WREXHAM Council has presented a seminar on manual handling to representatives of more than 40 firms from around the area.
Run in partnership with the Health and Safety Executive, the Mind Your Back presentation at Redwither Tower was the first of its kind in Wales and aimed to reduce the number of back injuries sustained in the workplace as a result of incorrect lifting techniques.
The problem occurs in all industries and services and it is estimated that 12.3m working days were lost in 2001/02 alone due to back problems.
On average each person who suffers a back injury takes 18.9 days off in a 12-month period. Overall 36.5% of accidents resulting in more than three days off work are due to manual handling incidents.
Now fewer than 1.2m people suffer from musculo-skeletal disorders and 55% of them report that injuries to the back have caused the problem.
Andy Lewis, Wrexham's chief public protection officer, said: 'By working together with the Health and Safety Executive we can address many issues together rather than assess firms individually.
'Back injuries are a serious problem throughout many industries and services but there are many cost effective things that can be done to prevent them.
'I hope people who attended the seminar can confidently go back to their workplaces and identify risks and, more importantly, do something to ensure injuries are kept to a minimum.'
