Heavy work, in the context of Social Security, refers to any job in which an individual is frequently required to lift or carry objects weighing up to 50 pounds, but no more than 100 pounds, at a time. Heavy work is one of the job classifications used by U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) when determining the physical exertion required of a particular position.
The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) only provides Social Security disability benefits to claimants who are unable to perform both the work that they did in the past and other types of jobs. The SSA's classifications for determining the physical exertion requirement of a particular job are as follows: sedentary, light, medium, heavy, and very heavy.
Those jobs that require an individual to regularly carry or lift objects like tools, equipment, and materials weighing up to 50 pounds, but no more than 100 pounds, at a time are classified by the SSA as heavy work. If an individual can perform heavy work, the SSA determines that they can also perform sedentary, light, and medium work.