One of the biggest hazards we face as early childhood Educators is back injuries. The amount of times we bend, stretch, and lift throughout the day is endless and this can put a strain on your back, causing serious long-term injuries. The following article provides information on Back Risks, Prep Before The Day, Strategies To Support Back Care Throughout The Day and more.
Working as an educator or carer involves being up and about the entire day, not to mention doing a lot of lifting, pushing, dragging or carrying weights. All this can put a strain on your back and if not addressed in time, can lead to chronic conditions. Here are then a few tips on back care in early childhood settings.
Know The Risky Actions
Back care starts with identifying the actions which have the potential to harm your back. In the early childcare context, the most common ones are:
- Lifting of both heavy and light objects including picking up children
- Bending to negotiate furniture and equipment designed for child-appropriate height, greeting or soothing children
- Reaching up above the shoulders.
- After picking up children, put them on your hip, causing the spine to curve.
- Bend less, sit more
One of the most effective ways to protect your back is to cut down on all that bending. Sit on the floor or position yourself so that you are down at the child’s level. Or sit down and take the child into your lap as an alternative to picking them up.
Prep Before The Day
Before children arrive, find time for a quick warm-up and stretch. A warm-up prepares the body both physically and psychologically for activity by raising the temperature and oxygen delivery to the muscles so that they are available for activity. Your warm-up for the back should move the major related muscle groups for it to be effective.
After warming up for about five minutes, stretch slowly. This creates flexibility and lowers the risk of injury. However, ensure that you never stretch cold muscles or they might tear. For stretching you could:
- Head half circles, first one way and then the other, to the front and to the back
- Arm circles
- Calf and quadriceps stretches
- Hold each stretch for at least fifteen seconds, breathing normally all the while. Avoid bouncing up and down while stretching.
- Use back care as a learning opportunity
The benefits of back care go beyond protecting your own back; indeed as you look after yourself and your back while working, you provide opportunities for positive role-modelling and conversations around self-care. This meets Learning Outcome 3 of the Early Years Learning Framework according to which children develop a ‘Strong sense of wellbeing.
As children see their educators care for their backs and discuss such practices during interactions, young learners are supported to take ’increasing responsibility for their own health and physical wellbeing, as part of the Outcome 3 EYLF.
Strategies To Support Back Care Throughout The Day
The following information and strategies can be used as a general guide to help ensure back safety while working in an early childhood setting.
Strategies To Support Back Care While Working At Floor Level
- Bracing / transferring weight / using leverage & support
- Use of low sitting height stools, ottomans or cushions
- Provision of sitting devices specifically for low height situations
- Kneeling on one knee (knight’s position) or golfers’ kick for brief periods
- Sitting or squatting on the floor
- Avoid overreaching –prepare equipment & choose a position with the best access to children & equipment
- Limit the duration of continuous periods when at lowest levels
- Reduce clutter and improve the layout
- Engage child assistance where possible
Strategies To Support Back Care While Working At Sitting Level
- Adult chairs
- Use adjustable chairs with backrests only.
- Use chairs with a lower height range and narrower diameter 5-star base (ie. select chairs that are fit for the purpose).
- Establish/identify the top of the backrest as a handgrip option when moving the chair.
- Provide information, instruction & training on chair adjustment & use so these features are exploited by workers.
- Reorganise floor clutter to enhance the capacity of workers to use these chairs in different areas.
Strategies To Support Back Care While Working With Cots
- Need height adjustable cots so the top of the mattress is not lower than 650 mm.
- Need height-adjustable side rails.
- Adjustment features & side rail should be safe and easy to use for carers, babies & toddlers
Strategies To Support Back Care While Working Outside
- Sort & store items relative to their shape, size & weight & their expected frequency of use – daily, weekly, and seasonal.
- Organise the storage location & method of specific items to match the item & their frequency of use. For example, containers on shelves, and large toys on the floor underneath.
- Use larger shelves, 600 + deep, to increase the storage capacity of the shelves. For example, Bunningsshelves are 840 mm deep & fit 1 large plastic tub (600 to 740 mm long).
- Limit the height of the upper shelf so it is not higher than 1700 mm (provided large and/or heavy items (greater than 10 kgs) are not placed on the shelf
- With outdoor storage, avoid the need to use steps to access higher storage levels
- Purchase or protect outdoor structural / climbing equipment that can tolerate remaining outside
- If necessary develop a security system such as chaining it together rather than carrying it into a shed or storeroom.
- Store items close to their point of use, such as those used in the sandpit. Make them safe.
- Use smaller, lighter sand pit covers with loop straps for grasping & sandbags with loop handles to hold the cover in place. If necessary use overlapping covers rather than a single larger, heavier cover.
Strategies To Support Back Care While Working Indoor
- Sort & store items relative to their shape, size & weight & their expected frequency of use –daily, weekly, and seasonal.
- Organise the storage location & method of specific items to match the item & their frequency of use. For example, containers on shelves, and large toys on the floor underneath.
- Use larger shelves (where relevant & possible), 600 + deep, to increase the storage capacity of the shelves.
- Limit the height of the upper shelf so it is not higher than 1700 mm (provided large and/or heavy items (greater than 10 kgs) are not placed on the shelf
- Avoid the need to use steps to access higher storage levels –if possible.
- If not, use the most stable options available & organise shelf height relative to step height.
- Develop smaller, more stable block trolleys. Use 2 or 3 smaller ones to replace larger trolleys.
- Use better-designed trolleys. Bigger wheels, high handles & capacity to restrain or hold the load.
- Expand the use of transparent containers. Select size relative to items they will contain to limit weight.
- Store large tubs on an individual shelve or no more than 2 high
Strategies To Support Back Care While Working At Change Tables
- Handles for steps to pull them out.
- Rails for children to grasp when moving up & down steps.
- Steps should lock into place when pulled out.
- Minimise lifting children to & from steps & the bench.
- Manipulate bench height with different thickness padding.
- Consider side positioning of toddlers (provide it is safe).
- Good access to items needed to sink & items on the bench & in shelves or lockers.
In early childhood education and care settings, injuries can often come from tasks like lifting children, moving heavy objects, and a lot of bending, twisting or reaching. It's important that as Educators we are given the necessary information and training to effectively work without risks to our health and to prevent back injuries.
It's important to understand what causes back injuries while working in early childhood settings and how to avoid them.
References:
Early childhood education and care: Safety basics, Work Safe Victoria
Reducing Musculoskeletal Disorders in Children's Services, Kindergarten Parents Victoria
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