How should you safely lift a heavy pot?

• A. Bend at the waist with a rounded back.
• B. Lift with the arms while twisting.
• C. Keep the load away from your body and spin to adjust.
• D. Bend knees, keep back straight, and lift with your legs; keep the load close to your body.

Answer: (D)

Safe lifting in the kitchen comes down to using your legs, keeping the spine straight, and holding the heavy pot close to your body. When you bend your knees and squat to pick up something heavy, you let your powerful leg muscles do the work instead of your back. This keeps your spine in its natural curves and protects it from strain. Keeping the pot close to your center of gravity reduces the lever arm the weight creates, making it easier to control and less tiring on your shoulders and back.

Twisting while you lift or pulling with the arms adds sideways stress and makes it easy to lose balance or hurt your back. A rounded back during lifting also puts extra pressure on the spine, and moving a load away from your body increases the torque you have to fight to keep control. All of this raises the risk of injury.

If the pot is very heavy, ask for help or use a dolly or cart to move it, and set it down gently.