Manual Handling

Manual Handling injuries account for more than 33% of all reportable injuries under RIDDOR. 10% of long term (work related) injuries are a direct result of manual handling. Everyone involved in handling and moving goods and people can be at risk. There are obvious risks involving heavy cumbersome tasks. However, repetitive light tasks if carried out in poor conditions also present significant risk.

The contributory factors towards a hazardous manual handling environment include:

Poor ergonomics
Bad lifting practices
Poor layout

While risks are found in all sectors of manual handling; agriculture, construction and healthcare are recognised as the highest-risk industries. This is due to the nature and number of manual handling activities involved.

To avoid injuries it is obviously best not to perform manual handling activities at all. However, it is recognised that in many businesses and situations this simply isn’t practical / possible. Therefore, the risks should be reduced through:

appropriate training
risk assessments
mechanical aids (such as trolleys, sack barrows and cranes) – where practicable

Mechanical aids will reduce or overcome the majority of risks associated with manual handling, but they do introduce new and different risks which must be assessed and appropriate actions taken.

LRB Consulting run a manual handling training course detailing

safe lifting techniques
what to expect from a manual handling assessment
how to develop safe manual handling techniques

Call us to find out more on 01509 550023

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