Simple manual handling guidance updated
Managing the risks
Manual handling refers to tasks which involve transporting or supporting a load by hand or bodily force. This includes lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving loads.
In accordance with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 employers have a duty to control the risk of injury from manual handling.
To help you make the right decisions the HSE has published a 16-page leaflet, Manual handling at work: A brief guide (Revision 4) (see The next step ).
What’s included?
This guide gives useful, fairly practical advice to help you to manage the common hazards in the workplace. The problems associated with manual handling are explained and there are very detailed descriptions of different activities to help you determine whether a task is low or high risk.
It covers lifting and lowering, pushing and pulling and carrying operations separately. There is also a list of practical suggestions on how to reduce manual handling risks and advice on completing risk assessments.
What’s changed?
As before, the revised version begins with an introduction and background information. It now includes a whole section on “What does the law say” , and a new page on the avoidance of manual handling risks which you can achieve by eliminating load handling or introducing mechanisation.
A new section “How detailed should my risk assessment be?” advises on three levels of assessment.
The first is to use simple filters to identify whether a task is of such low risk that no further action is needed. The second is to use HSE online tools, including the manual handling assessment charts tool; and the third is to carry out a full manual handling risk assessment.
High or low?
Several pages now comprehensively describe the idea of “risk filters”. These are simple rules to help you identify low-risk tasks which don’t need further assessment. The previous guidance touched on the topic but the revised edition goes into much more detail and includes pictures to illustrate the concepts.
The final sections, covering record keeping, risk assessment reviews, training, and risk control, are now more user-friendly. Additional information has been included to help you conduct your risk assessments and decide on necessary control measures.
Tip 1. The safe handling techniques section has now been removed but is still available on the HSE’s website (see The next step ).
Tip 2. Particularly helpful is the guidance on checking to see if a task is likely to cause injury. Given the improvements in this revised version it’s well worth a read, whatever your business type.
For the new manual handling guidance and a link to the HSE’s website, visit http://tipsandadvice-healthandsafety.co.uk/download (HS 18.12.03).
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