The INSST guide calls for safe techniques adapted to each task. Based on the «ideal conditions» it describes, this is the general sequence:
- Plan: check the weight (if shown), the route and where you will put it. If it is heavy or bulky, use a mechanical aid or ask for help.
- Get close to the load, with your feet firmly planted and apart: an unstable posture is a risk (annex, point 2).
- Bend your knees and keep your back straight.
- Grip firmly, with both hands and, if you can, by the handles.
- Lift smoothly using your legs, without jerking, and carry the load close to your body.
- Do not twist your trunk: turn with your feet.
- Put it down just as slowly, without having to change your grip halfway (the annex also counts that as a risk).
When to speak up
You must immediately report to your supervisor and those responsible for prevention any situation you see as a risk (Law 31/1995, article 29): a load with no weight shown that feels very heavy, a broken trolley, a slippery floor or a pace you cannot keep up with.
Source: INSST, Guía técnica de manipulación manual de cargas (technical guide, 2024 edition, in Spanish), comments on the annex, point 1, and on article 4 · Real Decreto 487/1997, sobre manipulación manual de cargas (manual handling of loads; consolidated text, in Spanish), annex, point 2 · Ley 31/1995, de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales (Law on the Prevention of Occupational Risks, in Spanish), article 29