Manual handling

Contents
1. What’s the problem? 2. What should I do about it? 2.1. What are my duties? 3. Avoiding manual handling 4. Assessing and reducing the risk of injury 4.1. Who should make the assessment? 4.2. Do assessments need to be recorded? 4.3. Do I have to do assessments for each individual employee and workplace? 4.4. How should I use my assessment?

More than a third of all over-three-day injuries reported each year to HSE or HSENI and local authorities are caused by manual handling - the transporting or supporting of loads by hand or by bodily force.

The most recent survey of self-reported work-related illness estimated that in 2001/02, 1.1 million people in Great Britain suffered from musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) caused or made worse by their current or past work. An estimated 12.3 million working days were lost due to these work-related MSDs. On average each sufferer took about 20 days off in that 12-month period.

Manual handling injuries can occur wherever people are at work - on farms and building sites, in factories, offices, warehouses, hospitals, banks, laboratories and while making deliveries. Heavy manual labour, awkward postures, manual materials handling and previous or existing injury are all risk factors implicated in the development of MSDs.

Prevention and control of MSDs, such as manual handling injuries, have been identified as a priority by the Health and Safety Executives. Taking action will help prevent these injuries and is likely to be cost-effective. However you cannot prevent all MSDs, so it is still essential to encourage early reporting of symptoms and make arrangements for the proper treatment and rehabilitation of anybody who does get injured.

• Consider the risks from manual handling to the health and safety of your employees. If there are risks, the Regulations apply.
• Consult and involve the workforce. Your employees and their representatives know first-hand what the risks in the workplace are. So they can probably offer practical solutions to controlling them.

The Regulations require employers to:

• Avoid the need for hazardous manual handling, so far as is reasonably practicable;
• Assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling that can’t be avoided; and
• Reduce the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling, so far as is reasonably practicable.

Employees have duties too. They should:

• Follow appropriate systems of work laid down for their safety;
• Make proper use of equipment provided for their safety;
• Co-operate with their employer on health and safety matters;
• Inform the employer if they identify hazardous handling activities;
• Take care to ensure that their activities do not put others at risk.

Check whether you need to move it at all.

For example:

• Does a large workpiece really need to be moved, or can the activity (e.g. wrapping or machining) safely be done where the item already is?
• Can you take the treatment to the patient, not vice versa?
• Can raw materials be piped to their point of use?
• Consider automation, particularly for new processes
• Think about mechanisation and using handling aids

For example:

• A conveyor
• A pallet truck
• An electric or hand-powered hoist
• A lift truck.

But beware of new hazards from automation or mechanisation.

For example:

• Automated plant still needs cleaning, maintenance etc.
• Lift trucks must be suited to the work and have properly trained operators.

The assessment is the employer’s responsibility. You should be able to do most assessments in-house. You, your employees and safety representatives know your business better than anyone. Most situations will require just a few minutes’ observation to identify ways to make the activity easier and less risky, i.e. less physically demanding. Advice from outside experts may be helpful in difficult or unusual cases, or to get you started.

What role can employees and their representatives play in carrying out assessments?

Your employees can help you carry out the assessment - they often know what problems there are and how best to solve them. If their work is varied or not closely supervised, make sure they are aware what risks to look for when manual handling, and what to do about them. But the final responsibility for assessments rests with employers. You have duties under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (or The Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1979) and the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 (or The Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996) to consult and keep safety representatives and employees up to date. Consultation with them will offer the best solutions as they are best placed to know how the job works and what can be done to improve it. It is especially useful to get your employees’ input when buying new equipment.

It is often useful to record and keep the main findings, and this should always be done if it would be difficult to repeat the assessment. However, an assessment need not be recorded if:

• It could very easily be repeated and explained at any time because it is simple and obvious
• The handling operations are low risk, and are going to last a very short time.

It is sometimes acceptable to do a ‘generic’ assessment - one that is common to several employees or to more than one site or type of work. However:

• This should only be done if there are no individual or local factors which need to be taken into account, for example differences in stature, competence etc.
• You should review any generic risk assessment if individual employees report adverse symptoms, become ill, injured or disabled, or return following a long period of sickness, as they may have become vulnerable to risk.

Remember, you may need to carry out individual risk assessments for employees with a disability and to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (in particular section 6).

The important thing in all assessments is to identify all significant risks of injury and point the way to practical improvements.

Don’t just forget it or file it away. The purpose of the assessment is to pinpoint the worst features of the work - and they’re the ones you should try to improve first (see table below). It is also important to remember to update the assessment when significant changes are made to the workplace.

All employees covered by a risk assessment - including generic assessments - should be told about the risks it identifies.

Problems to look for when making an assessment	Ways of reducing the risk of injury
The tasks, do they involve: Holding loads away from the body? Twisting, stooping or reaching upwards? Large vertical movement? Long carrying distances? Strenuous pushing or pulling? Repetitive handling? Insufficient rest or recovery time? A work rate imposed by a process?	Can you: Use a lifting aid? Improve workplace layout to improve efficiency? Reduce the amount of twisting and stooping? Avoid lifting from floor level or above shoulder height, especially heavy loads? Reduce carrying distances? Avoid repetitive handling? Vary the work, allowing one set of muscles to rest while another is used? Push rather than pull?
The loads, are they: Heavy, bulky or unwieldy? Difficult to grasp? Unstable or likely to move unpredictably (like animals)? Harmful, e.g. sharp or hot? Awkwardly stacked? Too large for the handler to see over?	Can you make the load: Lighter or less bulky? Easier to grasp? More stable? Less damaging to hold? If the load comes in from elsewhere, have you asked the supplier to help, e.g. provide handles or smaller packages?
In the working environment, are there: Constraints on posture? Bumpy, obstructed or slippery floors? Variations in levels? Hot/cold/humid conditions? Gusts of wind or other strong air movements? Poor lighting conditions? Restrictions on movements or posture from clothes or personal protective equipment (PPE)?	Can you: Remove obstructions to free movement? Provide better flooring? Avoid steps and steep ramps? Prevent extremes of hot and cold? Improve lighting? Provide protective clothing or PPE that is less restrictive? Ensure your employees’ clothing and footwear is suitable for their work?
Individual capacity. Does the job: Require unusual capability, e.g. above-average strength or agility? Endanger those with a health problem or learning/physical disability? Endanger pregnant women? Call for special information or training?	Can you: Pay particular attention to those who have a physical weakness? Take extra care of pregnant workers? Give your employees more information, e.g. about the range of tasks they are likely to face? Provide more training Get advice from an occupational health advisor if you need to.
Handling aids and equipment: Is the device the correct type for the job? Is it well maintained? Are the wheels on the device suited to the floor surface? Do the wheels run freely? Is the handle height between the waist and shoulders? Are the handle grips in good order and comfortable? Are there any brakes? If so, do they work?	Can you: Provide equipment that is more suitable for the task? Carry out planned preventive maintenance to prevent problems? Change the wheels, tyres and/or flooring so that equipment moves easily? Provide better handles and handle grips? Make the brakes easier to use, reliable and effective?
Work organisation factors: Is the work repetitive or boring? Is work machine or system paced? Do workers feel the demands of the work are excessive? Have workers little control of the work and working methods? Is there poor communication between managers and employees?	Can you: Change tasks to reduce the monotony? Make more use of workers’ skills? Make workloads and deadlines more achievable? Encourage good communication and teamwork? Involve workers in decisions? Provide better training and information?