Ergonomic Lifts reduce back injuries.
Press Release Summary:
Dual Lift(TM) and Solo Lift(TM) change how boxes can be lifted, stacked, and delivered. Dual Lift gives every box handles, reducing effective weight of box by 4.5 kg. It also allows box to be lifted correctly, eliminating need to twist back and tilt shoulders. Solo Lift creates single handle and allows user to lift and carry box with one hand, freeing other hand to open or close doors. Lift enables user to see foot traffic obstacles directly in front of them.
Original Press Release:
First Ergonomic Solution Delivering Actual Reductions In Back Injuries Launched By Lift Mates
First Ergonomic Solution Delivering Actual Reductions In Back Injuries Launched By Lift Mates
CARMEL, CA - September 24, 2002 - Lift Mates, Inc. announced today the initial shipment of Dual Lift(TM) and Solo Lift(TM), patented new products that revolutionize how boxes can be lifted, stacked and delivered. The new products are expected to bring significant relief to the troubled $90 billion workers' compensation industry where back injury costs continue to skyrocket. Lifting activities for disabled Americans also will be made easier and safer.
According to Mark Almond, Lift Mates President and CEO, "Research has been unable to document the benefits of commonly used personal protective equipment, such as back belts, even though businesses where lifting boxes is part of the job have widely embraced them. More effective injury prevention products have not been available or affordable until now. A growing body of science supports the concepts and function behind Lift Mates products."
"We are pleased to provide the first successful and affordable solution. Dual Lift and Solo Lift are tools that are actually changing the basic biomechanics and physical stress of lifting boxes. These tools deliver increased efficiency, better productivity and competitive advantage for businesses adopting Lift Mates as part of their ergonomic programs."
William S. Marras, Ph.D., CPE, Professor and Director of the Biodynamics Laboratory at The Ohio State University states, "Materials handling continues to represent one of the major risk factors associated with low back disorders. Recent biomechanical studies(1) have shown that hand placement during container lifting can have a significant impact on the magnitude and nature of spine loading. Proper use of the Lift Mates product is consistent with research indicating that one can significantly lower the magnitudes of loads imposed upon the spine through proper placement of handles(1). The literature(2,3) also suggests that the cumulative benefit of proper hand placement throughout the workday would be substantial in reducing risk."
Dual Lift gives every box a pair of handles. Research(4) has shown handles reduce the effective weight of a box by approximately 4.5 KGS. The Dual Lift also allows a box to be lifted correctly and eliminates the need to twist the back and tilt the shoulders to lift a box. This patented device does away with the need to "get under the box" or stretch for the distant corners of a box. Simply place this lifting tool into the top portion of a box, and straighten your legs to lift.
Solo Lift creates a single handle and allows a user to lift and carry a box with one hand, freeing up the other hand. A free hand allows the user to hold a handrail or open or close doors. The Solo Lift also allows the box to be carried at ones side, which enables the user to see directly in front of them. Foot traffic obstacles such as curbs, steps, puddles or ice can now easily be seen and avoided.
Physicians and medical practitioners have been quick to embrace Lift Mates new products. For example, Dr. Don Lewis, a Las Vegas Chiropractor, said, "Preventive maintenance for patients with back conditions who do lifting activity in their jobs or at home always required shutting that activity down. Lift Mates offers patients a tool that enables them to do sensible lifting, while reducing the risk of further injury. This benefits my practice and my patients."
According to the Centers for Disease Control, work-related musculoskeletal disorders cost the economy at least $13 billion every year, with a substantial proportion of these being back injuries. Research clearly demonstrates specific interventions can reduce the reported rate of musculoskeletal disorders, particularly for workers who perform high-risk tasks. Most industries consider interventions expensive and adoption of preventive strategies has been sporadic. Lift Mates new products are poised to make intervention profitable by strengthening companies' ability to lower back injury rates, with remarkably little investment.
About Lift Mates
Lift Mates, Inc. is a California company whose products, Dual Lift and Solo Lift, are revolutionary patented new products that change how boxes are lifted, stacked and delivered. The products make lifting faster, safer and more efficient. Lift Mates will be at the GSE Expo in Las Vegas from October 1 - 3, 2002, booth 1429, and at the 90th Annual National Safety Council Show in San Diego October 7 - 9, 2002, at booth 4819. They will also have sales people available to meet with at the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society meeting in Baltimore Maryland from September 29 - October 4, 2002. Contact Lift Mates to schedule an appointment. Please feel free to contact Lift Mates, Inc. at information@liftmates.com, by telephone at (831) 626-2986, or by fax at (831) 626-2988 or visit their website at www.liftmates.com
Footnotes:
1,4 - Marras WS, Granata KP, Davis KG, Allread WG, Jorgensen MJ.: "Effects of box features on spine loading during warehouse order selecting", Ergonomics 1999; 42: 980-96 2 - Norman R, Wells R, Neumann P, Frank J, Shannon H, Kerr M.: "A comparison of peak vs cumulative physical work exposure risk factors for the reporting of low back pain in the automotive industry." Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon) 1998; 13: 561-573 3 Kumar S.: "Cumulative load as a risk factor for back pain." Spine 1990; 15: 1311-6
