SLE FAQs

1) Is there a definition of what constitutes a “Safe Lifting Environment?” While there is no universally accepted definition of what constitutes a Safe Lifting Environment, it is often stated that three elements are required in order to create the conditions in which a safe environment can exist successfully. The three essential ingredients are: 1) battery-powered lifts or other state-of-the-art assistive equipment, 2) caregiver training for all staff members who lift or reposition patients, and 3) caregiver participation (i.e. the willingness of caregivers to participate in a safe lifting program and to avoid manual lifting except in medical emergencies.) When a total safe lifting environment exists – equipment, trained staff, and a desire to prevent further injuries – injuries rates will decline dramatically.

2) Where do you recommend posting the Safe Lifting Environment decals? The decals can be posted to encompass areas as small as a single bed and as large as an entire facility. In some instances, the symbols have been placed on the “white boards,” electronic charts, or entry doors of individual patients. In other cases they have been used to designate that an entire healthcare organization has declared itself to be a safe lifting environment.

3) Are there other versions of the decals available? Several optional versions have been created at the request of end-users. For example, one new series of symbols includes photos of equipment to indicate which type of lift should be used with each individual patient. Go to www.trmiller.com/lift and click on “patient specific” to see examples. Other new versions include lapel-pin sized, and slim magnetic to allow temporary mounting on door jambs or beds.

4) How do the decals work? The decals work in much the same way as the familiar “no smoking” decals. Once a zone or facility is declared to be a safe lifting environment, individual employees are then exposed to peer pressure from a much larger group than they normally encounter. The general understanding of the larger group is that the environment has been declared lift free as a means of protecting staff against the risk of injuries caused by lifting and repositioning patients/residents.

5) Once the decals are posted, is manual lifting prohibited? To a significant degree, manual lifting is prohibited once the environment has been declared to be a safe lifting zone. Exceptions would be during medical emergencies or unanticipated events ranging from natural disasters to preventing a patient from falling when there is no opportunity to employ assistive devices.

6) What should be our main objective in adopting the decals? The major objective of the safe lifting environment campaign is prevention of injuries to caregivers and patients that can occur during lifting and repositioning procedures. Ideally, the decals would be used to supplement the work of a new or existing safety committee of other internal group charged with reducing the risk of injuries.

7) Will the decals alone reduce injuries? In all likelihood, the decals by themselves will simply raise awareness of the danger of lifting patients manually. The safe lifting environment campaign, however, makes available numerous supporting materials and tools to assist safety committees in getting started with injury reduction campaigns designed to reduce lift-related injuries. Together, decals and supporting materials address only one essential ingredient of the three mentioned above, i.e. they increase caregiver buy-in and participation.

8) Do you have any feedback on whether the safe lifting environment materials actually work to reduce injuries? No scientific studies have been conducted to corroborate that fact. However, based on feedback received from readers of the campaign’s bi-monthly e-newsletter, many facilities are using the campaign materials successfully, including hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation facilities. When the campaign was originally launched, Liko stated that if only one back injury to a nurse could be avoided, the company’s investment in sponsoring the campaign would be worthwhile.

9) How does Liko recoup its investment in sponsorship of this pro bono campaign? Liko has stated from the outset that it does not intend to profit directly from sponsorship of the campaign, nor from the associated support materials. Some companies fund grant programs. Others fund scientific research or academic activities. Liko has chosen to fund the safe lifting environment campaign because the company is convinced the program stands the greatest chance of doing the most good. All funding is internally derived and/or redirected from conventional marketing or related activities.

10) If we use the campaign materials, does that mean we do not have to invest in formal staff training? Again, based on the three essential ingredients mentioned above, some type of formal staff training program is highly recommended in order to achieve your objectives. There are at least three types of staff training available. One type is “self-administered,” whereby your institution obtains training materials and runs its own training programs with very little outside assistance. Another type, emerging as an appealing, cost-effective alternative, is on-line learning supplemented by self-administered or manufacturer-hosted hands-on equipment workshops or in-services. The final type is professionally administered, where trained specialists conduct both conventional classroom as well as equipment proficiency training. The type of program you select is highly dependent on timing, cultural traits, and budgetary considerations.

11) Does the Safe Lifting Environment campaign recommend penalizing or admonishing nurses or other caregivers who choose not to participate in the program? The Safe Lifting Environment campaign is based on an entirely different approach, namely the establishment of peer consensus where the majority of individuals in the peer group (i.e. nurses and caregivers) are in agreement that injury prevention is in the best interests of the entire organization. The campaign therefore relies on peer pressure rather than administrative actions to accomplish its goals. It should be noted, however, that every administration and culture is different, thus a particular institution may in fact choose to penalize employees who choose to work against programs that are clearly in the best interests of the employee base as a whole.

12) Which department in our institution do you feel should take ownership of the Safe Lifting Environment campaign in terms of initiating and administering it? The trend during the first year of operation shows that three separate departments can become actively involved in initiating and promoting such a program. They are Nursing organizations, Safety departments, and Risk Management departments. All three constituencies have a lot to gain from instituting an injury prevention campaign. Of course, other departments can become involved depending on the organizational structure.

13) Are there outside organizations that can or should become involved? User feedback shows clearly that there are several outside constituencies actively promoting adoption and use of the Safe Lifting materials. For example, Insurance companies, Worker’s Compensation Insurance organizations, and Risk Management agencies have become very actively involved in procuring campaign materials and disseminating them across their client bases. These groups have clearly recognized the numerous benefits of standardizing on such a campaign across the healthcare industry. The benefits are enormously important to the both the healthcare industry and the insurance/risk organizations because they represent a potential means of reversing the existing trend toward escalating worker’s compensation and other injury-related expenses. In some cases, worker’s compensation firms are offering their clients premium rate reductions if they agree to adopt the Safe Lifting Environment program and support it with equipment and staff training. Another constituency actively involved are the state agencies that are recommending the campaign across all healthcare institutions in their states. In instances such as these, Liko provides campaign materials for redistribution by the appropriate agency.

14) I would like to host a safety and injury prevention fair in my facility. Can I obtain Safe Lifting support materials in bulk? Liko has agreed to provide certain organizations with bulk quantities of Starter Kits for use in multiple facilities. Other non-profit merchandise is available at www.trmiller.com/lift. You may also be interested in requesting assistance from a local distributor who can come to their facility and explain the campaign materials and how best to use them. In addition, you may wish to recommend to your fellow employees that they subscribe (free) to the Safe Lifting Newsletter. Benefits include updates on the latest news in this field, plus the newsletter significantly increases awareness of the importance of safe lifting to recipients and peer group members.

15) Nursing injuries certainly occur outside the U.S. Is there interest in this campaign from Canada or other countries? Because the campaign materials are now available over the worldwide web, inquiries have come in from all over the globe, and decals and support materials have been sent to every continent. The global healthcare industry faces the same issues as are faced in the U.S., thus Liko does not see the Safe Lifting Environment campaign as exclusively a U.S. effort. In fact, if global standardization begins to take place, Liko is prepared to devote even more resources to assisting with injury prevention standardization.

16) Does Liko have any plans to further enhance the campaign materials themselves? Many of the individual components of the campaign originated as requests from campaign users. For example, the Patient Infomercials resulted from a direct request by a user. Customized decals, policy statements, draft news releases, and other support materials resulted from similar requests. Liko also believes the Safe Lifting Portal has room to accommodate additional subject matter. Toward that end, for example, a Safe Lifting Library section was recently added to the site. Also, soon to be added are on-line courses promoting generic safe lifting training that is not product-specific. The courses will be made available in a new section called “Safe Lifting University.” Another new section being contemplated is “Safe Lifting Success Stories.” All of these materials are designed to accommodate the growing need for supportive documents and other materials designed to ensure successful roll-out and implementation of safe lifting programs.