While hard to believe, granite and quartz countertop installers lift over one million per year on average, as part of their job.
Because the counters must be loaded into an install rig, unloaded once on site, and then lifted onto the cabinets in the work area, stone installers suffer the “cumulative effects” of repetitive lifting 75 – 600# counters. Like a forklift in a warehouse, these installers eventually “wear out”!
Rarely does an installer suffer an “event injury” that takes them out of their profession, but rather they experience a slow and almost unnoticed effect where they wake up one day and realize their physical health is suffering.
Unfortunately, because that is the case with ALL their fellow stone installers, this isn’t seen as a warning that something is wrong. It’s seen as a badge of honor, the rite of passage that proves they’re a legit and seasoned installer in an exclusive club of badasses, that are strong and tough.
But inevitably, the stone wins, and the cumulative effect over 3, 5, or even 7 years prevails. And while they are strong and tough, their bodies simply wear out.
This leaves the highly skilled craftsman, who is a master of his craft and trade in a terrible position. He can’t employ his skill if he can’t carry the counters into the house anymore.
So the installer loses his income and his identity as a master craftsman. The stone shop that employs him loses out as well.