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Material Handling Safety

Ballymore Material Handling Safety Hero
BSAFE
Because the Right Equipment Does the Heavy Lifting
Because Smarter Handling Means Safer Workers
Because the Safest Lift Is the One You Don't Have to Make
Why Material Handling Safety Matters -- Ballymore

Why Material Handling Safety Matters

Musculoskeletal disorders caused by overexertion (lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, and carrying) are the single largest category of serious workplace injuries in the United States. Unlike falls or equipment incidents, MSDs build over time. By the time a worker reports an injury, the damage has often been accumulating for months. The right ergonomic equipment does not just reduce injury. It prevents it from starting.

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1M
Overexertion injuries causing lost work time, job restriction, or transfer in 2023-2024 (NSC/BLS)
937K
Musculoskeletal disorder injuries reported in U.S. private industry in 2023-2024 (BLS)
$20B
Annual workers' compensation cost from MSDs across U.S. employers (BLS/NIOSH)
$85K
Maximum direct cost of a single MSD injury per case (BLS)

Sources: NSC Injury Facts 2026, BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses 2023-2024, NIOSH

Essential Material Handling Safety Rules -- Ballymore

Essential Material Handling Safety Rules

Inspect Equipment Before Every Use
Test hydraulic systems without a load before each shift. Inspect wheels, forks, and rollers on pallet jacks, and check lift table surfaces, casters, and brake function on carts. Any equipment with unresolved issues must be taken out of service immediately.
Never Exceed Rated Capacity
Every piece of material handling equipment has a rated capacity that accounts for the full load including packaging and positioning. Exceeding the rated capacity on lift tables, pallet jacks, or stackers compromises stability and risks equipment failure or tip-over.
Bring the Work to the Operator
Use lift tables and work positioners to raise materials to the operator's working height. Floor-level loading and overhead reaching are the two most hazardous positions in material handling. The right equipment eliminates both before the task begins.
Secure Loads Before Transport
Before moving any load on a cart, pallet jack, or stacker, perform a stability test by raising the load a few inches and checking for wobble or uneven weight distribution. Secure loose items before transport. Never move an unstable or unsecured load.
Confirm Travel Paths Before Moving
Verify aisle width, floor condition, doorway clearances, and sight lines before moving loaded equipment. OSHA requires clear, unobstructed aisles at all times. Never move a load that blocks your line of sight, reposition or use a spotter instead.
Train Before You Operate
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178 requires operator training and authorization before using any powered material handling equipment. Manual equipment requires training as best practice. Every operator should know the capacity, controls, and emergency procedures for each piece of equipment they use.
Standard Equipment vs. Ergonomic Equipment -- Ballymore

Standard Equipment vs. Ergonomic Equipment

Most facilities already have basic hand trucks, dollies, and standard pallet jacks. The question is whether that equipment is actually solving the problem, or just making it easier to sustain it.

What most facilities already have
Standard Equipment
Hand trucks, basic dollies, standard pallet jacks
Lower upfront cost. Standard hand trucks and basic pallet jacks are inexpensive and widely available from any industrial supplier.
Familiar to most operators. Basic equipment requires minimal training and most workers already know how to use a hand truck or standard dolly.
Adequate for light, infrequent tasks. For occasional low-weight transport on flat surfaces, standard equipment can be the right call.
No height adjustability. Standard equipment moves loads at a fixed height, forcing operators to bend, stoop, or reach to load and unload regardless of ergonomic risk.
Not designed for repetitive high-frequency use. Standard equipment reduces the physical effort of a single move but does not address the cumulative MSD risk that builds over a full shift.
One-size-fits-all approach. Standard equipment is not matched to the specific load, task, or environment. A drum, a pallet, and a component part all require different handling solutions.
Operator still does the ergonomically risky work. Loading, unloading, and positioning still rely on the worker's body. The equipment moves the load but does not eliminate the hazardous postures involved in handling it.
Ballymore recommendation
Ergonomic Equipment
Purpose-built solutions from Lift Products, Valley Craft, and Ballymore
Higher upfront cost. Purpose-built ergonomic equipment requires a larger investment than commodity handling tools. The return is measured in reduced injury costs and productivity gains.
Requires operator familiarization. Powered and specialized equipment benefits from proper operator training to use safely and efficiently.
Not always necessary for simple tasks. For occasional light transport on flat surfaces, purpose-built ergonomic equipment may be more than the task requires.
Adjustable to the right working height. Lift tables and work positioners bring every load to the operator's optimal working height, eliminating floor-level bending and overhead reaching entirely.
Engineered for high-frequency repetitive use. Purpose-built ergonomic equipment is designed to sustain safe working postures across a full shift, not just reduce the effort of a single move.
Matched to the specific load and task. Drum handlers for drums, lift tables for workstation positioning, pallet stackers for rack height. The right product for each task reduces both injury risk and handling time.
Removes the hazardous postures from the task. Ergonomic equipment is an engineering control. It redesigns the task so that awkward loading, unloading, and positioning postures are no longer required.
The Bottom Line
Standard equipment is better than nothing. But it was designed to move loads, not to protect the people moving them. Ergonomic equipment is designed around the worker first. The difference shows up in injury rates, worker fatigue, and productivity over the course of a full shift. Most facilities that make the switch find that the reduction in workers' compensation costs, absenteeism, and turnover pays for the equipment upgrade well before the first year is out.
Material Handling Safety Video Library -- Ballymore

Material Handling Safety Video Library

Watch Ballymore material handling equipment in use. Loading docks, ball transfer tables, and pallet stackers for warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing floors.

Product Overview
Rough Terrain Portable Loading Dock
See the rough terrain portable loading dock in action, built for safe, stable loading and unloading outside a fixed dock environment.
Ergonomics
Ball Transfer Table (Lucy)
How the Lucy ball transfer table repositions heavy loads with minimal operator effort, reducing strain during transfer tasks.
Product Overview
22LSL138 Stacker
A look at the 22LSL138 stacker's lift capacity and controls for safely raising, lowering, and transporting palletized loads.
Product Overview
SLS-54 Stacker
An overview of the SLS-54 stacker, covering its lift range, load handling, and safe operating controls.
Material Handling Safety FAQ -- Ballymore

Material Handling Safety Questions Answered

Have a question not covered here? Our Certified Safety Professionals are happy to help at no cost to you.

Ask Our Safety Team

Choosing the right equipment starts with two questions: what does the task require, and what are you handling? Lifting vertically requires different equipment than moving horizontally or transferring between surfaces. A palletized load requires different equipment than a drum or a precision component. Work through all 7 selection factors to find the right fit for your operation.

Several OSHA standards apply depending on the equipment type. 29 CFR 1910.178 covers powered industrial trucks including electric pallet jacks and stackers, requiring operator training and equipment maintenance protocols. 29 CFR 1910.176 covers general materials handling and storage, including aisle clearance, load stacking, and housekeeping requirements. For ergonomic hazards from repetitive manual handling, OSHA's General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)) requires employers to address recognized ergonomic hazards even without a specific weight limit standard.

Powered equipment requires formal training and authorization under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178 before any operator uses it. This includes electric pallet jacks, powered stackers, and motorized lift tables. Manual equipment such as hand pallet jacks and non-powered carts does not require formal OSHA certification, but training is strongly recommended as best practice and demonstrates due diligence during a safety inspection. Ballymore's Certified Safety Professionals can conduct on-site equipment training as part of a free ergonomic evaluation.

The NIOSH Lifting Equation is a tool developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to assess the risk of injury associated with manual lifting tasks. It calculates a Recommended Weight Limit based on factors including how often the lift is performed, the starting and ending height of the lift, how far the load is from the body, and whether twisting is involved. A single weight threshold does not determine safety. The equation is used when workers are performing repetitive manual lifting tasks and you need to determine whether ergonomic equipment intervention is needed. If you want help applying the NIOSH Lifting Equation to your facility, our CSPs can conduct a free on-site ergonomic evaluation.

A pre-use inspection must be completed before every use for all material handling equipment. For powered equipment, OSHA requires daily inspection before each shift. Inspections should cover hydraulic systems, wheels and casters, brake function, load capacity labels, and any visible damage or wear. In addition to pre-use checks, a thorough maintenance inspection by a qualified technician should follow the manufacturer's recommended service intervals. Any equipment with unresolved maintenance issues must be taken out of service until repaired.

They solve different problems. A lift table raises a load vertically to bring it to an ergonomic working height at a fixed or mobile workstation. It is used when the operator needs to work on the load at a comfortable height, such as at an assembly station, packing bench, or loading dock. A pallet jack moves a palletized load horizontally across a floor. It lifts just enough to clear the ground for transport, not to position the load for extended work at height. Many facilities need both: a pallet jack to move the load to a workstation, and a lift table to raise it to the right working height once it arrives.

Not Sure Which Equipment Is Right for Your Facility?

Our Certified Safety Professionals will evaluate your operation, identify your highest-risk handling tasks, and recommend the right solution at no cost to you.