Many industries require their staff to do strenuous work. Whether it's lifting a load or other such tasks, you need to ensure that you have the right control measures in place.
Without this, your staff could be at risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders - and other ill health conditions. This could lead to your business facing legal claims, high employee turnover and reputational damage.
In this guide, we'll look at what manual handling is, how to create a suitable and sufficient assessment, as well as the health & safety requirements.
What is manual handling?
Manual handling is the practice of moving, transporting or replacing a load from one area to another. A load could be inanimate, meaning an object or stock item. Or animate objects, such as livestock or people.
Manual handling operations require bodily force. Without the correct manual handling techniques, health & safety procedure, and personal protective equipment (PPE), an employee may be at risk of injury.
Examples of manual handling tasks
A manual handling task is an action that involves: lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving. Due to the nature of heavy manual labour, there can be serious implications if employers don’t carry out manual handling activities safely.
While most common on building sites or warehouses, manual handling risks can affect employees in any working environment. And can come in many forms - so all employers should be aware of the dangers.
What are the health risks associated with manual handling?
As an employer, you need to be aware of the hazards associated with manual handling. Manual handling injuries can be very serious, so you must reduce the risk as much as reasonably possible.
Common workplace injuries include:
- Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD): This refers to pain and injuries to the limbs, muscles and bones across various parts of the body.
- Sprains: This is when a ligament becomes twisted at a joint.
- Cuts and abrasion: This is when the skin becomes damaged by rough surfaces or sharp edges on a load.
- Strains or pulled muscles: This is caused by ripped or damaged muscle fibres.
- Repetitive strain injuries: This is used to describe aches or pain caused by repetitive movements.
- Prolapsed disc: This is when the cartilage of a spinal disc ruptures.
- Hernia: This is a rip or bruise in the low abdomen. Usually, it's caused by excessive muscle strain.
- Crushed limbs: This occurs when someone is trapped by a fallen load.
To reduce the risk of injury you will need to conduct a sufficient assessment of a task. You can outsource this to a competent person. But ultimately the responsibility lies with you, the employer.
What does the law say about manual handling?
Two main pieces of health & safety legislation cover manual handling tasks.
Most generally is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Under this piece of legislation, employers have a duty of care towards their employees and anyone else on their work premises.
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations (MHOR) 1992 offers more specific guidance. It states how an employer can comply with manual handling regulations. And reduce the risk of injury as much as reasonably practicable.
To do so, an employer must:
- Avoid the need for hazardous manual handling operations.
- Assess the risk of potential injury from any manual handling task that cannot be avoided or adapted.
- Reduce the risk of potential injury from manual handling.
By following these three practices, employers can greatly reduce the risk to their employees. It is a legal requirement for all employers to follow relevant manual handling regulations.
How to reduce manual handling risks
If your industry requires employees to work with heavy loads, you need to prevent manual handling injuries and risks. To do so, employers can implement certain safety measures.
Let's explore how employers can keep their workers safe.
Conduct a manual handling risk assessment
All employers need to conduct a sufficient risk assessment. This should be done before an employee has to move or lift a load. It's the first step in reducing the risk associated with manual handling.
You should consult with your employees during the risk assessment process. They will have a clearer idea about the health and safety requirements of the task. So may have ideas on how you could improve the current process.
Consider individual capability
Everyone has different physical capabilities. Meaning there are limits to how much a person can safely lift. You need to consider this when planning a manual handling task.
If you are concerned that an employee is unable to perform a task with reasonable care you need to make adjustments. If staff are pushing themselves beyond their limits, they may be at risk of severe injuries.
Provide training and the correct equipment.
Employees need the correct technique to carry out tasks safely. You can do this by providing training to staff on the six basic principles for handling and lifting loads. These are:
- Think before handling/lifting: This allows employees to consider the area around them and any potential obstacles.
- Keep the load close to your waist: This allows staff to avoid awkward postures that could result in them pulling or damaging a muscle.
- Adopt a stable position: Utilising the leg muscles can allow employees to remain stable throughout the lift.
- Ensure a good hold on the load: Where possible try to hug the load close to the body to avoid pressure on the hands and fingers.
- Bend from the back hips and knees: Using these stronger muscles can take pressure away from the weaker back muscles.
- Avoid twisting your back or leaning: Doing so while your back is bent can cause injury. Instead, try moving your feet to turn.
As well as this, you need to ensure that all staff have the right equipment to carry out their job safely.
For example, if a job includes lifting, you should provide mechanical aids such as pallet trucks to ease the process. Lifting equipment can greatly reduce the chance of manual handling injuries.
Consider environmental factors
Risk assessments need to consider the environment where a job is carried out. For example, if your staff are making deliveries, their risk of injury will increase if they're in busy or congested areas.
For their safety, you should consider whether the load can be delivered at a quieter time. Or if anything can be done to clear the area. If not you should provide extra training on how to adapt to these specific environments.
Promote good practice
Employees are partially responsible for their own health. Reminding staff of their training is a cost-effective way to reduce the number of injuries.
You should post written reminders of good grip and other techniques in busy spots around the workplace. That way, employees can refer to this guidance before beginning a lift and implement the relevant parts of their training.
Get advice on manual handling from Peninsula
Over a third of workplace injuries are a result of manual handling tasks. That's why all your staff must receive the training they need.
If your employees are unsure of how to lift a load, it could result in serious injuries. This can result in long-term absences, legal claims and damage to your business reputation.
Peninsula offers expert advice on manual handling at work. Our 24/7 health & safety advice is available 365 days a year; with multi-lingual support and fully trained counsellors ready to help.
Want to find out more? Book a free chat with one of our HR consultants. For further information, call 0800 028 2420.
