Hi all started a new job as a labourer today, just to tide me over whilst I go through my application and so on....The job involves moving solid concrete blocks (8x4x16) about 80m from the road into a huge house and back garden....swimming pool etc. How many of these should I be lifting at one time??? I can only manage to carry 1 at a time down the plank to the next level of the garden and only 4 in the wheel barrow at one time. Does anyone know how much they weigh? They seem so heavy. I've only been doing it for one day and my wrists and back are in a mess. Managed to move 2 pallets(144) of the feckers aswell as a pallet of small concrete brick aswell as mixing the mortar for the bricky...should I be feeling this fatigued or am I being worked too hard. Its for a mates dad he's building a supporting wall and then re-building a sandstone one about 12 foot high each so there is going to be more of the blocks getting delivered, plus I don't know what wage I will be getting. Just seems alot of work for one rookie labourer?????......

No more than 25kgs.


Or just get on with it.

If you feel like you are being taken for a ride then you probably are - certainly sounds like if you don't even know what the wages are!!

There is no upper weight limit for lifting/carrying - it's all about what you're lifting and the person lifting it. Is your mate's dad a contractor cos obviously there are different legal requirements if you're just helping him do a favour in the garden for a tenner...

Assuming he's a subbie, there should be a risk assessment which decides whether it should be a 2 person lift, whether there should be any equipment to carry it etc But at the end of the day if you as an individual are finding it hard, well, that's one of the 4 elements of a manual handling assessment, so you need to ask a mate for a hand!

As it's construction and you're doing some casual labour, there's a good chance you've had no training. If you have - use it for your lifts - you know the drill, bend at the knees etc etc

At the end of the day you're going to struggle to get through basic with a prolapsed disc... If you want any other info, PM me

Originally Posted by 007m88

The job involves moving solid concrete blocks (8x4x16)

From the size of the blocks you've stated, I take it they are just normal breezeblocks. They are not particulary heavy, labourers shift them day in day out all the time.
Could you not look upon it as an aide to training, you're building upper body strength and leg muscle. It will pay off when you do your basic.

Moving stuff from one place to another (and sometimes back again) will be good training for you.

Originally Posted by hairyarse2

Originally Posted by 007m88

The job involves moving solid concrete blocks (8x4x16)

From the size of the blocks you've stated, I take it they are just normal breezeblocks. They are not particulary heavy, labourers shift them day in day out all the time.
Could you not look upon it as an aide to training, you're building upper body strength and leg muscle. It will pay off when you do your basic.

Nope they aint breeze blocks they weigh shite all...These are concrete feckers for building a support to a sandstone wall that weigh 19.5kgs each. I found out today.Don't get me wrong lifting the odd few isn't much but when your constantly doing it for 6 hours all day its shiit depressin. As a few have said it will be good for me to do a workout on the upper body and it will improve my strength for basic. Its just the area's that are taking the damage seems to be my lower back and wrists. I'm doin the correct lifting techniques aswell (bent knees back straight), he showed me how to do it. Another factor is probably the distance and terrain I'm carrying them over or maybe I'm being abit of a moaning cnut but I could definately do with an extra pair of hands to do half the blocks....Just been rained off anyway so I'm home now... :D

Originally Posted by tiger_lily

There is no upper weight limit for lifting/carrying - it's all about what you're lifting and the person lifting it.

But there are guidelines

Hope you covered the blocks cause they'll be fecking heavier when there wet... I know carried thousands of the the fecking things , but dont half get you stronger, see if you can get your hands on some brick tongs, makes it a lot easier.

Originally Posted by msr

Originally Posted by tiger_lily

There is no upper weight limit for lifting/carrying - it's all about what you're lifting and the person lifting it.

But there are guidelines

Yeah there are but they take into account only either a straight lift/drop or carrying roughly 10m :D What they don't do is look at the task e.g. the distance carried, changes in level, the frequency of lift etc or the individual's capability. If someone is used to carrying them there wouldn't be a problem but if a person is new to carrying weight, especially over a distance and up steps, there's a potential issue. I'd not be comfortable with the current situation considering the guy is experiencing discomfort in his back.