Manual Handling and Back Safety Toolbox Talk
Back, shoulder and knee injuries from lifting and carrying are the most common injuries in construction. They build up slowly, then one day one lift finishes the job. Most of them can be avoided by not lifting heavy things by hand at all.
Takes about 5 minutes.
Key points to read out
- Plan the lift: how heavy is it, where is it going, and is the path clear?
- Use a machine first: trolleys, pallet jacks, hoists, telehandlers, cranes and vacuum lifters.
- Order materials in smaller sizes where you can, such as 20 kg bags instead of 40 kg bags.
- If you have to lift: feet apart, bend your knees, keep the load close and your back straight.
- Do not twist while carrying. Turn with your feet.
- Heavy or awkward loads are a two person lift. One person calls the lift so you move together.
- Work at waist height where you can: put materials on stands or trestles instead of the floor.
- Rotate repetitive jobs such as tying steel, laying blocks or overhead drilling, and take short breaks.
- Report early aches and pain. Small problems fixed early stop big injuries later.
Questions to ask the crew
- What is the heaviest thing we have to move today, and how will we move it?
- Which jobs could we do with a trolley or machine instead?
- Who calls the lift in a team lift?
- Has anyone got aches they should tell us about?
Reference: WHS Regulation 2011, Part 4.2 (Hazardous manual tasks)
Sign-in sheet
Print this page or download the sign-in sheet. Or run it in the app and the crew signs on the phone.
| Name | Company | Signature |
|---|---|---|
Get it signed
Run this talk in the app. The crew signs on your phone and you get a dated attendance record as a PDF.