Posted By fats van den raad Dave Yes the belts are beneficial as they support the lower back and diaphragm during lifting. Back support belts are used by some companies as ppe, and are sold by many ppe suppliers. The downside of using back belts are that they can give the wearer a false sense of security leading them to attempt lifting loads that they normally wouldn't attempt had they not been wearing the belt. Whether you class them as ppe and issue them as such is a decision the company has to make. I would advise though that very thourough instruction and training be given to these employees and that other control measures are put in place to ensure that they do not attempt lifts that they normally wouldn't Hope this helps Fats

Posted By Stephen J W Clegg. A point to bear in mind, whilst wearing these types of belt, a person is often lead into a false sense of security to think they will be protected from a back injury. If used properly, they will reduce the risk (as with most types of ‘PPE’). I’ve seen experienced folk in the gym falling foul of this belief… resulting in long-term injuries! Have you considered the task in terms of improving the location of the castings in relation to the individual – i.e. height of casting (are they on the floor/bench), reach distance to get the casting – overstretching, mechanising the process etc… Is he the only person experiencing problems? Do you have access to OHU Department (or other…) that would assist in carrying out a full assessment with him? Was the nature of the task discussed at the recruitment and selection stage? Could this be a training issue - poor lifting technique? I’m sure other folk will comment further… Good luck!

Posted By colin The belt will help but wont stop injury, manual handling techniques need to be looked at and changed if possible.

Posted By Ron Young I was always led to believe that weighlifting belts were only used and beneficial when lifting massive weights in a controlled environment. I hardly think 2-4 kilo's would fit into this category and would therefore think that their use should be discouraged. If it is repetitive lifting of these weights, I would suggest that the belts would be very restrictive and tiring because they can impede breathing

Posted By Doug Russell NIOSH in the US don't seem too impressed with back belts. See http://www.cdc.gov/niosh...nomics/default.html#back

Posted By Mark Evans This all comes back down to the hierarachy of control measures (an old Nebosh favourite!)with PPE, information, instruction and training being at the bottom. I personally have issued and do use these in our working environment but only where the use of mechnaical aids or changes to the working environemnt/process were not possible. Additionally rest breaks and job rotation are used to complement these measures along with very detailed training and information on the nature of the loads. My advice would be use with extreme care and only when you have exhausted all other options. I am continually looking for a way to eliminate these and all other PPE from the working environment as are most safety practioners!

Posted By Adam Jackson Cynic. Ultimate Force is a documentary. Ross Kemp could 'have' Andy McNab any day. :)