5 WAYS RADIOLOGY TECHS CAN PREVENT INJURIES WHILE ON THE JOB

Radiology techs, like other healthcare workers, tend to spend a great deal of their time on their feet. In addition to spending a lot of time on their feet, radiation requires special safety equipment and, because of the materials used, some of that equipment is quite heavy. Wearing a lead apron for a long period, along with gloves, sleeves and other protective equipment, increases the weight of the body and may add more stress to the feet.

There are various solutions available for this, and some of them are actually matters of habit more than anything else. In addition to using the right type of equipment, healthcare workers – Radiology techs included – need to be aware of how much time they are spending on their feet and the consequences of doing so if they are not careful with their bodies.

1) PREPARING FOR THE WEIGHT

Stretching before work is not a bad idea. Remember that, with all of the extra weight of the gear required to work around radiation, and x-ray technician’s body will be doing a lot more work just walking across the room, lifting and so forth. Stretching out helps to prepare the legs to do the work and, of course, it can reduce injuries by making sure that the muscles are warm.

Remember that the weight doesn’t just apply to equipment, either. X-ray technicians oftentimes have to lift patients into position to take x-rays and, of course, that means doing quite a bit of physical labor. Without proper preparation, it’s possible to suffer a grievous injury to the back, which could make it impossible to keep on working, in the worst cases.

2) SHOES MATTER

Healthcare workers are right up there with runners as far as being connoisseurs of a good pair of shoes. For working in radiology, and assuming that a worker is going to spend a lot of their day on their feet, shoes that have low heels and that have a large toe box on them are the best choice. Remember that your feet will swell the longer that you are on them. This means that you want to buy your shoes with the size your feet will be at the end of the day rather than the size they are at the beginning of the day in mind. Doing so can go a long way toward providing a much more comfortable work experience.

Of course, make certain that the shoes have a good nonslip grip on them and that they are easy to maintain and keep clean. Workers who have a hard time standing may want to consider getting orthopedic inserts to take some of the strain off of their bodies.

3) REDUCE THE WEIGHT

Aprons and other equipment are available in lighter designs (for example, most protective aprons are available in non-lead which makes them much lighter) than was the case in the past and, in facilities with equipment that may be a bit outdated, upgrading to newer equipment may alleviate some of the strain on workers, including the strain on their feet.

4) RE-DISTRIBUTE THE WEIGHT, 5) PATIENT LIFTS

By using aprons that distribute weight more evenly (or one that re-distributes weight, such as the back relief apron), making sure that employees have access to equipment such as patient lifts and other devices that help them to work without straining their bodies too much and taking other measures, it’s possible to make sure that x-ray technicians suffer fewer on-the-job injuries. In healthcare, injuries related to the stresses on the body are very common. Combine those grueling conditions with the long hours that healthcare workers oftentimes labor in, and foot and other types of physical injuries are real hazards. The right equipment, the right practices and awareness of the body can all help people who work in x-ray departments to do their jobs better without injuring themselves.