3.3 Body Mechanics Resources

Figure 3.3.1 Back Pain

There are many resources available to help you stay safe at work. Back Talk: An Owner’s Manual for Backs from WorkSafeBC (2014) is an especially useful resource for Health Care Assistants. It provides information about the care and maintenance of your back.

To better understand the importance of posture, watch the following video.

Summary

Good body mechanics can save you energy and prevent injury as you work as an HCA. Back, wrist, and shoulder injuries are all too common among health care workers; using correct body mechanics and keeping physically fit can help reduce such injuries. In fact, proper body mechanics should be applied to all areas of your life.

Chapter 3 Attributions and References

Image Attributions

Video

References

Berman, A., & Snyder, S. J. (2016). Skills in clinical nursing (8th ed.). Pearson.

Interior Health Authority (2011). Safe patient handling. Patient handling injury prevention program. http://www.interiorhealth.ca/information.aspx?id=12726&terms=injury+prevention

Perry, A. G., Potter, P. A., & Ostendorf, W. R. (2018). Clinical nursing skills and techniques (9th ed.). Elsevier-Mosby.

Registered Nursing. (n.d.). Ergonomic principles: NCLEX-RN. https://www.registerednursing.org/nclex/ergonomic-principles/

TED-Ed. (2015, July 30). The benefits of good posture – Murat Dalkilinç (Video). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyK0oE5rwFY

Thomas, D., McMahon, A., & Thomas, Y. L. (2012). Figure 4.1 [image]. In Moving and handling guidelines 2012 (p. 88). Accident Compensation Corporation/ACC New Zealand. http://www.acc.co.nz/assets/provider/acc6075-moving-and-handling-people-guidelines.pdf

Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia (2009). Understanding the risks of musculoskeletal injury (MSI); An educational guide for workers on sprains, strains and other MSI’s. (pp. 1–3). Workers’ Compensation Board of B.C. https://www.worksafebc.com/en/resources/health-safety/books-guides/understanding-the-risks-of-musculoskeletal-injury-msi-an-educational-guide-for-workers-on-sprains-strains-and-other-msis?lang=en

WorkSafeBC. (2008). Understanding the risks of musculoskeletal injury (MSI): An educational guide for workers on sprains, strains, and other MSIs. http://www.worksafebc.com/publications/Health_and_Safety/by_topic/assets/pdf/msi_workers.pdf.

WorkSafeBC. (2013). Preventing musculoskeletal injury (MSI). http://www.worksafebc.com/publications/health_and_safety/by_topic/assets/pdf/msi_employers.pdf.

WorkSafeBC. (2014, December). Back talk: An owner’s manual for backs [PDF]. https://www.worksafebc.com/en/resources/health-safety/books-guides/back-talk-an-owners-manual-for-backs?lang=en

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Personal Care Skills for Health Care Assistants - 2nd Edition Copyright © 2023 by Tracy Christianson and Kimberly Morris, Thompson Rivers University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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