Back supports and back injuries: a second visit with the Home Depot cohort study data on low-back injuries

The back support has been controversial as a means of reducing injuries to the lower back. Diverse issues bear on the interpretation of data obtained in a major epidemiologic investigation of the utility of back supports in the retail-trade home improvement industry. These concerns are focused on alternate explanations for the changes in injury rates observed over the six-year study period, on individual and group factors other than the use of the back support that might have contributed to reducing the risk of injury, and on related methodologic issues. Each issue is addressed with specific reference to how it might affect the analyses and the conclusion that the supports showed a protective effect.