{"id":64868,"date":"2020-10-08T14:18:48","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T18:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lantechweb.wpengine.com\/blog\/how-can-a-stretch-wrapper-help-avoid-lower-back-injuries\/"},"modified":"2020-10-08T14:18:48","modified_gmt":"2020-10-08T18:18:48","slug":"how-can-a-stretch-wrapper-help-avoid-lower-back-injuries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lantech.com\/r2\/blog\/how-can-a-stretch-wrapper-help-avoid-lower-back-injuries\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can A Stretch Wrapper Help Avoid Lower Back Injuries?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nIn a word, automation.\u00a0Most back injuries are a result of lifting, bending over or pulling, especially if those motions are repetitive.\u00a0If your workers are hand wrapping your loads, they\u2019re doing all three \u2013 repetitively.<\/p>\n
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They bend over to attach the stretch film to the load. Then they pull the film tight and lift the film roll and pull on the film as they wrap the load from the bottom to the top and back down to the bottom again. Or at least as close the bottom as they can comfortably reach. It\u2019s tough work to hand wrap the bottom of a load.<\/p>\n
They do this for every load, every day. Performing the very tasks that put them at risk of incurring back injuries. And the risk is high \u2013 and expensive, too.<\/p>\n
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>, there were 170,450 work-related back or spinal injuries in 2013, the most recent year they have for data.\u00a0The BLS doesn\u2019t carry cost data about these injuries, but various sources suggest that the average back injury (sprain\/strain) can cost anywhere from $3,000 – $10,000 in direct costs (National Safety Council Statistics). And anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 in indirect costs.\u00a0\u00a0None of that includes the liability involved in an actual lawsuit and settlement or judgment.<\/p>\n