Simple solutions for home building workers: a basic guide for preventing manual material handling injuries

Home building is physically demanding work and manual material handling may be the most difficult part of the job. Manual material handling includes all of the tasks that require you to lift, lower, push, pull, hold or carry materials. These activities increase the risk of painful strains and sprains and more serious soft tissue injuries. Soft tissues of the body include muscles, tendons, ligaments, discs, cartilage and nerves. Soft tissue injuries cause workers pain, suffering and lost income. They can also restrict non-work activity, like sports and hobbies. Builders' and employers' costs include loss of productivity and high workers' compensation insurance premiums. Simple Solutions for Home Building Workers provides basic information about readily available work practices and equipment that can help both new and experienced workers, contractors and builders prevent serious manual material handling injuries.Introduction -- 1. Soft tissue injuries -- 2. Costs of injury -- 3. Material handling -- 4. Store and place materials -- 5. Lifting and carrying -- 6. Moving materials -- 7. Raising and lowering -- 8. Raise exterior walls -- 9. Raise roof trusses -- 10. Position and hold materials -- 11. Repetitive handling -- 12. Strengthen and lengthen -- 13. Summary -- 14. Worker protection -- 15. Construction safety resources."June 2013" - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2013-111/Also availabe via the World Wide Web as an Acrobat .pdf file (2.58 MB, 32 p.)