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblogBack safety tipshttps://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblog/PostId/11/back-safety-tipsGeneralFri, 29 Jun 2012 16:33:02 GMTEvery single back injury suffered by a Nova Scotian worker is avoidable. You can keep yourself, and your friends at work, safe by using these safety tips:<br /> <ul> <li>Push, don't pull, whenever possible.</li> <li>Try to avoid sudden quick movements.</li> <li>Work with your upper body as close to upright as possible.</li> <li>Keep objects that you are lifting or carrying close to your body.</li> <li>Make sure you have enough room around you to lift safely.&nbsp;</li> <li>Get help before you try to lift a heavy load. Use a dolly or a forklift if you can.</li> <li>Don't overdo it. If you have to strain to carry the load, it's too heavy.</li> </ul> <p>And check out this video for some more back safety tips:&nbsp;</p> <br /> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/K1Vyr8iJt1Y" frameborder="0"></iframe>11Who's got your back?https://www.worksafeforlife.ca/safetymattersblog/PostId/8/whos-got-your-backGeneralFri, 29 Jun 2012 16:25:00 GMTNova Scotia is getting safer. Our province&rsquo;s workplace injury rate is at a 15 year low. <p> <br /> But we still have a lot of work to do to until workplace injuries become a thing of the past. A big part of that challenge is eliminating back injuries.<br /> <br /> That&rsquo;s because back injuries are serious business in Nova Scotia. You probably know someone who hurt his or her back at work. Or perhaps you suffered a back injury.<br /> <br /> You&rsquo;re not alone. Last year, more than 2,000 Nova Scotia workers suffered a serious back injury on the job. That accounts for 30 per cent of all lost time injuries in Nova Scotia. Back injuries cost the province&rsquo;s workplace insurance system $7 million annually for income replacement benefits, a cost that is borne by Nova Scotia employers in the form of higher insurance rates.<br /> <br /> Back injuries hurt people, productivity and profits.<br /> <br /> Back injuries happen in every industry in Nova Scotia. Look at the health and social services sectors as one example. Last year, 635 people suffered a serious back injury. That represents almost 41 per cent of all lost-time injuries in this sector.<br /> <br /> Back injuries are also the most frequent injury in Nova Scotia&rsquo;s manufacturing industry. There were 228 serious back injuries in manufacturing workplaces last year, accounting for 29 per cent of all the sector&rsquo;s injuries.<br /> <br /> And in the construction industry, back injuries are also the most frequent workplace injury. In 2011, 176 workers in the construction industry suffered a serious back injury. That&rsquo;s 27 per cent of all lost-time injuries in this sector.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> In fact, back injuries are generally the most common injury across workplaces throughout Nova Scotia.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> We can change that.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Every single back injury is avoidable. But it takes awareness, planning and leadership to change the way we work and avoid those injuries.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> The Workers&rsquo; Compensation Board of Nova Scotia is focusing on reducing back injuries in the province&rsquo;s workplaces. But the WCB needs your help. They are recruiting &ldquo;Back Protection Agents&rdquo; to take the drive for back safety into Nova Scotia&rsquo;s workplaces.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> As a Back Protection Agent, you will work to protect your friends and coworkers from back injuries on the job. You&rsquo;ll have their back. And they will have yours&rsquo;. That&rsquo;s how we will reduce the human and economic toll of back injuries in Nova Scotia. We&rsquo;ll do it together.<br /> <br /> <a href="/Home/BackProtection.aspx#&amp;panel1-1">So sign up now and make sure you watch your back!&nbsp;</a></p>8