In Short
- Employers must manage workplace risks and comply with Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws to prevent neck and back injuries.
- Regular inspections, consultation with employees, and a strong WHS management system are essential for hazard identification and prevention.
- Effective risk control measures, including eliminating or mitigating hazards, should be continuously reviewed.
Tips for Businesses
Conduct regular workplace inspections and consult with employees to identify potential risks of neck and back injuries. Implement a WHS management system to track incidents and hazards, and ensure safety procedures are clear. Regularly review and improve safety measures to keep your workplace safe and compliant.
Table of Contents
- 1. Understand Your Obligations Under the Work Health and Safety Act
- 2. Conduct Workplace Inspections
- 3. Identify the Risk Factors
- 4. Consult with Your Employees
- 5. Implement a Workplace Health Management System
- 6. Eliminate, Control or Mitigate the Risks
- 7. Review Your Control and Mitigation Techniques
- Key Takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
As an employer, it is important that you are aware of your obligations regarding your employees’ safety. For example, back and neck injury claims are the most common injuries in the workplace. Employees may suffer injuries from slips and falls, lifting heavy equipment or repetitive work, especially in the manufacturing and construction sectors. In 2010-11, 46% of compensated claims made by employees in the retail trade industry were the result of strains and sprains. This article sets out seven ways you can prevent neck and back injuries in your workplace and ensure the ongoing health and safety of your employees.
1. Understand Your Obligations Under the Work Health and Safety Act
Under work health and safety legislation, you must:
- identify and manage risks in the workplace;
- consult with your workers on health and safety;
- provide safe systems of work;
- ensure that equipment and substances are used safely; and
- provide adequate information, instruction, training and supervision in relation to health and safety matters.
Breaches of work health and safety laws can result in significant penalties for your business.
2. Conduct Workplace Inspections
Inspect your workplace and pay particular attention to:
- floors;
- stairs;
- lighting;
- tasks;
- personal protective equipment;
- housekeeping, cleanliness and cleaning methods; and
- variation in conditions at different times of the day.
This will help you identify any risks and plan how to take preventative measures if necessary.
As an employer, understand your essential employment obligations with this free LegalVision factsheet.
3. Identify the Risk Factors
Some neck and back injuries are caused by subtle movement over time. Risk factors of this type of injuries include:
- force;
- repetition; and
- work posture.
You should try to identify specific parts of your workplace that may create risks of harm. For example, if the layout of your workplace is resulting in employees having to reach too high or low to access supplies, they may become more prone to injuries.
Additionally, you should consider environmental conditions in your workplace, such as cold drafts which may reduce blood flow and cause a higher rate of injuries.
Neck and back injuries can also sometimes be caused by slips and falls. In the Comcare scheme, the six most common objects or circumstances that were directly involved with the cause of an injury from slips and falls of a person during 2010–11 were:
- external traffic and other ground surfaces, including roads, paths, uneven ground, etc (22%);
- steps and stairways (9%);
- trucks, semi-trailers and lorries (5%);
- wet, oily or icy external traffic and ground surfaces (5%);
- external buildings and other structures (5%); and
- wet, oily or icy internal traffic and ground surfaces (5%).
4. Consult with Your Employees
Consultation with workers or worker representatives may highlight any potential health and safety hazards within your organisation. Workers are in a position to identify issues relating to:
- the design and layout of work areas;
- activities in the work area;
- normal and informal procedures for carrying out specific tasks; and
- public and staff access.
5. Implement a Workplace Health Management System
A WHS management system is critical to the first stage (hazard identification) and last stage (monitor and review) of the risk management cycle. In the first stage, the WHS management system can provide data to set benchmarks on the current level of performance.
Injury and incident reports and workers’ compensation data can help to identify:
- the history of slips and trips in the workplace;
- where the incidents occurred;
- the source or reasons for the incidents; and
- who is likely to be exposed.
6. Eliminate, Control or Mitigate the Risks
Once the hazards or risks are identified, you should put in your best effort to:
- eliminate the hazard from the workplace entirely;
- substitute or modify the hazard in some way;
- keep staff away from the hazard;
- raise awareness of the hazard; or
- provide staff with special safety gear.
7. Review Your Control and Mitigation Techniques
If you are dealing with ongoing hazards that cannot be mitigated, you should review your procedures and techniques to ensure that you are addressing the root cause of the issue. It is important that you have documented procedures in place and that employees are aware of how they can report any issues.
Key Takeaways
As an employer, you should prioritise the safety of your employees in your workplace. This includes taking measures to mitigate their chances of encountering any neck and back injuries. This involves consulting with your staff, identifying hazards and taking measures to prevent risks.
If you have any questions about your work health and safety obligations, our experienced employment lawyers can assist as part of our LegalVision membership. For a low monthly fee, you will have unlimited access to lawyers to answer your questions and draft and review your documents. Call us today on 1300 544 755 or visit our membership page.
Frequently Asked Questions
You must identify and manage workplace risks, consult with employees on safety, provide safe systems of work, ensure proper use of equipment, and offer adequate training and supervision.
Conduct regular workplace inspections and evaluate factors like force, repetition, posture, and environmental conditions. Consulting employees can also highlight potential hazards.
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