Lifting, Team-Lift & Ergonomics: the full procedure
Apply the business's lifting and team-lift practices on every job, deferring all technique standards to OSHA and the safety plan.
- Applies to: All field crew
- Frequency: Every job / ongoing
- Scope: Documents when and how the crew engages lifting and team-lift practices within the job flow. All lifting technique, weight thresholds, and ergonomic standards defer to OSHA and NIOSH guidance and your written safety plan — this SOP does not set those standards, it ensures they are applied.
What you need
- Dollies and hand trucks
- Moving straps/forearm forks
- Back-support and PPE per safety plan
- Gloves
- Defined team-lift weight threshold
The procedure, step by step
- Assess before lifting — Size up each item's weight, shape, and grip points before touching it.
- Default to equipment — Use dollies, straps, and hand trucks before any manual lift wherever possible.
- Apply the team-lift threshold — For items at or above the safety plan's defined limit, call a team lift — never solo a heavy item.
- Follow trained technique — Use the lifting technique trained per OSHA/NIOSH guidance; this SOP does not substitute for that training.
- Coordinate team lifts — Assign a lead caller, communicate the lift, and move in sync.
- Take micro-breaks — Rotate and rest on high-volume jobs to manage fatigue and repetitive strain.
- Report strain or injury — Stop and report any pain, near-miss, or injury per the safety plan immediately.
- Review the day — Note any item or access condition that made lifting unsafe so future quotes account for it.
Quality check before you finish
- Items assessed before lifting
- Equipment used before manual lifting
- Team lifts called at or above the defined weight threshold
- PPE worn per the safety plan
- Lift communication clear during team lifts
- Strain, near-misses, and injuries reported
- Unsafe conditions logged for future quoting
This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Junk Removal business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.
Sources
- OSHA — ergonomics & safe lifting (osha.gov)
- NIOSH — revised lifting equation (cdc.gov)
- OSHA — recordkeeping & injury reporting (osha.gov)
About Free Lifting & Team-Lift SOP for Haulers (Printable)
Free printable lifting and team-lift SOP for junk removal crews — when to use equipment and team lifts. Defers technique to OSHA. Source-anchored, no signup.
How to use
- Read the full procedure top to bottom before the work — the SOP runs in order and each step builds on the last.
- Toggle Ink-saver (black & white) for a cheaper mono print for the binder; leave it off for the full-color version.
- Click Print SOP to print or save as PDF. Print one per crew, laminate it for the binder, or attach it to the job in your scheduling system.
- Train new hires on it and have staff sign off. Found something out of date? Use the feedback link — flagged SOPs are re-researched against the source list.
Frequently asked questions
How much weight should one person lift on a junk job?
There is no single universal number — your safety plan sets a team-lift threshold based on OSHA and NIOSH guidance, and any item at or above it requires a team lift or mechanical aid. This SOP enforces calling that threshold; the actual limit and lifting technique come from your training and those authorities.
Does this SOP replace safety training?
No. It documents when and where lifting and team-lift practices fit in the workday, but the technique, weight limits, PPE, and ergonomic standards come from OSHA, NIOSH, and your written safety plan. Use it alongside certified training, never as a substitute.
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