The Regulations define manual handling as: “… any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or bodily force”.
What is manual handling and why is it important?
Manual handling tasks must be done correctly to prevent injury to staff. For example, there is a risk of back injury when lifting heavy boxes incorrectly. It’s important to be properly trained on how best to use them for the health of staff, preventing injuries and maintaining overall workplace wellbeing.
What are the 5 common types of manual handling tasks?
Manual handling covers a wide range of activities including: lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, restraining, throwing and carrying. It includes repetitive tasks such as packing, typing, assembling, cleaning and sorting, using hand-tools, operating machinery and equipment, and handling and restraining animals.
What are the risks of manual handling?
Manual handling causes over a third of all workplace injuries. These include work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such as pain and injuries to arms, legs and joints, and repetitive strain injuries of various sorts.
Who needs manual handling training?
Manual handling training is a legal requirement in any situation where your staff are required to do any lifting, lowering, pulling or pushing that carries any level risk. Most work environments employ people who incorporate the use of manual handling.
Do you need manual handling training?
What is a risk in manual handling?
The Regulations define manual handling as: “… any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or bodily force”. The load can be an object, person or animal.
What are the 4 principles of manual handling?
When carrying out a manual handling risk assessment, staff should be considering four main areas: the nature of the task, the capabilities of the individual performing it, the characteristics of the load and the layout of the environment. These four factors can be easily remembered by using the acronym TILE.
What is a safe manual lifting technique?
Keep the load close to the body for as long as possible while lifting. Keep the heaviest side of the load next to the body. If a close approach to the load is not possible, try to slide it towards the body before attempting to lift it. Avoid twisting the back or leaning sideways, especially while the back is bent.
