4 Safety Measures You Should Take When Moving Heavy Furniture

One of the things that people dread doing during a move is lifting heavy furniture. If you lift very heavy loads without proper safety measures, you can easily strain your back or injure other parts of your body.

In preparation for moving day, there are important steps you should take when lifting, pushing or pulling heavy objects. These lifting techniques can prevent strains and other injuries from happening at the most inconvenient time.

1. Know your lifting limits

The most common reason why people obtain back strains is that they try to lift objects that are too heavy for them. Before you bend your knees to lift a piece of furniture, make sure you know how much it weighs. As a rough guideline, most fit people can safely lift a 23 kg object if they position the load and their bodies in the right manner.

When lifting such an object, make sure its height is below your waist and the item is at least 18 cm in front of you. If the item is long/wide, ask someone else to grab the other end so you can spread the load evenly. 

2. Ensure that the item is safe to carry

Another common mistake people make is to attempt to carry sharp furniture or items that aren't stable. Shifting loads can easily add weight on your hands and cause your back to strain. This is a common occurrence in furniture such as shelves and file cabinets.

Before you lift such items, make sure they're safe to carry. This means removing all movable drawers and covering up sharp edges.

3. Use tools to make your work easier

For furniture that is large and bulky, use tools to make your work easier. Dollies and carts can help you load and offload very heavy items from the home. For example, classic pianos (because they're very heavy) should only be moved by using dollies and carts.

4. Avoid back strains

Before you lift any heavy furniture, you should be aware of how to carry out a safe lift. Rather than bending your back and exerting a strain on your spine, you should use your knees to help with the load.

Start by bending your knees while keeping your back straight at all times. Make sure you have a firm grasp on the item and slowly straighten your knees as you lift. During the move, give yourself time to rest and keep yourself hydrated. These simple steps will prevent you from getting back strains on moving day.

Contact a local removals company if you need help moving.