How to Try to Prevent a Heavy Lifting Injury at Work

When it comes to your job, there is always something you’ll need to pick up and move around. But some jobs require particularly heavy lifting, or repetitive lifting, which can result in injuries. Those who work in childcare, manufacturing, warehouses, nursing and construction are examples of some careers that see a lot of lifting. It is important to try to condition yourself for such duties, otherwise you can potentially suffer a serious injury caused by lifting heavy things and by repetitive lifting.

Continue reading to learn some tips on how to prevent a heavy lifting accident at work, whether you are subjected to such duties regularly or not.

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Trying to Prevent Serious Lifting Injuries

There are several ways you can be proactive when it comes to preventing any type of lifting injury, regardless of weight or size. There are stretching exercises to help strengthen core muscles, which can help prevent injuries of all kinds, such as Pilates and Yoga. There are also certain techniques that help reduce lower back strain when lifting something heavy, such as keeping your spine straight while lifting with the knees and not the back.

There is also a wide selection of braces and muscle support gear available at local department stores. No matter what type of job duties required of an employee, it is recommended to not lift more than 50 pounds of weight manually, unless aided by another person or lifting equipment. Examples of common lifting equipment include forklifts, ramps, wheelbarrows, pallet jackets, hand trucks, and lift gates. 

Heavy Lifting at Work

In vocations where heavy lifting is a regular duty, employers have a duty of care to properly train all staff in safe lifting practices, as well as provide the proper lifting equipment and materials for safety purposes. The most common types of lifting injuries are muscle strains and soft-tissue tears, all of which can occur on a wide scope of severity. However, several other types of lifting injuries take place on a daily basis all around the country, including herniated discs, back injuries, spine injuries, neck injuries, shoulder injuries, hernias, pinched nerves, knee injuries, fractures, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Although your employer is required under law to prepare you in all the proper methods and techniques of lifting in your job, this does not always happen, or at least, adequately. In such cases, you will want to learn your rights to be compensated for your resulting damages, such as medical bills and lost wages from taking time off work. Start by talking to a licensed Indiana personal injury lawyer about making a workers’ compensation claim.  In Indiana, if you are injured at work while performing work related activities, you are entitled to worker compensation benefits regardless of whether or not your employer did anything wrong in causing the injury.

Indiana Workers’ Compensation Attorneys You Can Trust

Contact the Law Office of Craven, Hoover, and Blazek P.C. at 317-881-2700 to speak with a seasoned Indiana workplace injury lawyer about your best options for pursing legal action after being seriously injured or incapacitated at your place of employment, or while performing work-related duties. Our seasoned personal injury lawyers can obtain the full and fair compensation you deserve for your resulting damages and losses, including hospital bills, medical expenses, lost wages, and more.

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