Manual handling guide
How to lift safely at work
To lift safely at work: size up the load and the path first, stand close with a stable base, bend at the hips and knees, grip firmly, lift with your legs keeping the load close, turn with your feet rather than your spine, and lower the same way. Most lifting injuries don't come from one heavy load — they build up from small mistakes repeated shift after shift. Here's the technique in plain English, and what to do when a lift isn't worth doing alone.
By Warehouse Handling Academy · Published · Updated
Before you lift: set up the lift
Look at the load and the path before you touch it. Check the weight if it's marked, look for grip points, and check where you're actually taking it — is the floor clear, is there a trolley or teammate nearby if you need one, and is the drop-off point ready?
A lift that's set up well is usually safer than a heavier lift that isn't — most problems happen when someone commits to a lift mid-way and has to adjust on the fly.
The lifting technique, step by step
- 1Stand close with a stable base. Stand close to the load with your feet about shoulder-width apart, one foot slightly ahead of the other for balance.
- 2Bend at the hips and knees. Bend at the hips and knees, not the waist. Keep your back in its natural, neutral position rather than rounding it.
- 3Get a firm grip first. Take a firm grip on the load before you start to lift. If there are no grip points, reconsider how (or whether) to lift it.
- 4Lift with your legs, load close. Straighten your legs to lift, keeping the load close to your body the whole way up. The further it is from you, the heavier it effectively is.
- 5Keep your head up, don't twist. Look ahead, not down, and avoid twisting your spine. If you need to change direction, turn with your feet.
- 6Lower the same way, in reverse. Set the load down by bending your hips and knees again, rather than dropping or dumping it. Lowering causes as many injuries as lifting.
Common mistakes that cause injury
- •Twisting the spine while carrying a load instead of turning the whole body.
- •Bending from the waist with straight legs instead of using the legs to lift.
- •Reaching for a load instead of moving closer to it first.
- •Rushing a lift because of time or rate pressure.
- •Carrying a load further than necessary without a break or a trolley.
When not to lift alone
Not every load should be lifted solo. If something is too heavy, too awkward, too large to see over, or has to be carried a long way, it's usually safer and faster to use equipment (a trolley, pallet jack or hoist), ask a second person for a team lift, or raise it with your supervisor. None of that is a failure — it's the correct call.
There is no legal maximum lifting weight in Australia. The code of practice deliberately avoids one, because the same 15 kg carton can be safe at waist height and hazardous at floor level, above the shoulders, or on the four-hundredth repetition.
This technique is covered in full, with warehouse-specific examples, in Module 5: Lifting and Lowering of the free course. Pushing and pulling — where most warehouse force injuries actually happen — has its own module too.
Sources and further reading
- Model Code of Practice: Hazardous Manual Tasks — Safe Work Australia — the national guidance this technique sits within
- Lifting, pushing and pulling (manual tasks) — Safe Work Australia — overview of hazards, duties and controls
Related guides
This is non-accredited general awareness training and does not issue a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment. Always confirm your employer's specific training requirements.