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When it comes to lifting in the workplace there's a lot of room for injury. After falling injuries it's the most common cause of suffering in a worker. The first tip to consider when you're considering lifting something is whether you should be doing it in the first place. Objects aren't just dangerous to your back. You can be crushed, cut or bruised by unwieldy objects. Remember that more important than safe lifting techniques is avoiding lifting completely unless you absolutely need too. It's simply not worth your long-term health to compromise yourself like that when there are lifted aids to help.
Now comes the approach to your lift. Make your body square on to the object, and make sure you're close to it too. This will come into play later. Squat down to the object with your back straight and your knees bent. This warms up the muscles that you're about to use and gets you into a good posture from the very beginning. It might seem silly to be so careful before you've even taken hold of anything, but it's just as important to warm up as it is to lift correctly.
Breathing deeply has a number of benefits when you're engaged in heavy lifting. It gets oxygen to the core muscles that are doing the work. It also helps you to focus on your exertion and be more aware of your body, which is good practice when you're trying to maximise your muscle efficiently. It also helps you to keep you shoulders back, which improves your overall lifting posture.
In the lift you want your arms fixed with your back still straight. You'll be doing a lot of the work with the muscles around your legs and abdomen. Try to keep the object close to you as the closer it is to your centre of gravity the easier it will be to lift. Push through on your heel as you rise to engage your leg muscles more and make the whole momentum of rising come easier.
With all of this done make sure you maintain good posture as you move with the object and that you lower it just as carefully as you lifted, coming back on your heels as you do so.
Now comes the approach to your lift. Make your body square on to the object, and make sure you're close to it too. This will come into play later. Squat down to the object with your back straight and your knees bent. This warms up the muscles that you're about to use and gets you into a good posture from the very beginning. It might seem silly to be so careful before you've even taken hold of anything, but it's just as important to warm up as it is to lift correctly.
Breathing deeply has a number of benefits when you're engaged in heavy lifting. It gets oxygen to the core muscles that are doing the work. It also helps you to focus on your exertion and be more aware of your body, which is good practice when you're trying to maximise your muscle efficiently. It also helps you to keep you shoulders back, which improves your overall lifting posture.
In the lift you want your arms fixed with your back still straight. You'll be doing a lot of the work with the muscles around your legs and abdomen. Try to keep the object close to you as the closer it is to your centre of gravity the easier it will be to lift. Push through on your heel as you rise to engage your leg muscles more and make the whole momentum of rising come easier.
With all of this done make sure you maintain good posture as you move with the object and that you lower it just as carefully as you lifted, coming back on your heels as you do so.
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