How much would you be willing to lift for work?

[Nikia]

And what is your age and sex?
Assume that the positions available to you require manual labor and that you are paid more for positions which require heavier lifting.
I have a long winded reason for asking, which I might share later in the post.
I am a 27 year old female. I would be comfortable lifting up to 45 pounds frequently and up to 60 pounds occaisionally.

[valis]

1. I'm a 29 year old female. I'd lift 20 pounds frequently. Max.

I don't want to bust my back...

[Mrs_Beastman]

2. 30 yr old female

25 pounds...no job or pay is worth my back. Health is more important. Worked as a nursing assistant after high school. My mom (a nurse) pointed out the pay-to-long term injury ratio to me. She saw too many low wage workers get hurt for a crappy paycheck.

So what's the reason?

[Bluzmann57]

3. 47 year old male here

And I do manual labor, although I used to do a lot more than I do now. Personally, I think that if a person isn't willing to do manual labor because they think they're "too good" or some crap like that, then they are useless. If you need a job and have to eat, have clothing and shelter, etc., you'll do manual labor. Now there are people who aren't capable of lifting or bending and stooping, I realize that. But there are jobs for them too. Hopefully the job which you are seeking is at least a Union job.

[Left Is Write]

4. Fifty pounds easily.

I am a 38-year-old woman who frequently carries around a 45-pound toddler.

[Hugin]

5. 40 yo M 50# some 70#.

[ClintonTyree]

6. Check OSHA guidelines....

I worked as a photographic technician for Eastman Kodak for 29 years. There was a lot of heavy lifting in refrigerated, confined spaces, lifting to heights of 8 feet in aisles 3 feet apart.
Long story short, I hurt my back, had a spinal fusion, it was unsuccessful with much collateral nerve damage, and am totally, permanently disabled because of it now. It was found that Kodak exceeded OSHA guidelines by over 300%. I got a nice settlement out of it, but I can't do many of the things I used to, am in constant pain controlled by methadone, soma and various other drugs, and I imagine my life span will be cut short decades because of it.

Let me ask you, how much do you want to lift? Is it worth jeopardizing your health or life for a few lousy dollars now? Think about this long and hard before making a final decision. And do your homework. Check out OSHA guidelines for this type of work.

[Hugin]

7. Ouch!

Sage advice ClintonTyree.

[eyepaddle]

8. 35 year old male

I lift 40 pounds VERY frequently--sometimes up to 150, and on rare occasions 175-200 (this would be stacking a 400 pound 55 gallon drum on top of another 55 gal. drum, with the help of a friend)

It is getting harder than it used to be, fortunately it is getting a lot less common. And now that I am in grad school, it is REALLY less common! Stil get to do it on some weekends, and we'll see about this summer, I suppose.

If you have to crank around weight like this be EXTREMELY careful about how you lift.

Oh yeah, the weight as a percent of your body weight is a lot more important than some number like 20, 40 or sixty pounds. For the record I am about 235 pounds.

Also for the record, I have worked with many women around your age and they were quite capable of lifting all but the craziest sized loads--and then a lot of the time it was the height mismatch that eliminated them. On one occasion I remember, a 140 pound male colleague and a 130 pound female colleague double stacked a 380 pound drum. It was kind of savage on them, but they got it done when needed.

So if your underlying health is good, you should be okay.

Go get 'em!

[Nikia]

11. I am suprised how much stronger I have gotten

I am much stronger now than when I was 18 and I lifted for exercise a few times a week then. Yesterday, I did suprise myself and the guy, who is a bit chauvanistic, working in the area by lifting an 80 pound container and moving a few feet. I wasn't expected to lift that container though. It is a bit different when you are allowed to ask for help as opposed to it being expected for your job.
Anyway, I talked to a potential new superviser on the telephone about a job which would require lifting up to 60 pounds. He talked as though he thought that it was probably the case that I could do the actual lifting. I am assuming that they have other women lifting that much. I just found that strange, because I have interviewed on the phone or in person for jobs where they ask me if I am sure if I can lift up to 25-30 pounds or ones who seem to think that a woman would kill herself if she lifts more than 50 pounds. I found it refreshing that this place didn't seem sexist in that regard. I am a little nervous though if I would be able to handle it. I'll be sure to ask more questions at the in person interview. I didn't want to inquire too much about the lifting though, because I didn't want to come across as unconfident that I could handle it.
I do have a job already though and am interested in this position for more money. Obviously if I can't handle it, this would negate the purpose.

[eyepaddle]

13. A lot of it comes down to body

hardening. The 35 year old me could pound the tar out of the 20 year old me--I've just developed that ol' blue collar strength. In my line of work, the female technicians usually grew up on a farm, or have been at this for awhile (we manage hazardous waste, so there is a bunch of handling 5 gallon buckets of paint and related material that can weigh between 50 and 80 pounds). I've never been working with a female tech when she just couldn't do something.

Obviously I am not a callous asshole who ignores tha fact that I have twice the body mass of most of the women--but the other male techs and I don't patronize them either.

However, some of the office staff are so unused to physical labor they are unable to change the 5 gallon water flask on the water cooler (these are 40 pounds). Any Occupational physician (Occ. doc) will trell you that you need to harden your muscles before you try to push it to yor limits.

If you need help though ask for it--I get help when I need it--why should you be any different?

Can you lift the weight--I'd say yes; but as the post above (about Kodak) indicates there is one HELL of a vicious downside to that kind of work--so be careful.

I should ask, is this a job you can get promoted out of once you have paid your dues, or is this some kind of career move where once you get the job that is IT. If it's the second, look out. You might be able to do it for a few years, but nobody lasts forever.

[Hugin]

9. Kick...

I feel guilty about my copy cat.

Nikia might really be trying to accomplish something here.

[Mrs_Beastman]

10. So what the reason for the question?

I'm curious.

[Nikia]

12. See my post above

Also, my current workplace is one of those in the "They think that women will kill themselves if they lift more than 50 pounds." category.

[Maine-ah]

14. I am 31, female. 4'11" short. I lift 50lbs many times a day

I also toss around cases of beer and wine.

[LiberallyInclined]

15. 44 year-old male, 6'2" 225lbs-

and i'm not gonna lift a goddamn thing.
i used to do a lot of lifting- i was a construction laborer, mostly doing concrete work- and a shovelful of wet concrete can get pretty heavy. and the days we weren't pouring- i usually did a lot of jackhammering- and those things are heavy.

but the REAL heavy-lifting was when i worked as a fine-dining waiter/waitcaptain at an exclusive country club- at banquet time, i'd often be carrying trays stacked with 12 dinners...those were heavy.

but now my back is shot- and i have a congenital spinal condition that has reared it's very ugly head, and precludes me from lifting anything.