Day care workers face some serious risks when they are working with children. While the payoff of seeing the kids thrive and mature is worth it, these risks can cause some serious issues for the workers. All day cares should have a protocol for keeping everyone safe. When this doesn’t happen, there can be catastrophic injuries.
One of the biggest risks that these workers face is having to lift the children. These babies and toddlers often need a lot of hands-on care, which can lead to back problems. Workers should be reminded that they should lift using their legs and not their back. This might seem simple, but it is often tempting to bend over to pick up a child, which automatically puts pressure on the back.
When they are carrying a child, the worker should make sure to use smooth movements. Any twisting or jerking can lead to strain on the back, which can be devastating to that area of the body.
The issue with using the back is that the injury you suffer might not occur all at once. Cumulative trauma injuries seem mild at first, but they get progressively worse. This can make it difficult for the worker to determine whether they need to get medical care or not.
It is a good idea for the day care to encourage workers who have back troubles to have it evaluated. This might help to prevent potentially minor injuries from becoming worse. The workers’ compensation program should pay for the medical care for all work-related injuries, even those that are due to repetitive stress.