Most people are aware of how time-consuming, stressful, and expensive moving home can be. But not many people realise how dangerous it can also be. With so many heavy objects, and the potential to slip over, lift something incorrectly, or for something to fall on you, if you are not careful you can end up causing serious injury to yourself.
Trying to save money on removalist costs can quickly turn into expensive health care costs, especially if you need to miss time off work.
It’s typical for moving injuries to happen in just a second, and often with no notice, which makes it essential to always be on alert.
By being careful, you can help to minimise the risk of injury.
Let’s take a look at how to avoid injury when moving house.
1. Prepare Yourself For Moving
One of the most common moving day injuries is muscle cramps. It’s also an injury that can be easily avoided. Before you start on moving day, do a quick stretch. This will keep your muscles warm. While stretching is often only associated with sports, you are going to be undertaking a lot of physical activity and bending, twisting, turning, and most likely using muscles you don’t regularly use in your day to day routine.
Also, keep hydrated throughout the day. Take regular breaks when you start to feel tired. By avoiding fatigue, it will also help to decrease the risk of injury.
2. Comfortable Clothing Is A Must
The best clothes to wear are the ones which are easy to move in, Tight-fitting clothes restrict your movement, and may lead to a higher chance of injury. Likewise, any baggy clothes may get caught on any latches or door handles. The best option is to go for form-fitting clothing which is breathable, movable, and comfortable.
3. Use Protective Items
Do you have steel-capped boots? If so, make sure to wear them. Otherwise, wear closed-toe shoes. This will help protect your toes and feet if you drop anything on them accidentally. It’s also recommended to wear protective gloves. They will help to prevent any scratches, cuts or blisters, and also give you some padding in case you get your fingers or hands jammed in anything.
4. Lift Correctly
When you are preparing to lift heavy items, may sure to bend at your knees. Do this while still getting a grip before you lift. If you instead bend at the hip, it will cause your back to do the heavy lifting, instead of using your legs.
This is the number one way that people injure their back when moving, and the damage can end up being long-lasting.
It’s crucial to keep your back straight and upright at all times. Grip heavy furniture from the bottom, and place your hands as wide as possible to improve your balance. Make sure to only life items that you can carry on your own.
Better Health has a guide to reducing or eliminating manual handling risks and injuries.
5. Ask For Help
Any furniture which is too heavy you should never attempt to carry on your own. Ask some friends or family to help. Make sure anyone helping also follows the above advice, so that they come dressed for moving, and lift using the correct method to avoid injury.
Also, have one person to guide you instead of lifting themselves. They should help you navigate through the house and only the moving truck. Along the way, they should let you know of any doorways, steps, or ledges which are approaching, and guide you to navigate them safely.
6. Protect The Furniture
The best way to prevent scratches, dings, and dents to your furniture is to keep it thoroughly protected. Use bubble wrap, old sheets, blankets, and padding. Doing so not only protects your furniture from damage, but it also helps to reduce the risk of any injury which may happen when dropping or putting down furniture.
7. Use The Right Moving Equipment
If the furniture is too heavy to move safely, no matter how many people you have helped, then it’s time to use moving equipment. By using trolleys, dollies, hoists, straps, rollers, and sliders, you will be using the same tools which professional removalists use. They not only reduce the distance you have to physically carry heavy items, but they also help to reduce the risk of injury. If you don’t have any moving equipment, you can usually hire some from your local hardware store.
8. Clear Obstacles
Before you start moving, move any obstacles from the hallways and walkways. Things such as mats, rugs, doorstops, and shoes can be hard to see while carrying heavy furniture. They are a considerable hazard, which can lead to tripping, as well as dropping and damaging your furniture and your home, such as putting dents or holes into walls. Tripping over items is a massive cause of serious injury, and also has the potential to hurt those around you too.
Also, make sure that every door is fully open before moving so that you don’t have to try and open a door while you are carrying furniture at the same time.
9. Call A Professional Removalist
Sometimes trying to save some money is not worth the risk of injuring yourself or damaging your furniture while moving your belongings on your own to your new home.
Do you have a lot of heavy furniture which needs moving? Do you need to navigate stairs? Maybe it’s best to leave the heavy lifting to professional removalists. After all, moving staff are experts who have undergone thorough training, and use professional removalist tools as well as protective equipment, to safely move your items from your old home to their new home.
By using professional furniture removalists, it also makes sure that you don’t suffer from any injury!
Are you moving home and feeling overwhelmed by the number of things you need to move? Do you not have enough fit and strong people to move all of your belongings safely? Well, Next Level Removals are here to help.
Our professional removalists are trustworthy and reliable to ensure your furniture arrives safely at your new home, without injury or damage. We also provide packing and unpacking services to make your move easier, and are fully covered by insurance for peace of mind.
Contact our friendly customer service team today for an obligation-free quote on 1300 005 400 or contact us online.