Posted By gham I have a till use belts.... in the gym though I dont recon they do much for you untill you put the strain on your back when in an upright position but they really do helt reduce and even prevent twisting of the back, over compression of lumbar muscles and help to prevent lateral movement. Sorry I don't have anything bad to say about them they have always worked for me and i wouldn't not use one when lifting weights, although they are still PPE! G'

Posted By Descarte Hierarchy of control, PPE as a last resort? Ensuring correct use, enforcing use, training of use, right sizes, fits, positions?

Posted By Patrick Guyomard Try L23 Manual Handling paragraphs 186 & 187. Not evidence as such, just the HSE saying there's no conclusive evidence to support their use - they may make particular individuals more susceptible to injury or to more severe injury. They may have long-term effects, with prolonged use, such as a weakening of support muscles. They are still controversial. It is preferable to reduce the risks through safe systems of work which protect groups of workers rather thatn the individual. This sort of thing is repeated in the Manaul Handling sections of the HSE website - I guess if you checked out the research section there might be something there. Have fun Pad

Posted By David Kimmins Having sat through the presentations by the NIOSH study group and having the opportunity to ask them questions, I personally dismiss their study as flawed. A back belt is merely a reminder of posture; it is not the same thick belts used by power lifters. As such it requires training in its use; NIOSH did look at whether users in the study had been trained in the correct use of the back belt. (Actually they had not). I'm not saying back belts are therefore proven to be effective because the NIOSH study was fundamentally flawed, I'm just saying it's inconclusive. Even if they had asked the right questions and looked at the right issues, the question would remain, were the back belts effective in those users who had been trained in their use because they wore back belts or was it because the training showed them how to lift correctly?

Posted By Phil Atkinson Thank you all for your responses - I was aware of the NIOSH study, and some of its limitations, however it is good to hear this from someone with first hand experience. The current practice is to handle the cylinders (about 10kg) manually, but we are seeking a better solution, and are looking at various solutions (lighter cylinders, better access, MHE etc) however all of these will take time to engineer, hence the advice of the physio which I am contesting. Thanks again and any further comment is welcome

Posted By Karen Todd There is a air transport information leaflet from HSE that mentions the use of these belts. Think it was mentioned on a previous thread here. Karen