Bending When Working

In hospitality, there are several issues that are universal contributors to pain, fatigue, poor productivity, injury that ultimately impact the guest experience. This is a source of high workman's compensation costs and also impacts hotel operations in many ways.

One of the most common issues and task workers perform is called "spinal flexion" or to put it into lay terms, bending forward. This could be prolonged bending, repetitive, with or without a load. All of these situations can cause muscle tension and disc injury.

Let’s present the problem, then a simple solution that solves the issue 100% of the time.

Bending forward causes pain fatigue and injury…and results in reduced productivity.

There are 2 causes of these symptoms from bending forward

1. The back muscles are constantly contracting to hold you up from falling forward, and eventually are in constant spasm or contracture, which causes pain and weakness
2. The disc in the spine is squeezed and pushed to the rear….where the nerves are. When they touch the nerves, they cause pain

This is a factor in every department and across many tasks.
Bending in all of these department is often a source of work related injury.

Every task below causes spinal flexion. 
However, each task can be done without spinal flexion with proper training.

Valet:
Lifting luggage out of a vehicle, or from the ground

Front Desk:  
Leaning for a credit card, pen or handing a form to a guest at the front desk

Culinary:
Preparing food on a Kitchen counter

Servers/Banquet:
Serving meals and bussing tables

Housekeeping:
Making beds, cleaning tubs, and picking items off the floor

Engineering:
Making repairs at ground level

Landscapers, office workers, security….its universal!

The solution is simple.

• Take less stress into your body by learning to properly adjust your equipment, technique and posture
• Get rid of some accumulated stress by performing a 3 breath/3 second stretch specific for the stressed part of the body.

This is an important key of the Best Performance program.

Teaching workers to do the above 2 things specific for every task in their job.  And most important, teaching in a way that workers are influenced to choose to actually do it (because they actually feel better) and to have reminder systems in place to maintain the better habits year after year. On an ongoing basis.

The Best Performance systems have had a 100% success for 12 years, with an average injury cost reduction of 50-90%

 If you like this, we have a FREE PROGRAM where wee share even more ergonomic ways to perform routine tasks in the workplace.  Click HERE and we will give you instant access so you can learn more actionable things you can do today that will change the lives of many workers, prevent injuries…and improve productivity and morale in all of your departments.

P.S.

I can not leave without giving you part of the solution to prevent low back pain while working. To get rid of some stress do the two exercises below, holding each for 3 breaths.

• The back extension puts the disc in place
• The knee pull relaxes the low back muscles

The one that makes you feel better is the one for you to do a few times a day until you feel better.  And when you feel good, do the exercise that took away your pain a few times a day to prevent pain from returning.

There are many ways to use your body to take less stress in to you back. One of the best is below. Try it and you will see it makes a big difference the first time you try it!

When you lean forward, to pick something up, hand something to someone, clean or work on machine, most people have their feet next to one another. Try it now, and you will feel stress in your back.

Now....instead, put one foot forward, slightly bend your knees and lean forward.
You do not feel it in your back at all.  New rule to feel better and be more productive. Whenever you lean forward for any reason, stagger you feet in the way I just described.