22 TALKBACK PUBLICATIONS
BackCare’s role in evolving best BackCare was formed in 1968 as the National Back Pain Association, when Stanley Grundy (the founder) suffered a back injury and felt that he had nowhere to turn for support. His mission was to set about creating a charity dedicated to educating the public in ways of preventing or alleviating back pain. While back pain might reasonably be considered a side effect of being human, it is generally understood that there is an association between certain tasks, activities and exposures at work, in sport or at home, and the development of musculoskeletal (MSK) symptoms, including back pain. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) offers a list of workplace risk factors that can contribute to the development of MSK symptoms including: l lifting heavy or bulky loads l carrying loads awkwardly,
asymmetrically or possibly one-handed l pushing, pulling or dragging heavy
loads l manual handling in awkward places,
such as during delivery work l repetitive tasks, such as packing
products l bending, crouching or stooping l stretching, twisting and reaching l being in one position for a long time l working beyond your capability or
when physically overtired. Other external factors such as work organisation, for example, high workloads, tight deadlines, lack of control over the work and working methods may also be relevant. The exposures listed above are typically associated with construction, heavy manufacturing and production work, but for many workers in the health and social care sectors, the “load” is a human being; and humans can also be heavy, bulky and awkward to move loads if they have limited or no ability to move themselves. Consequently, the delivery of care, in hospitals, by the emergency services and in the community, can also involve almost all of the
TALKBACK l SPRING 2021
