Prevention strategies and the low back in industry.
Several different approaches have been tried in industry to prevent low-back injuries. The scientific literature shows that only job-specific strength testing and ergonomic job design are partially effective in preventing low-back injuries. Job-specific strength testing is supported as a means of identifying high-risk workers who need to perform manual materials handling. However, this approach should be carefully validated for its effectiveness before it is used as a form of selection procedure. At present, ergonomic job design offers the most potential for preventing disabling low-back injuries and other musculoskeletal injuries. Quantitative and objective methods (such as NIOSH guidelines, biomechanical models, energy expenditure, and strength data) are available to analyze a given job and to determine the relative risk of an injury.
Garg
A
A
Industrial and Systems Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53201.
Moore
J S
JS
D006804:Ergonomics; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008403:Mass Screening; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*