Usedgol

Manual Handling

Manual handling costs employers as many as 12.3 million work days a year with each sufferer taking an average of 20 days leave before returning to work. Manual handling injuries can occur wherever people are at work - on farms and building sites, in factories, offices, warehouses, hospitals, banks, laboratories, and while making deliveries. This guidance aims to help employers comply with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, as amended by the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002. It will help employers – and managers, safety representatives and employees – to control and reduce the risk of injury from manual handling.

Introduction

Manual Handling is defined as ‘any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or bodily force'.
Accidents associated with manual handling activities account for over a third of all UK workplace injuries which lead to absences from work of 3 days or more.
Such accidents can occur in all types of work and are not restricted only to manual type jobs. Manual handling can result in various types of musculoskeletal disorders, mainly to the back, upper limbs, neck and lower limbs. Other types of injury may include hernias (damage to muscle wall) and crush injuries to hands or feet.
Some people could be exposed to higher risk and other possible health and safety consequences. Such groups could include those with a health condition, those returning to work from a long period of sickness, expectant/nursing mothers, disabled people, and where there has been previous injury. Where applicable an individual’s personal circumstance therefore must be taken into account as part of any manual handling risk assessment.

Policy

It is the policy of the University to reduce risk of injury so far as is reasonably practicable to those involved in manual handling and to comply with the Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999, the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, (as amended 2002).
Work activities which involve hazardous manual handling will have been identified by the procedures involved in hazard identification and risk assessment under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992. These activities include such operations as the lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, supporting, carrying and moving of loads by hand or by bodily force. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 apply to these activities.

Regulations

In summary, the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, (as amended 2002) require employers to-

• Avoid the need for hazardous manual handling, so far as is reasonably practicable;
• Assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling that cannot be avoided; and
• Reduce the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling, so far as is reasonably practicable.

The Safety, Health and Environment Unit provides basic training in safe manual handling techniques as part of the standard Fire and Safety Awareness course.
Departments/Schools must undertake risk assessments where necessary taking into consideration the task, individual, load and environment and provide further instruction on the methods to be followed in their own workplace, the control measures to be used and any specific 'on the job' requirements. This must include information on the characteristics of a load, of any equipment to be used and local rules.

Duties of responsible persons

Heads of Schools/Departments are to ensure that suitable persons are appointed to take responsibility for implementing this policy and to undertake risk assessments as necessary and to implement suitable controls to reduce risks for manual handling tasks in accordance with the Regulations and guidance.

Managers and supervisors are required to implement measures as required to comply with this policy including risk assessment, control measures to reduce risk and suitable training and information for those who undertake manual handling. Further assistance is available from the Safety, Health and Environment Unit.

To secure the health and safety of workers with regard to manual handling operations, responsible persons in each School/Department should ensure that, for work under their control:

• Manual handling operations which present a risk of injury are identified
• Handling operations which present a risk of injury are avoided, so far as is reasonably practicable, by eliminating the need for the load to be moved or by the introduction of automation or mechanization
• Those significant operations which cannot be avoided are risk assessed using an ergonomic approach which considers the task, individual capability, the load and the environment. The normal University risk assessment policy will apply and the assessment should be recorded to show that it has taken place.
• Control measures required to eliminate the risk, or reduce it to the lowest level which is reasonably practicable, are identified from the information in the risk assessment and are used to implement a safe system of work
• All new work which might involve manual handling operations is assessed and safe systems of work are implemented before the work commences
• Annual reviews of assessments are made to ensure that they are still valid but re-assessment is carried out immediately if any of the components of the work situation have changed
• All accidents which result in musculoskeletal injury to staff are fully investigated and risk assessments and systems of work are reviewed in the light of such incidents.
• Staff recruited to posts involving manual handling are suitable for the work they are required to undertake and that job descriptions sent to applicants for employment include details of manual handling tasks where these are part of requirement of the post
• Staff under their control are not pressurized by supervisors or systems of work into undertaking operations (either by weight or rate of work) which are beyond their safe capability.
• Suitable information, training and supervision is provided for all employees engaged in manual handling tasks and that such training is recorded, and monitored.
• Sufficient information about loads and environment is given to other employers who have control of workers on the University campus and to self-employed contractors which will enable them to meet their responsibilities under the Regulations
• Premises outside the University campus at which employees may have to perform manual handling operations are safe and free from risk so far as is reasonably practicable

Duties of all employees undertaking manual handling

• To follow instructions, training and the safe system of work laid down for their safety
• To report to the manager/supervisor if this is not possible
• To make proper use of any mechanical aids which have been provided for their safety and for which they have been trained
• To report any faults with mechanical aids immediately to the manager/supervisor
• To co-operate with the employer on health and safety matters and to report any accident or incident arising in the work
• To observe their duty of care to themselves and not to put others at risk
• To inform the manager/supervisor if they are unable to undertake their normal manual handling duties because of injury, illness or any other condition
• Not to undertake any manual handling operation which they believe is beyond their capability

Further information available from

HSE Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, (as amended 2002)
HSE Guidance indg143 (rev2) Getting to grips with Manual Handling
The Safety Health and Environment Unit

Author Unit/Section: HAW

Target Audience: All HSE and LA Inspectors

Summary

This revised OC updates and replaces the information previously contained in OC 313/2 (rev). It gives general advice about application of MHOR.

Three other main sources of advice are:

L23 “Manual handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended)”, Subject File 313.

OC 313/4 “Manual handling assessment charts (MAC) and EMM”
This provides help in decision making to enable enforcement to be carried out in line with the HSC Enforcement Policy Statement, and gives guidance on the application of the EMM to manual handling risks.

Introduction

1 The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (MHOR) (SI 1992 No 2793) implement the EC Manual Handling Directive (90/269/EEC). MHOR were amended by the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002 No 2174), with effect from 17 September 2002. These were limited changes to integrate some factors from Annex II of Directive 90/269/EEC into MHOR. These factors were in Schedule 1 of the 1992 Regulations and are now included in a new Regulation 4(3). These are that a worker may be at risk if he/she:

(a) is physically unsuited to carry out the tasks in question;
(b) is wearing unsuitable clothing, footwear or other personal effects;
(c) does not have adequate or appropriate knowledge or training.

2 Suggestions are made from time to time that in addition to back pain and injury risks arising from manual handling of loads, the MHOR might also apply to upper limb disorder risks arising from repetitive operations. This is certainly a possibility if there is risk of injury and if the repetitive operation falls within the definition of manual handling, ie the transporting or supporting of something that falls within the definition of a load. However, the application of the MHOR in this area remains untested other than in civil cases, where there are different standards of proof. While there is nothing in the MHOR to prevent its application in the circumstances described above, HSE Solicitors' view is that there could be finely balanced issues in deciding whether the MHOR could be applied to repetitive injuries sustained in activities where those activities are at the margins of the meaning of “manual handling”. It is therefore suggested that in contemplating enforcement action on ULD risks in repetitive work, citing the MHOR could be problematic in some circumstances. It is recommended to use instead the HSW Act or the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, whose applicability would not be questionable in the way that MHOR might be.

Guidance

3 Guidance on the Regulations is given in HSE's guidance - L23 Manual handling: guidance on the Regulations, (file 313). This was revised in March
2004. The main revisions were:

• incorporation of a new Regulation 4(3) and guidance on individual capability (paragraphs 177 onwards);
• expanded advice on the risks associated with pushing and pulling, including a risk assessment worked example and checklist (paragraphs 93 – 96, 148 and Appendix 4)
• a revised good handling technique (paragraphs 197 onwards) based on research by the Institute of Occupational Medicine
• new advice on psychosocial issues (paragraph 14, also see Appendices 2 and 4);
• a new Appendix 1 on management systems for controlling risks from manual handling;
• expanded advice on risk assessment in Appendices 2 and 3;
• a revised checklist for lifting and carrying in Appendix 4;
• an introduction to MAC in Appendix 5.

General

4 MHOR aim to reduce the incidence and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) arising from the manual handling of loads at work. MSDs were the most commonly reported type of work-related illness in the last six surveys of self-reported work-related illness. SWI04/05 shows: 11.6 million working days (full-day equivalent) were lost through Work Related MSDs (WRMSDs).

5 MHOR place duties upon employers in respect of their own employees. Identical duties are placed on the self-employed in respect of their own safety. The Regulations do not impose duties on employers in relation to other persons, eg voluntary workers transporting patients for the health services. However, HSW Act s.3 and provisions of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) may be relevant in such cases.

6 MHOR apply to all work activities with the exception of those normally covered by Merchant Shipping legislation which is administered by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Enforcement

7 Tackling MSD risk is an HSC priority. Strong enforcement action is encouraged. MSDs represent considerable cost to society in terms of lost time as well as being a cause of pain and suffering to the individuals involved.

8 It is anticipated that most enforcement will be concentrated around reg.4. Where a prosecution is under consideration advice should be sought from ergonomists and EMAS at an early stage. For contact details please see the MSD Topic pack section.

9 In any enforcement action under consideration it is important to obtain evidence from ergonomists/EMAS at an early stage to demonstrate that a particular manual handling operation will involve a risk of injury, rather than attempt to show that a specific case of injury demonstrates the existence of a risk as this can be complicated by sports injuries etc. A pattern of injuries would support other evidence of risk. Where possible, evidence of injuries to other individuals should be obtained using HSE and company records and statements obtained from the individuals as appropriate.

10 Where the activity is single or team lifting or carrying then apply the Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC) tool and refer to OC 313/4. Numerous HSE and other publications show reasonably practicable control measures – these are listed in the MSD Topic Pack.

11 Please inform HAW MSD team of the details of all MHOR prosecutions.

Interpretation (reg.2(1))

12 MHOR are concerned with the risks of injury from manual handling operations, and not with risks posed by loads which are intrinsically hazardous and which are being manually handled. Eg they do not apply to risks of injury from toxic or corrosive substances leaking or being spilled from loads being handled.

13 MHOR apply to the manual handling of people and animals.

14 The definition of 'manual handling operations' is broadly drawn and means: '...any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or by bodily force'.

15 An important exception is that a tool or machine being used for its normal purpose is not a load. Therefore, chainsaws being loaded and unloaded from a vehicle would be regarded as a 'load' and subject to MHOR but they would not be a 'load' when in normal use.

Duties of employers (reg.4)

16 In essence reg.4 sets out a hierarchy of 3 duties on employers:

1. the employer shall so far as is reasonably practicable, avoid the need for his employees to undertake any manual handling operations at work which involve a risk of injury (reg.4(1)(a));
2. where 1) above is not possible, the employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of all such operations which cannot be avoided, taking account of Schedule 1 (reg.4(1)(b)(i)); and
3. the employer shall take appropriate steps to reduce the risk of injury during those operations to the lowest level reasonably practicable (reg.4(1)(b)(ii)).

When considering whether a manual handling operation 'involves a risk of injury' and when determining appropriate risk reduction measures, MHOR reg. 4(3) applies. Reg.4(3) requires that regard shall be had to: the physical suitability of employees; clothing / footwear / personal effects they are wearing; their knowledge and training; the result of any relevant risk assessment under MHSWR 1999, including whether they are identified by that assessment as being especially at risk; and the results of any health surveillance under MHSWR reg 6.
17 If there is no evidence of any risk of injury then reg.4 will not apply. Deciding the presence and degree of risk will be a matter of judgement in each case, with regard being had to the factors identified above. The Regulations do not set out the steps employers must take to reduce the risks to their workers. HSE's general guidance includes some steps that employers will wish to consider in the light of the assessment but it is up to employers to choose the appropriate measures.

• Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (mhor) (as Amended 2002)

Assessments

18 The assessment must be 'suitable and sufficient'. A generic assessment is acceptable if it can legitimately draw together strands common to several operations or employees. For example, the unloading of a variety of materials on building sites and routine delivery to several separate locations would be best covered in a generic assessment. The numerical guidelines provided in L23 (HSE's guidance on the MHOR) Appendix 3 should help employers determine which operations carry a greater risk of injury and therefore which require a more detailed assessment. The Manual Handling Assessment Charts, MAC, may also be used for that purpose and also to identify key risk factors; although they may not comprise a full risk assessment as MAC does not cover all risk factors – eg individual capability or pushing/pulling.

19 Reg 4(3) and Schedule 1 of MHOR contain factors and questions to be considered during assessment. Appendix 4 of L23 gives an example of an assessment checklist. Clearly employers can devise their own checklists provided it is suitable, but the example indicates the standard that would be expected in typical cases.

20 Most employers should be able to carry out their own assessments. The key to success is the use of an appropriate checklist by a suitable team including consultation with the workforce. When appropriate other tools such as MAC can be used to help in the process. Where there are particularly complex manual handling operations it might be necessary to seek outside help, and employers may request information from HSE. The Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) maintains a list of professional ergonomists. When recommending this institute it should be made clear that their data does not carry any HSE endorsement.

21 There is no formal requirement in the MHOR for employers to write their assessment down. If they have not done so they must nevertheless be able to demonstrate that they have carried out an assessment. For example, they may be able to show the risk reduction measures they have taken as a result of assessing their manual handling operations.

Lumbar support belts

22 Abdominal and back support belts are not recommended control measures as their effectiveness is questionable – see L23 para 186-7 for details.

Manual Handling Operations

Indication of weight etc on loads

23 The provision of information to employees required by reg.4(1)(b)(iii) may assist in risk reduction as it will provide employees with a further indication of risks. Advice on how employers should comply with the duty is at L23 paras 172 - 175. Precise information about load weights only has to be provided where it is reasonably practicable to do so. Hence reg.4(1)(b)(iii) does not place a duty on manufacturers or suppliers to mark all loads; nor do employers necessarily have to mark the load itself.

24 While it can be helpful to mark weights (and centre of gravity information, if relevant) on loads where this can be done easily (eg by product suppliers), there are many circumstances where it is not reasonably practicable to provide this precise information. In these cases it is sufficient for the employer to provide general indications about the weight (and heaviest sides, if applicable) of the kinds of loads to be handled in a job; this can be done in various ways, eg through training. The provision of precise information about the weights of loads is included in the MHOR only because it is mentioned very specifically in the EC Directive (Article 6). This provision should not be pursued to the exclusion of other risk reduction steps which can be called for under reg.4(1)(b)(ii) and which are likely to be more effective in reducing the risk of injury.

Duties of employees (reg.5)

25 The employee's duty under reg. 5 extends only to a system of work provided for the employee in compliance with reg. 4(1)(b)(ii).This provision should not be seen as a bar to well-intentioned improvisation, eg in dealing with an emergency for which no prior provision could reasonably be made.

• Manual Handling Operations Regulations 2002

26 The employee's duty is in addition to that under reg.14 of the MHSWR which requires the use of machinery and equipment, such as handling aids, where it has been provided for the employee in accordance with the training and/or instruction provided.

Training

Manual Handling Regulations Uk

27 Research has found little evidence that training focussing primarily on handling techniques is effective in promoting safer working and reducing injuries. The evidence suggests that techniques taught in training programmes often fail to be applied in the workplace. Hence training in handling techniques should never be relied on as a way of overcoming deficiencies such as unsuitable loads, bad working conditions or a lack of handling aids.

Manual Handling Operations Regulations 2002 Pdf

28 However, there is strong evidence that effective reductions in injuries can be achieved by multi-dimensional ergonomics interventions, involving participation of workers and managers, and equipment and / or task redesign, coupled to training that is tailored to suit the person and specific task requirements. The emphasis in training should be on changing attitudes and behaviour and promoting risk awareness among workers and managers, so that people assess risks and report problems. This is most likely to be achieved through industry- and task-specific training that is tailored to recipients’ level of knowledge and understanding of the risks.