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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW SUSPENSION BACK SAVING DEVICE INCREASES WORKER PRODUCTIVITY IN THE FIELD
BackQuality Company of Los Gatos, California has a new-patented design of back saving device that will allow more productivity out of a day’s work. But more importantly prolong the life of the person’s back where frequent bending occurs. According to the AERC, the California Department of Industrial Relations shows almost half of all occupational injuries occurred in the agricultural production area. An analysis of ten years of injury data in California's agriculture showed that 43% of all reported agricultural non- fatal disabling injuries were sprains and strains, of which 40% were back injuries. Nowhere is this more clearly understood than in the Agriculture industry where the human body is tested to its physical limits. Farm workers are constantly bending or stooping to perform countless back straining tasks.
The HappyBack™ simply relieves the majority of pressure off of the lower back (the weakest part of the body) by redirecting it to the legs and buttocks (the strongest parts of the body). It has a unique mechanical advantage in that it allows the upper body to literally overcome the force of gravity.
The rugged frame is made up of high quality Fiberglass rods, which allow full bending flexibility. Fiberglass rods act much like a fishing pole. They have a memory. When bent, they always want to bring the operator to his original (upright) position. The rebound force produced by the fiberglass rods actually provides a “lift component”. This allows the upper body to reach equilibrium in a stooped position. Its rugged, lightweight design is fully portable and allows maximum flexibility and freedom for the operator’s arms to perform work.
Says Bruce Roberts, the HappyBack™’s inventor “It’s just simple mechanics. I’ve had back problems myself and know how painful it can be to bend over all day long. I see farm laborers bending over all the time in the fields and know that their work life is about 5-6 years before their backs are shot. After that, younger workers with healthy backs typically replace them, and the cycle continues. When workers can’t work, they can’t support their families anymore. I believe that using the HappyBack™ will prolong their work life many years”.
Why does bending cause injury? What many people don’t understand is that the human back operates on a 10:1 ratio. Bending over to lift a 10-pound object actually puts 100 pounds of pressure on your lower back. When you add in the 105 pounds of the average human upper torso, you see that lifting a ten-pound object actually puts 1,150 pounds of pressure on the lower back. If you were 25 pounds overweight, it would add an additional 250 pounds of pressure on your back every time you bend over. Given these figures, it is easy to see how repetitive bending can quickly cause back injury.
The HappyBack™ has many other applications, such as the construction industry. carpenters, roofers, framers, concrete workers can all reduce the risk of back injury. People who require prolonged bending over a table such as surgeons, auto mechanics, and conveyer line workers can now enjoy comfort where they couldn’t before.
What is it made of? The basic components are fiberglass rods and fabric. All materials have very high resistance to corrosion and wear. The space age material that makes up the chest harness allows “breathing” in hot weather, and is washable. It is easily adjustable to fit 95% of all users.
Employers and workers will benefit. When the work place and jobs are designed to suit the workers, good things start to happen. Productivity, quality, profitability and morale go up. Worker injury, worker's comp claims, insurance premiums, turnover and absenteeism go down. Says Roberts; “My goal is to provide a win-win for the employer - employee relationship. I feel the HappyBack™ is a cost effective solution to reduce back injury”. |
