Harrisburg Workers' Compensation Law Blog

Depending on your profession, you may be asked to lift heavy loads on a regular basis. Even if you only have to do this every now and again, it only takes one lift to cause an injury that keeps you off your feet for many weeks or months to come.

Heavy lifting is a safety risk, so you need to do a variety of things before starting. Consider the following:

• Stretch. From your back to your legs, you need to stretch for 5 to 10 minutes before starting your day. When you do this, you'll feel much better when it comes time to make your first lift.
• Know the weight. Before you decide to pick something up, get a better idea of how much it weighs. If, for any reason, you don't believe you can handle the object on your own, find someone to assist you.
• Clear the area. You never want to carry a heavy object through an area that is full of trip hazards, such as construction debris.
• Watch for wet surfaces. There are many causes of wet surfaces, ranging from weather conditions to a recent cleaning. A slick spot greatly increases the likelihood of a slip-and-fall accident.
• Use ergonomic equipment. There are many types of equipment that can help you with your lift, including but not limited to: forklift, dolly and hand truck. All of these things can help take some of the strain off of you.
• Wear the proper attire. For example, protective shoes and gloves can help you when lifting any item.

Many health care workers enjoy their home health jobs. The different settings they encounter with each patient breaks up the monotony of a shift and allows them to interact with a wide variety of individuals over the course of a day.

Home health workers are also able to structure their days, to some extent, to fit around their lifestyles. For instance, night owls may set up their patient schedules primarily in the afternoons, while parents of young children can start their shifts immediately following the school drop-offs.

Working on an automobile assembly line can be a physically challenging job. Now Ford Motor Company is introducing wearable technology that will make its assembly line employees' jobs a little easier. The company is outfitting workers in 15 of its plants both here in the U.S. and abroad with exoskeleton vests.

Exoskeleton technology has been around for decades. It's been used to help people with spinal cord injuries regain some of their previously mobility and even walk. However, the gear being used at Ford is intended to reduce worker injuries.

Any type of neck injury, even one that doesn't appear severe at first, has a way of changing your life. For example, if you work in the construction industry, a neck injury can make it extremely difficult to do your job.

Just the same, an office worker with a neck injury can find him- or herself in a difficult position, as sitting at a desk all day can make things worse.