Six steps for Safe Manual Handling

Safety in Manual Material Handling

(Six steps for Safe Manual Handling)
Improper ways of manual lifting may cause back pain, slip Disc, or painful hernia as it subjects the muscles of the human body to varying degrees of stress, and also there is a sharp increase in the pressure exerted on the intervertebral disc of the spinal column.

The following six steps give the proper method of manual handling lifting. The principles explained in these six steps apply equally to office or factory floor employees and to lifts involving light or heavy, large or small loads:

Step-1: Position the feet

Place your feet body- which apart with one foot alongside of the object and other slightly behind.
This position gives you good balance and wide enough bases to perform the lift. The rear foot is in a position for the up-ward thrust of the lift.

Step-2: Straight back and bend knees

Bend your knees and use the sit down position. Keep the back straight (“straight” does not mean ‘vertical’) Tighten your stomach muscles to help support your back. A straight back keeps the spine, back muscles and organs of the body in correct alignment. It minimizes the compression of the gusts that can cause hernia.

Step-3: Load close the body

Keep the load close to the body. Tuck your arms and elbows into the side of the body. If you hold your arms away from the body they lose much of their strength and power. Keeping the arms tucked in helps keep body weight centered. Do not flex the elbows and raise the shoulders as this imposes an unnecessary strain on the upper arm and chest muscles.

Step-4: Correct Grasp

Get a “good hold” on the object. This means grasping with the roots of your finger, not just the tips, and ensuring contact between the object and the palm.
The fingers and the hand should be extended around the object you are going to lift. Use the full palm, finger alone have very little power.

Step-5: Tuck your Chin In

Tuck in the chin so your neck and head continue the straight back line and keep your spine straight and firm. Avoid bending your head down, up, forward, back, sideways or in twisted position.
This chin-in action should be introduced immediately before lifting and maintained through the procedure.

Steps-6: Keep body weight directly over feet and lift with legs

Position body so that its weight is centered over the feed and lift by straightening the legs.

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