| Safety in theWorkplace Wednesday March 4, 2009 |
| Proper Lifting Techniques |
During the course of a given work day, there is a strong chance that you will be required to perform
various lifting activities that may be strenuous to your body. As a result of this, there is also an
unfortunate possibility that you may be subject to injury from these activities if you do not perform them
in the proper manner. Therefore, since the goal of UFCW Local 342’s Safety Department is to educate our
members so that they can avoid the pitfalls of these improper practices, we feel that it is
necessary for us to explain and illustrate the Do’s and Don'ts of proper lifting techniques so that you
may apply them to your lifting activities in the workplace.
various lifting activities that may be strenuous to your body. As a result of this, there is also an
unfortunate possibility that you may be subject to injury from these activities if you do not perform them
in the proper manner. Therefore, since the goal of UFCW Local 342’s Safety Department is to educate our
members so that they can avoid the pitfalls of these improper practices, we feel that it is
necessary for us to explain and illustrate the Do’s and Don'ts of proper lifting techniques so that you
may apply them to your lifting activities in the workplace.
Before you even attempt to begin lifting an object, it is crucial to have a plan as to how you are going to lift the object and
where you are going to carry the object. With this is mind, Local 342’s Safety Department says:
where you are going to carry the object. With this is mind, Local 342’s Safety Department says:
The next step to following proper lifting procedure is to set your feet correctly. Placing your feet too close together or too far
apart may leave you prone to injury. Due to this, Local 342’s Safety Department says:
| Step One Pre-Plan your lift. Don’t walk around aimlessly with a heavy object in your arms. |
| Keep your feet shoulder width apart and have a firm footing before you lift. Don’t keep your feet close together when lifting. |
Step three of the proper lifting process is addressing the object with a posture that is most advantageous to your body.
Bending your body at the appropriate positions can keep you from being hurt during your lift. Therefore, Local 342’s Safety
Department says:
| Bend at your knees and hips, while maintaining your three natural back curves. Don’t bend at the waist or do more work than you have to. |
Step four of the proper lifting process is raising the object with the correct body parts. If you do not put the pressure of the
object’s weight on the correct body parts, you may fall victim to injury. Because of this, Local 342’s Safety Department says:
| Lift with your legs. Don’t lift with your back. |
Step five of the proper lifting process involves the manner in which you should hold your stomach muscles while engaging the
object. How loose or tight you hold your stomach muscles can impact the stress you put on your body when lifting. With this
being understood, Local 342’s Safety Department says:
| Tighten stomach muscles while you are lifting. Don’t relax muscles while you are lifting. |
Step six of the proper lifting process concerns how you should approach lifting the object after it has been addressed. It is
crucial that the weight of the object is distributed evenly across your body so that one particular area of your body is not
overstressed. Hence, Local 342’s Safety Department says:
| Don’t add the weight of your body to the load. |
Step seven of the proper lifting process relates to how quickly you should lift the object after you have a firm grasp of it and
have followed all of the previous steps. The pace at which you lift an object may impact whether or not your body is
negatively affected by the lift. Considering the importance of this fact, Local 342’s Safety Department says:
Step eight of the proper lifting process involves the manner in which you should move your body upon lifting the object.
Awkward lateral movements of your body while holding an object, can cause unnecessary injury. In order to avoid this, Local
342’s Safety Department says:
| Turn your feet when lifting. Don’t twist when lifting. |
Holding the object at an improper distance from your body can cause injury. Due to this, Local 342’s Safety Department says:
| Keep the load close to your body. Don’t hold the load away from your body. |
Overall, the UFCW Local 342 Safety Department firmly believes that if you follow the steps we have just mentioned above, you will drastically reduce your chances of being injured while partaking in your various lifting activities during the work day. In conclusion, Local 342’s Safety Department wants you to remember: Take care of your back and your back will take care of you! Don’t suffer an unnecessary injury while lifting! |
| Keep the load close to your body. Don’t hold the load away from your body. |
| Keep your feet shoulder width apart and have a firm footing before you lift. Don’t keep your feet close together when lifting. |
| Tighten stomach muscles while you are lifting. Don’t relax muscles while you are lifting. |
