WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS, HIRING BEST PRACTICES, CAREER ADVICE.
Proper Lifting Techniques
Posted on 04/06 by Erin Helms
Back injuries are responsible for one in five workplace injuries. Back injury is painful and disabling; most who experience back pain endure a reoccurrence within a year. The consequences, including workers’ compensation, days away from work and lost productivity, are expensive. Proper lifting techniques are essential for avoiding the painful and disabling injuries associated with poor lifting techniques. Here is how to lift correctly.
Before You Lift
Preparation and planning are vital for proper ergonomic lifting. Assess the load and keep in mind what you can safely lift. Is the object too large? Can you get a firm grip on it? You must know where to put the load, ensuring the path is unobstructed, and the distance is not too far. Consider whether the lift is a two-person job or if you need a hand truck, dolly, pushcart, or another tool. Once you have a lifting plan, stretch and warm up your muscles. Loosen your back and stretch your hamstrings.
Correct Lifting Techniques
Never bend forward when lifting a heavy object. Squat, secure your load and stand by straightening your legs while keeping your back straight. Remember that safe lifting involves: Standing close to the load Planting your feet shoulder-width apart Bending at hips and knees Keeping your head up and straight Holding the load close Engaging your core muscles Never twist your torso when you lift. Avoid raising a load that might obstruct your vision; never lift a heavy item above shoulder level.
How to Carry a Heavy Load
Once you lift your load, it is time to carry it. Maintain good ergonomics. Keep your load close to your body while keeping your shoulders aligned with your hips as you move. If you can avoid twisting your trunk, do so. Take small steps and make directional changes with your feet.
Setting Heavy Objects Down
Surprisingly, setting down a heavy object can be more dangerous than lifting it. The key is to reverse the lifting process and follow the same ergonomic lifting principles: Keep the load close and keep your back straight Squat down, and bend only at your knees and hips Engage your core by tightening your stomach muscles as you lower yourself Kneel on one knee if you must Never rush the lifting process. Remember that the most dangerous lifting tasks are repetitive over sustained periods. Always keep tabs on your exertion level and take frequent breaks. Stop lifting if you are too tired to lift objects safely. Contact LaborMAX if you want a job where you can use your unique skills to earn an excellent living or if your company currently needs top-notch employees.
Tagged: #ProperLiftingTechniques #SafetyResources #WorkplaceSafety
Browse Available Jobs
Are you looking for work? LaborMAX can find you the right job.
SEARCH JOBS NOWCategories
What's Happening
Summer 2026 Event Staffing: Coverage When It Counts in Six Host Cities
Match Week 2026 is heading to Kansas City, Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, and Seattle — and if you run a hotel, a venue, a facility, or an event-services company in one of those cities, the headline isn't the matches. It's the squeeze. When hundreds of thousands of visitors land in a single market over a few weeks, every operation that touches them feels it at once. Front desks get slammed. Banquet floors run short. Parking lots, loading docks, and event corridors need bodies that didn't exist on the schedule last year. And the labor pool you normally pull from? It's getting recruited away by everyone else trying to staff the same surge. This is the part most operators underestimate. The crowds are predictable. The labor gap that comes with them is what catches teams flat-footed.
Read more >>The 2026 Labor Shortage Is Stalling Projects — Here's How to Staff Through It
Your next project isn't behind because of weather. It's behind because you can't staff it. That's the reality facing operations leaders across construction, warehousing, and logistics in 2026. The work is there. The demand is there. What's missing are the skilled, reliable people needed to do it — and the gap is widening every quarter. Here's what the numbers say, and what they mean for your business.
Read more >>April Jobs Report Signals Momentum: Why Companies Should Reassess Their Staffing Strategy Now
The April employment report delivered a stronger-than-expected signal for employers: growth is happening, but companies still need flexibility to keep pace. According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall nonfarm employment increased in April, with the economy adding 115,000 jobs. That number came in well above the expected median forecast of 65,000 jobs, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists. Temporary staffing also moved in a positive direction. U.S. temporary employment rose by 7,900 jobs, reaching 2.5 million temporary jobs in April. While temporary employment remains below its March 2022 peak of nearly 3.2 million, the latest numbers suggest that staffing activity is beginning to firm up. Staffing Industry Analysts Economist Michael Schultz described the April results as “surprisingly strong,” adding that “this is the first time since last summer where a strong month was not immediately followed by a weak month.” For companies evaluating their workforce plans, that matters.
Read more >>