Moving house can be chaotic, and accidents can happen. Here are 6 safety tips to help everyone avoid injury on the big day.
Moving house can be chaotic and amongst the commotion, accidents can happen. To help everyone involved in your move avoid injury on the big day, here are 6 handy safety tips:
1: Lift Properly
A lot of people get injured during the process of moving because they lift with their back, and not their legs. This ends up pulling the back and causing a strain. If you have a prior back injury, the result of lifting this way could be even more dangerous.
To lift properly you have to lift with your legs, using the power of the legs to get the item off the ground. The same goes for lowering the box to the ground. You must use your legs to do so, squatting down rather than holding all the weight with your arms and back.
2: Consider Using A Professional Moving Company
If you have a cheap self storage facility local to you, it is worth asking them if they offer professional moving services. This is one way to guarantee accidents are much less likely to happen as professional movers know how to do the job safely. Contact the self storage company to see if they can offer any services. If you have the budget, it’s definitely worth considering.
3: Don’t Have Any Uncovered Glass
Lightbulbs, glass lampshades, cafetieres and ornaments can easily shatter. To avoid breaking these items and potentially hurting the person carrying them, pack them separately and wrapped with lots of padding.
4: Label, Label, Label
It is a good idea to label during a move to help keep things organised. Extra labelling is also handy to help avoid accidents. Labelling a box as heavy helps prepare the person trying to lift it, avoiding back strain.
5: Communication Matters
Communication is an important part of safety on moving day. Without communication a person can knock another person down some stairs by accident, boxes can be dropped on feet, and items can be swung around getting moved, accidentally banging into another person. It sounds a bit like a Chuckle Brothers sketch but, these injuries are no laughing matter when they happen.
Good communication means everybody is clear on what needs doing, and everybody communicates where they are going at any one time. If you’re about to come out of a room and you can’t see past your box, shouting that you’re on your way through can easily prevent an accident happening.
6: Preventing Tripping & Slipping
Trips and slips are common during a move because items are being carried and we can’t always look where our feet are going. Try to place cardboard on the ground in any slippy walkways, especially in the snow, ice or rain. If there are slabs that are broken, or there are other trip hazards, try to level them out using cardboard, or use ramps.
Using our tips above, you can sell your house and have a safer moving day. Soon enough, you’ll be in your new home in one piece, ready to start unpacking and enjoying your brand new space.
