Manual handling
This page provides information and advice about manual handling operations carried out at a business or work premises.
More than one third of all reportable 'Over Three Day' injuries and 10% of 'Major Injuries' are associated with manual handling.
Many injuries are cumulative, resulting from repeated exposure to manual handling operations.
Sprains and strains arise from the incorrect application or long periods of bodily force.
Poor posture and excessive repetition of movement can be important factors in onset of injuries.
Legal Requirements
The Manual Handling Operations (MHO) Regulations 1992 apply to manual handling operations, defined 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'.
Employers are subject to a clear hierarchy of measures to meet duties under the Regulations: -
1. To avoid hazardous MHO so far as is reasonably practicable
2. To assess any hazardous MHO that cannot be avoided (see manual handling risk assessment below, which can be downloaded for your records).
3. To reduce the risk of injury so far as is reasonably practicable
Further guidance on the problems of manual handling and best practice on how to deal with them can be found at Getting to grips with manual handling .
Thus, employers need to consider the following:
1. Avoiding hazardous MHO
Can the movement of loads be eliminated altogether? Can the operations be automated or mechanised?
2. Assessing hazardous MHO
Where a possibility of injury from MHO is indicated, a more specific assessment should be carried out.
This is distinct from the everyday judgements which supervisors and others will have to make dealing with MHO.
It needs to be broad in approach, identify measures to deal with problems likely to arise and include training provisions.
Industry specific data and assessments might prove useful sources of information. The assessment should be recorded and kept readily accessible as long as it remains relevant.
It should be noted that assessment is not an end in itself, merely a structured way of analysing risks and pointing the way to practical solutions.
The HSE has launched a new Manual Handling Assessment Chart (MAC) to help identify high risk manual handling jobs in the workplace.
A complete MAC tool leaflet is available to download from the HSE's website.
Checklist for businesses
Are manual handling operations carried out at your premises?
If so, is there a risk of injury from such MHO?
Is it reasonably practicable to avoid moving the loads?
Is it reasonably practicable to automate or mechanise the operations?
If some risk of manual handling injury remains, have you carried out a manual handling assessment?
Have you determined what measures are needed to reduce the risk of injury to the lowest level reasonably practicable?
Have all such measures been implemented?
Have you carried out suitable and sufficient instruction and training of appropriate employees, including supervisors?
Do you have a system to review MHO assessment as necessary?
Related websites
- See the HSE's section on manual handling on Musculoskeletal disorders (HSE website)
Last updated : 09/08/2010
