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Back sprains and strains are the leading causes of work-related musculoskeletal disorders for nurses, who continue to have the highest job-related injury rates of any occupation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A major contributing factor? Overexertion from lifting, as you might have guessed. The best way to prevent back injuries from lifting is to avoid lifting tasks, but this is hardly practical in surgical facilities. The answer lies in ergonomics, balancing the physical capabilities of the worker to the physical demands of the job and realizing that patient handling tasks are unique and unpredictable, as the level of assistance a patient can offer may change at any point.
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