Hazard: Manual handling
Manual handling is when you use your body to lift, carry, push or pull a load.
Handling, lifting and carrying is the most common cause of work-related injuries.
Most workers are involved in some form of manual handling and the cost of injuries from poor practice is extremely high. So it is important to get manual handling right.
If you injure yourself when handling a load, this could lead to long-term damage and illness. Manual handling injuries are part of a wider group of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) which cover any injury, damage or disorder of the joints or other tissues in the upper/lower limbs or the back. Other injuries are caused when loads are dropped – for example, crushing fingers or feet.
Some manual handling injuries occur immediately, but others develop gradually. Most cause significant pain and result in absence from work.
Control: Manual handling
- Task
- Individual
- Load
- Environment
Where manual handling tasks cannot be avoided, they must be assessed. This involves examining the tasks and deciding what the risks associated with them are and how these can be removed or reduced by implementing control measures.
As part of a manual handling assessment, the following should be considered – the:
- task – to be carried out
- individual – the capability of the person involved in the manual handling
- load – to be moved
- environment – in which handling takes place
The most effective method of preventing injury is to remove the need to carry out manual handling altogether (elimination). For example, it may be possible to redesign the workplace so that loads do not need to be moved from one area to another.
Alternatively, it may be possible to use lifting and handling aids, such as a conveyor belt or a trolley, to move loads – but it is important always to use the right equipment for the task.
If it is not possible to eliminate manual handling, workers must be trained to lift, carry, push and pull loads correctly.