Lift as a team with one caller
Lifting and back injury 5 min 29 CFR 1926.21
Why it matters
A team lift fails when two people guess. One person calls the moves, and the path is agreed before anyone picks the load up. The low end is the heavy end. If someone says down, the whole team stops. The employer trains you on this hazard.
The talk
A team lift needs one person to call the moves. That person says lift, says walk, and says down. Everyone else stays quiet so those words are the only commands. Agree the path before you pick the load up. Walk it with empty hands. Look for the doorway, the step, the cord, and the slick spot. Do not lift and then figure out the doorway. A doorway you did not look at will catch the load, and the people on the ends will twist. 1926.21 is the training rule. The employer trains you on this hazard. The plan is part of the lift, not something you invent in the air.
The short person does not get the low end if that means they carry all the weight. On a sloped carry, the low end is the heavy end. Stairs are where this goes wrong. If the shorter person is on the bottom, the load tips onto them. Swap ends so the load stays level, or use a strap, or use a cart. A strap can give the shorter person a hold at a better height. A cart takes the slope out of the carry. Do not tell someone to tough out a short stair. A short stair is enough to hurt a back.
If someone says down, everyone stops. Not after the next step. Not when you reach the landing. Down means the load goes down now, under control. The caller should be the one to say it, but if anyone feels a slip, a sharp pain, or a lost grip, that person says down and the team obeys. Do not argue with the load in the air. Set it down, reset your hands, and start again with lift only when everyone is ready. If the path is blocked, put it down and clear the path. You do not shuffle blind through a doorway.
Key points
- One person calls lift, walk, and down.
- Agree the path before you pick the load up.
- Do not lift and then figure out the doorway.
- The short person does not take the low end if that dumps the weight on them.
- Swap ends, or use a strap, or use a cart.
- If someone says down, everyone stops.
- The employer trains you on this hazard under 1926.21.
Do this
- Pick one caller for lift, walk, and down.
- Walk the path empty before you lift.
- Keep the load level. Do not put all the weight on the low end.
- Use a strap or a cart when the carry is sloped or awkward.
- Stop the whole team the moment anyone says down.
Do not do this
- Do not have two people calling different moves.
- Do not lift first and solve the doorway second.
- Do not give the shorter person the low end of a sloped carry.
- Do not keep walking after someone says down.
- Do not argue while the load is still in the air.
Talk about it
- What are we team-lifting today, and who is the one caller?
- Where does the path go, and which doorway or stair do we walk before we lift?
- What words do we use, and what does everyone do when someone says down?
Listens with this phone's voice. Nothing is sent out.
Send to the crew
The crew link opens the talk so each person can read it and sign on their own phone.
Scan at the jobsite. It opens the crew sign-off.