By Laura Dietrich, CPE

As an ergonomist, I am often surprised that I still see people wearing back belts while working in manufacturing, retail, and construction.  It is understandable that employers are looking for any way to prevent back injuries on the job.  This is especially important because this accounts for 20% of workplace injuries and illnesses, costing approximately $20-50 billion per year.  My concern is that if companies are spending money on the wrong solution, there may not be enough left over for the right solution.  I think it is important that if you are considering supplying back belts, or have already done so,  that you are knowledgeable about the evidence supporting the use of these belts.

Let’s start with the cons of back belt use.  The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) completed a study published on December 5, 2000 finding no evidence that back belts reduced pain or injury for retail workers performing manual material handling (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/beltinj.html).  In addition, NIOSH states that there is insufficient scientific evidence by the back belt manufacturers to support their claims that the belts reduce pain and injury.  The best predictor of back injury is previous back injury and daily lifting tasks.

A very real concern for ergonomists is that companies are using back belts in place of an effective ergonomics program that reduces exposure to risk factors that lead to back injuries.  Using a back belt to protect your employees is definitely alluring, in that it is a simple resolution that is both low cost and easy to implement.  The big problem is that the risk factors that create the back injury in the first place are still present while the employee is wearing the back belt.  An additional risk is that employees will believe they can lift more weight while wearing the back belt, potentially lifting more than is safe, causing an injury.

What is the solution? If the following three ergonomic considerations are employed, any company will have the strongest defense against the back injury occurring in the first place.  Companies should:

·        Have a comprehensive ergonomics program using the NIOSH 1981 or 1991 lifting calculation to evaluate lifts

·         Implement effective resolutions to potential concerns

·         Have regular safe-lift training for employees