Confine Your Feats of Strength to the Gym

There are people who will attempt to shoulder impossibly heavy loads without help. We’ve all heard about someone’s “Uncle Nick” lifting a washing machine into the basement by himself. Such stories are often told with pride, to show how strong that person was. Strong, yes; smart, perhaps not.

Why? Any of several things could have gone wrong during the solo lift. Nick could have missed a step, not noticed that there was a tripping hazard in the way or had a sudden sneezing fit while holding onto to the heavy load.

It’s not uncommon for workers to lift heavy or awkward objects without asking for help. But doing so may bring painful and even life-threatening consequences.  If your vision is blocked by the object, you can trip over an unseen obstacle or another worker. If you start to lose control of the object being carried, you might not be in a safe position to lower it to the ground.

It only takes a minute to ask for help. If you can’t lift an object safely or comfortably on your own, don’t risk it.