This means considering the object or person that is being moved and looking at how this may affect health and safety. For example, is the load particularly heavy, bulky, hard to grasp or unstable? I — Individual.
This means you should consider the person who will be carrying out the manual handling activity. Will it be you or another colleague? Any activity that requires an individual to lift, move or support a load is classified as a manual handling task. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations define it as 'any transporting or supporting of a load including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof by hand or by bodily force'.
This information is current, but it is important to consider issues in your workplace that are specific to Coronavirus COVID and make suitable arrangements to keep your staff safe. Anyone involved in the moving and handling of goods including moving people could be at risk of injury. There are risks in handling even light loads if the task is repetitive or is being carried out in poor conditions.
Risks can be found in all work sectors, but healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing and construction are recognized as high-risk industries due to the number and nature of the manual handling activities. Injuries related to manual handling activities are sometimes called musculoskeletal disorders. These include injuries to joints and other tissues in the upper and lower limbs or back.
They account for more than a third of all new and long-standing cases of work-related ill health. To find out more about them visit our ' Muscles, bones and joints ' section.
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations requires that employers should follow this order of control measures to deal with manual handling risks. In the first instance try to avoid the need for hazardous manual handling.
Decide whether you need to move the item at all or consider alternative ways of working, such as automation using pallet trucks, trolleys, conveyor belts and so on. If you can't do this then you need to assess the risks of injury from hazardous manual handling that cannot be avoided. You should assess their existing manual handling skills, previous manual handling training and experience.
Consider whether the individual requires additional help and support to complete the task. Understanding what is being handled or moved is vital for safely completing the task. The load should be properly assessed — including looking at its contents to see if they are dangerous or bulky, and its physical containers such as if they have carrying handles and the indication of weight.
Examine how the load is secured, and how the weight is distributed. Assess if the contents are likely to move during handling and what the implications would be. Load contents — is it hazardous, such as containing chemicals?
Is there a risk of spillage, for example? The challenges in moving the load, such as sharp edges, unstable or unsecured contents, or its impact on visibility? Manual handling a load through a factory, office or warehouse can involve changes in flooring, access ramps and corridors, which means assessing the entire environment is essential to minimise risk.
This involves examining how the environment, such as flooring, lighting, ventilation and humidity can affect the task. From potential trip hazards to access to light or shutter switches, it's vital the entire route is planned so you can safely navigate the environment.
These are elements that fall outside the four stages for manual handling, but may be relevant to the task you are assessing. If an organisation employs five or more people, the results of the risk assessment must be recorded or if it is difficult explain or recall then the assessment and findings should also be written down and used for reference or training. Assessments should also be reviewed periodically and in particular if there is evidence from inspections or accident reports.
Manual handling injuries can happen in any workplace, but organisations in sectors such as healthcare, construction and manufacturing and logistics are seen as high risk and may require more frequent risk assessments and compliance inspections and refresher training. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations require that in the first instance, employers should avoid hazardous manual handling operations wherever possible. Decide whether a load needs to be moved manually or can be dealt with using automated equipment or handling aids.
The HSE recommends using a checklist and diagrams to help you examine all possible risks, with examples of assessment checklists available to download. The HSE also provides manual handling assessment charts the MAC tool for identifying high-risk workplace manual handling activities.
The risk factors that you should consider in a manual handling risk assessment can be categorised as task, individual, load and environment, known by the acronym TILE. Consider the manual handling task itself and the health and safety hazards involved. Look at areas such as whether it involves repetitive actions, deep bending or twisting, sudden movements, uneven weight distribution, carrying long distances or high speed. You should also consider whether there are likely to be obstacles in the way that workers might collide with.
Consider the personal characteristics and physical capabilities of the individual or individuals carrying out the activity. You should look at whether the person is fit and able to carry out the task and think about the impact of factors such as the height of the person and whether they are capable of manual handling alone.
You should also consider the risks for those with known injuries and disabilities, new or expectant mothers, younger and older people, contractors and homeworkers and employees who do not have English as their first language. Those particular cases might require separate risk assessments.
Understanding any existing or new procedures may require that employees are trained or receive refresher training.
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