It’s an unfortunate fact that injuries are common when moving house, especially with DIY moves. The biggest contributors to picking up injuries are poor planning, stress and the pressure to get everything done on time. People also pick up injuries right through the moving process, not just on moving day. We’ve compiled a few moving safety tips to help you avoid injuries during your move.
1. Plan ahead
Every move goes better with good planning. If you don’t plan ahead, you’ll increase your stress levels and have more pressure to get everything done. If you’re stressed and hurrying, you’re much more likely to trip over, drop things, or try to lift or move an object that needs two people to do it safely. Planning ahead has a calming effect, keeps you on track and gives you a sense of achievement when you tick tasks off your list.
2. Respect your physical limits
There are two aspects to respecting your physical limitations when moving house: fitness and fatigue.
Fitness
Never attempt to perform any task that is beyond your fitness level, especially when lifting objects. If you can’t lift an item easily, get help or leave it to professional movers. Attempting to lift objects that are too heavy for you is a common cause of back injuries. People also lose control and drop heavy items. If you’re lucky and it doesn’t land on your foot, it’ll still cause damage to the item and floor.
Fatigue
Once you know you’re moving, there’s a lot to do on top of your usual schedule. It means you’ll be doing physical work when you would otherwise be relaxing. It’s tiring and if you allow yourself to get fatigued, you’re more likely to make mistakes that can lead to an injury.
What are the signs of fatigue? If your reactions are slower, you’re not thinking straight, forgetting things, feeling absent-minded, lacking awareness and attention, taking risks, or having problems with coordination, you’re probably fatigued. The best way to avoid fatigue is to stop before you experience any of these symptoms and get plenty of rest.
3. Use moving equipment
Moving equipment is designed to make moving easier, especially when lifting large and heavy objects. Professional movers usually carry this equipment as standard, but if you’re doing the move yourself, hiring moving equipment is well worth the expense. Dollys, trolleys, lifting straps and other equipment go a long way to avoiding back injuries.
4. Manage weight in boxes
Packing boxes requires careful thought, as if you load too much weight into them, you’ll make them hard to lift, which puts strain on your arms, legs and back. As before, never load more weight into a box than you can comfortably pick up and carry. The trick to distributing weight evenly without mixing different items from different rooms is to use the right box for the job.
- Heavy items go into small boxes, e.g. books.
- Mid weight items go into medium boxes, e.g. pots and pans.
- Lightweight items go into big boxes, e.g. clothes, bedding and linen.
5. Practise good lifting technique
The fastest way to give yourself a back injury is to lift with your back and not your legs, as your back isn’t designed for this task. Always practise good lifting technique, even if the object isn’t heavy.
- Stand with your feet apart at the same width as your shoulders.
- Keep your feet flat on the ground.
- Bend down to a squat.
- Make sure you have a secure grip on the object you’re lifting.
- Keep your back straight as you lift, using your legs to come upright again.
- Keep breathing as you lift the object to oxygenate your muscles. Never hold your breath.
6. Clear access from the house to the truck
When you’re carrying objects, your field of vision around your feet is obscured. Many injuries occur because people can’t see the hazards around them, leading to trips and falls. Clear the path from the house to the truck, removing as many obstacles as possible. Any extra attention to safety dramatically reduces your chance of getting injured.