Overexertion is well known in the labor field as being the #1 leading cause of injury in workers compensation. Overexertion includes heavy lifting, pushing/pulling, or holding/carrying heavy objects. Overexertion is well known and well-regulated as far as policies and programs employers are required to have, yet is still the leading cause of injury nationwide.

Armed with the knowledge there are many steps you can take to prevent yourself from adding to that statistic and more importantly, saving yourself from a lot of pain.

The first step you must take in protecting yourself and the co-workers around you is to first realize that there is risk of injury from overexertion in all fields of work. Overexertion is not limited to the labor intensive jobs. A worker can strain him/her self by simply moving a box of paper in the copy room. Even bending over to pick up a dropped pen to quickly can cause the muscles in your back to retract rapidly to counteract your movement and has the potential to strain.

Education is the most effective tool in any situation. You can educate yourself on the proper ways to lift heavy or even moderately heavy objects. Do not be ashamed to ask someone to assist you if something is a little too heavy for your comfort. Asking for help to lift an object or lifting with a proper technique is a lot easier and a lot less painful than a trip to the hospital with a sprained back.

• Do not lift with your back by leaning over the weighted object. Instead keep your face up, squat in front of the weighted object grab firmly and lift with your legs. This prevents strains in your arms, back and neck.

• Do not lift a weighted object over your shoulders unassisted. Lifting these objects over your shoulders uses a set of muscles not particularly conditioned to handle such weight in that position and is highly dangerous.

• Avoid turning or twisting your back while supporting a weighted object. Doing so compromises the control and stability of the muscles causing strain on weaker parts of the muscle groups.

• Ask a co-worker for assistance in lifting anything over 50 pounds. The risk of injury radically reduces when two people are co-lifting a weighted object.

The biggest way to make the workplace safer is to get your whole team involved in this education. This can be done by suggesting a co-worker read up on proper lifting or teaching them yourself.