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xviii Revision L 96053
■ Lifting Techniques
Lifting, regardless of how much or how little, can create serious back stress. If you follow
these guidelines, you can reduce the risk of back injury:
• Do not twist your body to pick up something or to put it down. Twisting puts
extreme pressure on your back, especially when you lift or carry objects. Instead of
twisting, make the task two separate moves; first lift, and then use your feet to turn
your body.
• Plan the lift: first examine the object and then determine how it will be lifted and
where it will be placed.
• Choose the appropriate lifting technique. Examine the weight, size, location,
frequency, and direction of the lift. Plan to avoid awkward postures, and determine if
material-handling aids are needed.
• Place your feet shoulder-width apart, and place one foot a little behind the other.
Keep your back straight because even light loads can significantly increase pressure
on your spine when you lean forward.
• Whenever you can, grip the load with your whole hand, and use two hands.
• Carry objects at elbow height and close to your body. The farther away you hold an
object, the more force it puts on your lower back.
• Lift with your legs instead of your back. Leg muscles are some of the strongest in the
body. When you squat and lift with your legs, you can lift more weight safely.
• Alternate lifting tasks with tasks that are less stressful to the same muscles. This
technique ensures that your muscles have some recovery time.
Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist, and Hand Safety
Follow these guidelines to minimize the possibility of injury to your shoulders, elbows,
wrists, and hands.
• Work within your safety zone—the area between shoulder level and knuckle level of
your lowered hands. You face less chance of injury when you work or lift in this area.
• Keep your elbows bent to keep loads close to your body and to decrease the amount
of force necessary to do the job. If you use this posture, you will put less weight and
pressure on your shoulder.
• Be sure to keep your wrists straight. Avoid bending, extending, or twisting your
wrists for long periods of time.
• Do not use a pinch grip to lift large or heavy loads because the way you lift also can
affect the tendons in your hand. When you grasp an object between your thumb and
fingers, you put a lot of tension on hand and wrist tendons. Use both hands—use
one for a while, and then use the other—to give them rest.