On the 1st Day of Industrial Ergonomics, My Favorite Safety Team Gave to Me… Safe Lifting Techniques!
Welcome to DORN’s 12 Days of Industrial Ergonomics! We’re kicking off the holiday season and celebrating a year of achievement in improving safety outcomes for workers everywhere with a new blog series diving into some of today’s most important safety topics.
The best part? Every day, we’ll be giving away a special holiday gift card. To enter, simply share this blog post on any social media platform and tag the DORN Companies account to register your entry. You’ll find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok - just share the link from your account and tag us for your chance to win every day! Plus, you can earn additional entries by sharing posts on multiple platforms and tagging your friends in the safety world.
Winners will be selected and announced daily, so check back from December 3 - 18 for new posts and more chances to win.
Today’s prize: a $20 Target gift card!
To start things off, we’re tackling a topic that remains relevant every year in virtually every industrial setting: lifting technique.
How to Lift Heavy Objects without Getting Hurt
Overexertion injuries from lifting heavy weights remain a very common safety risk across a wide range of industries and work settings. Annual injury incident figures associated with lifting can reach nearly 90,000 per year in the United States, most of them originating from one-time lifts. Performing a heavy lift can put a high strain on the spine and shoulders, and without proper lifting technique, workers are at risk of injuries that are not only costly to treat but can also lead to long-term chronic pain and loss of function.
Our specialists at DORN are well-versed in the risks associated with lifting heavy weights. Here are a few things to focus on while performing heavy lifts, whether you’re on the job or working on a project at home.
- Bend from the hips and knees—not from the back. Your spine and lower back muscles are not strong enough to handle a heavy load on their own, but your legs are capable of handling much heavier weights.
- Keep the object or load as close to your body as possible. The farther the weight is from your center of gravity, the more your body will work to compensate to maintain balance, putting undue stress on injury-prone areas.
- Turn your whole body to move a weight—don’t rotate your torso. Pivot your whole body and move with your legs rather than twisting your upper body to move an object from one place to another. Repeated twisting causes muscle fatigue, increasing the risk of overexertion injuries. Watch as DORN’s own Cheryl Roy demonstrates this technique in a Safety Minute video.
Thank you for joining us for the 12 Days of Industrial Safety! Remember to share this post on social media to be entered to win today’s prize: a $20 Target gift card!
