We’re wrapping up the last week of safety month with manual material handling safety.

There are several risks posed by manual material handling. The most common reported injuries involve strains and sprains, while the most frequent injuries occur to the back, hips, neck, shoulders, and knees.

The first thing to consider with manual material handling is where the object is initially picked up and then set down. The ideal safe height to lift an object is between a person’s waistline and shoulders, within one foot of their body. If you are required to do a lot of bending down to lift or lift above your head, that could cause serious strain to the body and potentially cause injury. (more…)