June is National Safety Month, and this week the focus is on ergonomics. Summer is a great time to buy a house. And along with a new home comes moving which can be a significant pain in the back.
Even if you are hiring a mover, you will still be lifting objects during the move. Here are tips (from the National Safety Council) on how to keep from stressing and hurting your back.
When moving keep these tips in mind:
- Stretch and warm up before you perform any lifting
- Never twist or bend your back, stand straight and bend your knees
- Always make sure you are on solid ground
- Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and the box or object close to your body
- Lift with your legs, not your back
- Make two or more trips instead of carrying more than you can handle
- When lifting or carrying heavy items (25lbs or more) ask for help
- Make sure pathways clear of tripping hazards
Keeping these in mind will help you have a safe and “as much as possible” pain-free move!
Here is a link to the National Safety Council’s Ergonomic Tip Sheet:
https://healthfinder.gov/NHO/PDFs/June2NHOToolkit.pdf
I addition to keeping safe with how you move, keep these tips in mind as well when moving to a new home:
- Make sure you have a new weather emergency plan
- Buy new batteries for the smoke and CO2 alarms
- If you have small children, make sure the new house is “child proof”
We know buying a new home is exciting, keeping these tips in mind will make it a smooth transition.
