What is manual handling?
The regulations
define manual handling as any “any transporting or supporting of
a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying
or moving thereof) by hand or by bodily force”. In effect, any activity
that requires an individual to lift, move or support a load will be classified
as a manual handling task.
Why is manual handling important?
More than
a third of all reportable injuries of over three days involve manual handling
and around 10% of major injuries are linked to manual handling. It has
a major impact on all workplaces and costs the economy hundreds of millions
of pounds every year.
In the UK 1.1 million people reported that they suffered
from musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) caused or made worse by work. It
is estimated 12.3 million working days are lost annually due to work-related
MSDs.
Who is affected/most at risk from manual handling?
Anyone involved
in the moving and handling of goods and people could be at risk. Injuries
and suffering can be linked to any work involving handling of loads, even
light loads of handled incorrectly. Risks can be found in all work sectors
but healthcare, agriculture and construction are recognised as high risk
industries due to the number and nature of the manual handling activities.
What does the law say?
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations state
that employers should adopt a hierarchy of control measures:
- To
avoid hazardous Manual Handling Operations so far as is reasonably practicable
- To assess any hazardous Manual Handling Operation that cannot be avoided
- To
reduce the risk of injury so far as is reasonably practicable.
The assessment
should look at the task, the load, the working environment, individual
capabilities when carrying out the assessment.
Good practice
The Manual
Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended) set no specific requirements
such as weight limits. The ergonomic approach shows clearly that such requirements
are based on too simple a view of the problem and may lead to incorrect
conclusions. Instead, an ergonomic assessment based on a range of relevant
factors is used to determine the risk of injury and point the way to remedial
action:
The Task:-
does it involve twisting, stooping, bending, excessive
travel, pushing, pulling or precise positioning of the load, sudden movement,
inadequate rest or recovery periods, team handling or seated work?
The Individual:-
Does the individual require unusual strength or height,
are they pregnant, disabled or suffer from a health problem, or require
specialist knowledge or training?
The Load:-
Is the load heavy, unwieldy, difficult to grasp,
sharp, hot, cold, difficult to grip, are the contents likely to move or
shift?
Environment:-
Space constraints, uneven, slippery or unstable
floors, and variations in floor levels extremely hot cold or humid, poor
lighting, poor ventilation, gusty winds, clothing or PPE that restricts
movement?
No manual handling activity is completely safe but using the
HSE manual handling assessment charts (see below) as part of a well thought
out risk assessment, will reduce the risks from manual handling activities.
More information
http://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/regulations.htm http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/manualhandling.htm
HSE Free Publications:
Manual handling assessment charts: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg383.pdf 
Manual handling assessment charts for Mac: http://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/
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