Update Details: A new Health and Safety update has been issued on Manual Handling. The full article has been emailed to subscribers with the H&S updates preference and is available as a PDF in the Update Service folder.
Why Manual Handling Matters
Manual handling causes more than a third of all UK workplace injuries each year, ranging from acute back injuries to the upper limb disorders that build over time from repetitive lifting. The term covers lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying, holding and restraining, by hand or by bodily force.
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
The update walks through the duties under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, including the hierarchy of control (avoid, assess, reduce) and the four factors that must be considered in any manual handling assessment:
- Task - holding loads away from the body, twisting, stooping, repetitive handling, work rate
- Load - weight, bulk, stability, sharp or hot surfaces, difficulty of grasp
- Environment - floor condition, posture constraints, lighting, exposure to weather, level changes
- Individual capability - health conditions, pregnancy, young workers, training, PPE fit
Manual Handling Risk Assessment and alphaZ Resources
The update names the relevant alphaZ resources for managing manual handling, led by the F-HS31 Manual Handling Assessment form and the RA-HS19 worked example risk assessment. Practical guidance on designing out the risk through storage layout, mechanical aids and worker training is also covered.
Health and Safety updates are issued as part of the ISO and legal update service and the content is also saved to the Update Service folder (this is in the alphaZ subscribers section) where they can be downloaded in pdf format and used for providing topic-specific training or for sending out as an update to workers.
F-HS31 Manual Handling Assessment
RA-HS19 Manual Handling Risk Assessment
