DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Summary

Workers who handle drywall 

sheets are at high risk of overexertion and fall injuries. NIOSH 

research has led to recommendations for preventing these injuries.

Preventing Injuries from

Installing Drywall

Description of

Exposure

NIOSH research [Chiou et al. 2000] 

found that the two main causes of 

injuries to drywall installers and carpenters are overexertion (37%) and 

falls (32%). These injuries frequently occur while workers are installing drywall sheets [WDLI 2002]. A 

NIOSH survey of drywall installers 

and carpenters found that workers 

believed their biggest risk of physical stress was from lifting, carrying, 

or holding drywall [Pan et al. 1999]. 

The State of Washington [WDLI 

2002] also found that overexertion 

hazards were a major source of injury to drywall installers. Overexertion hazards were responsible for 

the greatest proportion of costs for 

medical care, impairment, and payloss days in Washington State [Lipscomb et al. 2000]. Installing drywall can cause overexertion injuries, 

usually to the back, because drywall 

sheets are heavy and bulky. Injuries 

include strains, sprains, or tears and 

can range from minor to severe.

Workers should be aware that drywall sheets vary by thickness and 

weight: some sheets weigh less than 

55 pounds, and others weigh more 

than 120 pounds. NIOSH has studied the relationship between lifting 

heavy objects and subsequent back 

pain. The NIOSH Lifting Equation 

[1994] (which is a formula for judging the risk of lifting heavy objects 

by the likelihood of subsequent back 

pain) suggests that lifting heavy objects such as drywall poses a high risk 

of back pain. 

Falls are an additional major cause 

of injury during drywall installation [Lipscomb et al. 2000]. Fallrelated injuries for drywall installers and carpenters can be caused by 

losing balance as a result of lifting, 

carrying, or holding heavy and bulky 

drywall sheets, or by other events, 

such as falls to a lower level from 

stairs. Poor lighting and a wet or 

slippery work floor, along with obstruction of peripheral vision due to 

handling oversized drywall sheets, 

can also place drywall installers and 

carpenters at risk of slip and fall incidents [Pan and Chiou 1999b]. 

In addition, many workers do not 

have enough hand grip strength to install drywall without risk of overexertion injury [Pan and Chiou 1999a]. 

Cold and wet conditions can make it 

more difficult. Even if a worker has 

good hand and body strength and uses 

good installation techniques, continued installation by hand can lead to 

significant overexertion injuries and 

loss of balance [Pan et al. 2003]. 

Case Studies

The following are three case reports 

of injuries to workers who were installing drywall at construction sites. 

Case 1

A drywall carpenter lifted a 12-foot 

long, 120-pound drywall sheet. As 

he stepped up to his drywall bench, 

he slipped and fell forward, twisting 

and straining his knee, which swelled 

badly after work [Lipscomb 2004].
Case 2

A drywall carpenter developed tendonitis from lifting and 

carrying drywall sheets up the stairs. He had hung drywall earlier in the day and had lifted and carried twelve 

10-foot sections of drywall up 20 steps when he began to 

feel pain in his elbow [Lipscomb 2004].

Case 3

A drywall carpenter dislocated his shoulder after lifting 

and hanging multiple 16-foot-long, 125-pound drywall 

sheets on a ceiling. He and a partner lifted and carried 

each sheet from a pile, climbed onto their work platform, then lifted the sheet to the ceiling. The injury occurred while securing the eighth sheet of the day [Lipscomb 2004]. 

Controls

NIOSH recommends the following to reduce injuries to 

drywall installers and carpenters from overexertion and 

falls.

Pre-job preparation and set-up 

Know the weight of the drywall sheet before starting the job and plan accordingly. For example, a 3/8-

inch-thick, 4-×8-foot sheet could weigh 55 pounds; 

a similarly sized 5/8-inch-thick sheet could weigh 70 

pounds. 

Have forklifts, hand trucks, carts, or dollies available 

to move drywall to work locations.

Minimize the need to move the drywall sheets. For 

example, have them delivered to the place where 

they will be installed—not to a common area for 

building supplies.

Make sure that stored materials do not create any 

safety hazards such as tripping.

Use work practices that reduce the need for workers 

to install drywall by hand. For example, have a drywall lift or drywall jacks available at worksites when 

working alone, installing larger or heavier sheets, or 

installing ceilings. 

During the job

Make sure that workers are familiar with and use 

good lifting and installation techniques such as those 

listed here.

Use PVC-dot grip gloves to reduce the grip force 

needed to lift, carry, and hold drywall sheets (Figure 1).

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Bend the knees instead of the back when lifting, holding, and carrying drywall. Figure 2 shows proper horizontal installation sequences for residential buildings. 

For vertical hanging in commercial buildings, raise 

the sheet, shift grip to opposite sides of the sheet, 

then rotate the sheet into a vertical position and secure to the wall. 

Use two workers to lift larger, thicker, and heavier 

sheets. 

Lift only one sheet at a time.

Rotate hanging tasks and other installation tasks (making cutouts, taping, installing trim) and schedule frequent rest breaks to reduce overexertion hazards.

Use a drywall lift or drywall jacks to place and hold a 

sheet for ceiling installation or to place heavier sheets. 

Use forklifts, hand trucks, carts, or dollies to move 

drywall to convenient work locations. Use dollies to 

move sheets through narrow openings. 

Acknowledgments

The principal contributors to this publication were Christopher Pan, Sharon Chiou, and Paul Keane, Division of 

Safety Research, National Institute for Occupational 

Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH also acknowledges the Center to Protect Workers’ Rights and the Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Committee of Philadelphia 

and Vicinity (who conducted focus groups to support 

their review of this document), W.B.C. Construction 

company, Duke University, Associated General Contractors of America, and the Gypsum Association.

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Figure 1. PVC-dot grip style gloves for use with drywall.
1 2

3 4

5

Figure 2. Proper horizontal installation sequence: (1) Raise edge of sheet, (2) grip with both hands, (3) hold 

in place with one hand and shift grip to bottom, (4) shift both hands to bottom, and (5) lift into position.

References

Chiou S, Pan CS, Keane P [2000]. Traumatic injuries Pan CS, Chiou S [1999b]. Slip and fall: fall protection 

among drywall installers, 1992 to 1995. J Occup Envi- in construction safety. In: Mital A, Ayoub M, Kumar S, 

ron Med 42(11):1101–1108. Wang MJ, eds. Industrial and Occupational ErgonomLipscomb HJ, Dement JM, Gaal JS, Cameron W, Mc- ics: Users Encyclopedia (CD ROM).

Dougall V [2000]. Work-related injuries in drywall in- Pan CS, Chiou S, Hendricks S [2003]. The effect of drystallation. Appl Occup Environ Hyg 15(10):794–802. wall lifting method on workers’ balance. Occup ErgoLipscomb H [2004]. Unpublished surveillance data. nomics 4(3):235–249. 

Duke University, St. Louis Injury Prevention Project Pan CS, Chiou S, Hsiao H, Wassell J [1999]. Assessment 

(SLIPP), 1999–2002. of perceived traumatic injury hazards during drywall 

Pan CS, Chiou S [1999a]. Analysis of biomechanical hanging. Int J Ind Ergonomics 25(1):29–37.

stresses during drywall lifting. Int J Ind Ergonomics NIOSH [1994]. Applications manual for the revised NIOSH 

23:505–511. lifting equation. Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National 

Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS 

(NIOSH) Publication No. 94–110.

 WDLI [2002]. Ergonomics demonstration project: wallboard. Olympia, Washington: Washington State Department of Labor and Industries [www.lni.wa.gov/wisha/ergo/demofnl/wallboard_fnl.PDF].

For More Information

To receive more information about occupational safety 

and health topics, contact NIOSH at

NIOSH Publications

4676 Columbia Parkway

Cincinnati, OH 45226–1998

Telephone: 1–800–35–NIOSH (1–800–356–4674)

Fax: 513–533–8573  E-mail: pubstaft@cdc.gov

or visit the NIOSH Web site at www.cdc.gov/niosh

For a monthly update on news at NIOSH, subscribe to 

NIOSH eNews by visiting www.cdc.gov/niosh/eNews.

This document is in the public domain and may be 

freely copied or reprinted. NIOSH encourages all 

readers of the Workplace Solutions to make them 

available to all interested employers and workers.

As part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NIOSH is the Federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations to prevent work-related illnesses and injuries. All Workplace 

Solutions are based on research studies that show how 

worker exposures to hazardous agents or activities can 

be significantly reduced.

Preventing Injuries from Installing Drywall DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2006–147

Safer • Healthier • PeopleTM September 2006

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health