Montréal, March 14, 2008 - Everyone goes to
superstores, but did you know that the employees working in them have a good
chance of suffering from back pain? For this growing sector, a prevention guide
– Handling work and customer service in warehouse superstores – has just been
published by the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du
travail (IRSST) and Groupe-conseil AON. In addition to offering different
practical advice, this document proposes solution scenarios that are easy to
implement for better prevention of handling-related accidents and the associated
back pain. It responds to a real need, because in the retail sales sector,
particularly warehouse superstores, back pain represents between 40 and 50% of
the accidents compensated by the CSST, while this proportion is less than 28% in
all of the sectors.
Target public and risk factors
Aimed at people who want
to do prevention, the guide proposes a 5-part action process ranging from the
identification of problems to the implementation of solutions. Several
aspects have an impact on handling activities: the volume, weight and packaging
of containers, the physical layouts in the sales area (height and accessibility
of shelves), the equipment (mobile ladder, aerial platform, stepladder, etc.)
and inventory control. The characteristics of each of these aspects can
lead to injury or accident risks. This guide is designed to improve the
work performance conditions of all employees that handle merchandise, from
stockers to sales clerks.
Presentation
The result of five years of research and
based on two scientific studies, this guide contains a checklist to identify
problems, six solution fact sheets, as well as a grid to evaluate the solutions.
It includes illustrations, relevant examples, a glossary, and a summary table of
the references. Written in simple language, this prevention guide emphasizes the
important things to know and the steps to be taken to make our warehouse
superstores safer workplaces. The guide and the fact sheets can be downloaded
free from: www.irsst.qc.ca/files/documents/PubIRSST/RG-546.pdf
