Recognised Safe Lifting
and Handling Techniques
Kinetic Lifting
Technique for a
Simple Load
Kinetic Lifting
Technique
For Lifting a
Sack From
the Ground
1
2
4
3
5
Kinetic Lifting Technique for
Lifting Sacks From a Truck
Kinetic Lifting Technique For a Dual
Person Lift from Ground Level
1
2
Kinetic Lifting
Technique, Two
Persons and Long
Load
3
5
4
Kinetic Lifting Technique, Oil Drum
Kinetic Lifting
Technique.
One Person, Long
Load
WRONG
RIGHT
Kinetic Lifting Technique, Sheets/Boards
Kinetic Lifting Technique,
2 person Lift
Sheets/Boards
Kinetic Lifting
Technique
2 Person Lift
Kinetic Lifting
Techniques
Sacks
Kinetic Lifting
HOW NOT TO DO IT!!
Timber Sleeper Snips, one person each side,
2 snips per sleeper, 4 people per sleeper
Sleeper snips as above,
Note: only for 8 ft sleepers, anything larger
will require more automation or more
people
De Clipping bars
Rail Tongs
A Selection of
Tools for Manual
Handling Tasks
in the Rail
Environment
7 Steps to Safe Lifting - Base Movement
•
•
•
•
•
•
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
• 7th
Assess the load – can you lift it safely?
Place your feet at ten-to-two
BEND you knees
Back - KEEP IT STRAIGHT & UPRIGHT
Neck & head – keep your chin up.
Grip – “front knee, high hand, far corner” and “back
knee, low hand, near corner”.
Load - hold it in close to your pelvis.
• Remember – use these good principles for lifting in different
situations and don’t stick blindly to rules and procedures
Points to remember:
• Practicing good lifting technique does not enable you
to lift more than you could before. It means that,
whatever your individual capabilities, your chances of
injury are reduced.
• Good technique is just one of a number of control
measures, within the hierarchy of control, that the
employer has to put in place to reduce manual
handling risks; it is not a panacea.
• This is about a cultural change, about not accepting
practices because that’s the way they’ve always been
done.