Save your back, your arms, shoulders and heels! That was the message of this morning’s Safety Talk with Mark. What was he talking about? Using a pallet truck.
Mark encouraged the staff to always push, if possible. Though the act seems harder, it is actually saving you from a laundry list of injury and undue strain.
When you are boxed into a small space and need to pull, use BOTH hands, look for on coming forklifts then back up enough so you are able to turn the handle and PUSH forward. This places the strain on the large muscles in your legs, not on your back.
Never pull with one arm behind our back. This puts strain on your shoulder, elbow, back and neck – PLUS if you are going too quickly, you will inevitably run over your heels.
Some quick tips:
- Keep your ears and shoulders aligned.
- Look behind you for on coming traffic when you need to pull backward.
- Use your legs to push, not your bag.
