electricnewf

I was in a bad car accident a few years ago and messed up some upper vertebrae. Yea, I'm VERY lucky to be alive and being able to type these words. My back isn't so bad now, it's more of a sharp pain I get in my upper back from time to time. I entered the electrical trade not really researching how taxing things could be on my body. My college instructor is a retired journeyman and he said that as long as I could provide medical proof that I can't lift anything over 40lbs, then I wouldn't suffer any repercussions. Are there any things that you do in your daily work routine that you can include here to help prevent injury?

I know, common sense is probably the best one

480sparky

Lift with your legs, not your back.

Use a back brace.

If it's too heavy, get someone else to help.

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Black4Truck

Buy a set of weights and get into light lifting exercises

That and stretching will keep you from hurting yourself working

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RIVETER

I am sorry that you are hurt. But the industry that you are wanting in is an industry of heavy lifting, sometimes. Once you are in and have shown your metal others may choose to help you out on a daily basis. But to start out saying that I may not be able to do all that you guys must do is not a fair thing to ask of them. I am sorry, but that is my opinion.

bward76

Maybe stick to residential. In industrial it's not always the lifting but all of the other strains that may not be attributed to lifting. That's why it's asked on our applications if you have any lifting limitations. I have the same problem from car wrecks when I was younger. There's many days that I'm installing something overhead that may not be 40lbs but requires more than 40lbs force to get it where it needs to be. I'm not one to complain and this is the profession I chose but it comes at a price. Find a good Physical Therapist and explain to them what you do. Good luck.

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wildleg

Unfortunately I agree with the above. everything I do is bad for my back, and many days I feel it. There are, however, many avenues you can take that might be inherently less strain than general inside wiring - I am sure if you look you might find something (fire alarm work, low voltage terminations, engineering techs for specialty equipment, etc come to mind)

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drsparky

The "lift with our legs and not your back" is horse sh!t, it is discredited like "drink eight glasses of water a day". Strong back muscles require exercise, just like any other muscles in the body. Weak muscles get you hurt. Also watch your weight, caring around a 30 lbs tool belt all day or 30 lbs of belly fat both have the same effect on you legs and feet.

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"Pay attention son, this is for your own good." - Foghorn Leghorn

BuzzKill

Did you ever notice that your avatar has a nutsack on his chin?

RIVETER

Gotta agree.

BuzzKill

[quote=drsparky;139992]The "lift with our legs and not your back" is horse sh!t, quote]
yeah sure it is....go pickup that bundle of rigid with just your back, no problem.
..and drinking plenty of water is way healthier than not drinking enough.

Black4Truck

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Terrorism is a naughty word.. let me be clear, I intend to be PC when ever it makes me look good

bward76

That's hilarious. Every time I see a post from him i cant help but to read it like the cartoon in his avatar. I think I think I think it's horsecrap.

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drsparky

I never noticed. A few years ago back belts were all the rage and they put out worker safety films show how to lift with your legs to pick up a screw driver. The result of this was MORE back injures. I am not advocating trying to lift 100 lbs loads with your back muscles, but the simplistic statement "lift with you legs" makes as much sense as "work smarter not harder". These slogans do not apply in the real world. My point is to use all your muscles and common sence and you will avoid injuries. Favoring one muscle group over another leads to atrophy then injury.

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"Pay attention son, this is for your own good." - Foghorn Leghorn

steelersman

I agree with you 100%.

steelersman

Hahaha! That's not foghorn leghorn, that's a Ballchinian!

mattsilkwood

My tool bag weighs 40lbs. I would say if your looking for a carreer thats easy on your back this isn't it. Even if you can get by with the 40lb limit, you still have to worry about some of the wierd positions we have to put ourselves in to get to stuff.

Mike_586

That's pretty much all you can do. The strength training and stretches make a big difference.

One other thing, particularly with the back. Wear proper clothing in cool weather, i.e. you're better off being too warm vs. under dressed and starting to sweat then get cold air on your back. Once you start abusing your back, its infinitely easier to deteriorate its condition than it is to improve it through using proper technique, stretching and clothing.

Its all just common sense, too many guys seem to lack it.

nitro71

Lifting with your legs is not BS. If you don't believe that you might as well not even listen to anything your doctor says.

-Lift with your legs.
-Do not twist your legs and torso while carrying heavy weights.
-Don't twist and over extend your body while carrying or manipulating weight, body geometry is important.
-Get help for heavy items.
-Be willing to tell someone that it's to heavy and you need another body.
-When there is something really heavy and all the monkeys(fellow electricians) are jumping in to move something let them, generaly there is no plan, this is a good way to get hurt.
-Do as much stomach and lower back exercises as you can.
-Don't wear a tool bag full of tools. Carry a bag and only put what you need in your pouch.

If you are on this forum you're probably going to be one of the smarter electricians and are going to gravitate to that type of shop anyways. I would say most jobs can be done if you can lift 50lbs occasionally. A lot of electricians are injured, comes with the territory. Advil is your friend.

drsparky

The muscle in the back are no different than the muscles in your arms. If you use them they will get stronger, if you avoid using them they will get weak. If the only thing you pick up is a box on an office floor (like in the safety films), great lift with your legs with proper body mechanics. If you work in the real world like on a construction site and you must pick something up at a strange angle on an uneven surface having strong back muscles is a plus in preventing injuries.

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"Pay attention son, this is for your own good." - Foghorn Leghorn

electricnewf

I'll never carry 40lbs in my pouch. 10lbs or less is enough for me. If the company tries to push me to carry more, they can take it up with the safety inspector. Safety is key.