fast facts 

 Avoid Injury When Lifting and Handling 

Heavy Materials 

May 2010 

Office of Compliance 

advancing safety, health, and workplace rights in the legislative branch 

www.compliance.gov 

Many jobs require lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying, and throwing. About one in ten, however, requires 

extensive material handling. These activities occur throughout the Capitol Campus, but they are most commonly 

found in the House and Senate Office buildings and in the Library of Congress, particularly work done by maintenance workers and laborers. 

Material handling can result in overexertion, which is the most costly injury in the United States, in terms of workers’ compensation. Most overexertion injuries involve the trunk and back, but other parts of the body can be affected, such as the knees, shoulders, arms, legs and neck.1

 These strains may be “one-time” events. However 

repeated stresses from handling materials can weaken joints, pinch nerves, inflame tissues, damage muscles, and 

result in chronic illnesses.2 

Risk Factors

Risk factors are characteristics of the job that increase 

the chance of sustaining an injury. The more risk factors present in a job, the greater likelihood of injury. 

Risk factors include: 

 weights of objects handled; 

 forces required to move objects; 

 awkward positions, especially bending the back 

and reaching to grasp, hold, or lift objects; 

 twisting, jerking or sudden motions; and 

 frequency and duration of handling and holding. 

To avoid injury from material handling, you should 

arrange your work to remove as many of these risk factors as you can. Plan and perform your activities so you: 

 don’t twist the torso while lifting, lowering, pushing, 

pulling and carrying; 

 don’t bend too much during lifting, carrying, lowering, pushing or pulling (if you can, keep the object in 

your “strike zone,” or area between the knees and 

shoulders, during the entire lift); 

 make sure your knuckles stay above waist height 

while pushing, pulling and carrying; 

 don’t reach with your hands held far away from your 

body while lifting, lowering or carrying an item 

(“hug” the object and keep it close to your torso); 

 don’t use handles that are hard to hold or that are located so the objects become unstable during handling 

(handles must be located below the center of gravity 

and so the weight on each side of the handle is equal); 

 don’t have a poor footing that might cause slipping or 

instability during lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling 

and carrying; and finally 

 don’t make sudden or jerking movements while lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling and carrying. 
When preparing to lift, lower, and carry an object, you should: 

 size up the load and if it’s too heavy, too big, or awkward to grasp and hold, you should divide it, get help, 

and/or use a mechanical lifting device (if the weight is unknown, lift each side slightly or slide the object to 

test it); 

 check the load’s surface and if the object is soiled or oily so you won’t be able to hold it close, you should 

clean the surface or use protective clothing, such as an apron; 

 inspect the handles and if your grip will be unsure, or if edges might “cut” into your hands, you should use 

gloves or other devices to help you hold the object; 

 survey your route for obstructions that would keep you from getting close to the object to lift it; anything that 

would restrict your movement along the route; spills, obstructions, stairs, uneven surfaces, or other slip/trip 

hazards; and 

 plan where to set the load down so it will be in your “strike zone.”

Guidelines for weight limits of objects to be lifted: 

 

The following table provides advice for examining an object’s weight, location and distance before lifting the 

object: 

When lifting and lowering an object you should: 

 move close to the object; 

 if the object is on or near the floor, squat down bending at the knees and hips with your back straight; 

 firmly grasp the load with both hands, not just the fingers; 

 draw the object close to your body and keep your weight centered; 

 if the object is below the “strike zone,” lift slowly with your legs keeping your back straight; 

 for objects in the “strike zone,” draw the object near the torso and then lift; and 

 for objects above the “strike zone,” lower the object to the “strike zone” while keeping it as close to the upper 

torso as you can (sometimes it may be better to lower the object onto a table or other horizontal surface and 

then draw it near the torso and lift it). 

Weight Limits of Objects to be Lifted (in pounds)

Height Above Floor ► Floor 

Level

10 inches 

Above 

Floor

20 inches

Above 

Floor

30 inches

Above 

Floor

40 inches

Above 

Floor

50 inches

Above 

Floor

60 inches

Above 

Floor

More than 

70 inches

Horizontal Reach ▼

10 inches or closer 35 38 41 45 41 38 35 Do not lift.

Get help in 

lowering 

the object.

15 inches away 23 25 28 30 28 25 23

20 inches away 17 19 20 22 20 19 17

25 inches away 14 15 17 18 17 15 14

Further than 25 inches Do not lift: Get closer to the object or get assistance with lifting it.

This table was developed from the NIOSH Lifting Guide.6 It applies only to lifting objects that have good handles, while using both hands, 

without twisting the trunk, and at a frequency no less than one object every 5 minutes. If these conditions do not apply, the weight of the 

object should be less than that listed in the table.

“Height Above Floor” means the vertical distance of the hands above the floor either at the start or at the end of the lift. (Use whichever 

height matches the lower weight in the table.)

“Horizontal Reach” means the horizontal distance of the hands away from the midpoint between the ankles either at the start or at the end 

of the lift. (Use whichever horizontal reach matches the lower weight in the table.)
fast stats 

Overexertion Injuries 

 Direct compensation for overexertion injuries in the U.S. in 2006 was $12.4 billion, exceeding the compensation costs of 

injuries combined for the second and third categories, which include various types of falls. 

 A 20-pound sack of flour held 20 inches in front of your body places about 400 pounds of compressive force on your 

lower spine. 

 The back has 300 muscles, 33 vertebrae, and discs between the vertebrae. Discs are fibrous cartilage surrounding a soft, 

gelatinous material. Discs maintain alignment of the vertebrae and cushion the forces imposed by daily activities. Over 

a period of time, stresses can tear the fibrous outer casing of the discs. The discs have no blood supply for healing. The 

inner contents can leak out of a disc, causing it to narrow. The results can be pinching, deterioration of the joints, inflammation, and pain. 

References 

1 “Manual Material Handling: An Ergonomic Approach,” Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation, HS95-052B (1-05). 

2 “Workplace Safety Index," Liberty Mutual Insurance, April 2009. 

3 “Lessons for Lifting and Moving Materials,” Washington Department of Labor and Industries, F417-129-000, February 2000 Edition.

4 Checklist is based on the work from T. R. Waters, “Manual Materials Handling,” in: Physical and Biological Hazards of the Workplace (2nd edition). 

Edited by P. Wald and G. Stave. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2002. 

5 “Ergonomic Guidelines for Manual Material Handling,” National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Publication No. 2007-131, 2007. 

6 “The NIOSH Guide for Lifting,” National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Publication No. 94-110, 1994. 

 “Threshold Limit Values...” (includes guidance for lifting), American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), latest edition.

 

This information does not constitute advice or an official ruling of the Office of Comp liance or the Board of Directors and is 

intended for educational purposes only. For further information, please refer to the Congressional Accountability Act (2 U.S.C.

1301 et seq.) and the regulations issued by the Board, or you may contact the Office of Compliance.

The Office of Compliance advances safety, health, and workplace 

rights in the U.S. Congress and the Legislative Branch. Established as an independent agency by the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, the Office educates employees and employing 

offices about their rights and responsibilities under the Act, provides an impartial dispute resolution process, and investigates and 

remedies violations of the Act. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Office 

of Compliance: 

Room LA 200, John Adams Building 

110 Second Street, SE 

Washington, D.C. 20540 

t/ 202-724-9250 

tdd/ 202-426-1912 

f/ 202-426-1913 

Peter Ames Eveleth 

General Counsel 

Mary-Margaret Smith 

Editor Download the entire Fast Facts suite at http://www.compliance.gov 

When carrying an object you should: 

 make sure you have a firm grip on a comfortable handle before moving the load; 

 stand up straight and make sure the load is balanced; 

 hold the load close to your body without flexing the arms, if possible; 

 hold the load so it will not interfere with the legs while walking; 

 make sure the load does not obstruct your forward vision to avoid trips, falls, or walking into something; and 

 avoid any sudden movements that could upset the load balance. 

When turning with an object you should: 

 aim one foot toward your destination and don’t twist your body; and 

 use your feet (not your waist) to pivot or walk through the turn.