Manual handling is the transporting or supporting of loads (including lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving) by hand or bodily force.
Manual handling is one of the most common cause of accidental injury in the workplace; every year, 300,000 people in the UK suffer from back pain due to manual handling incidents. Injuries which occur due to manual handling incidents are part of a wider group of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
Prevention of Manual Handling Incidents
The hierarchy of measures that must be followed to prevent and manage the risks of manual handling are:
- Avoid hazardous manual handling operations if possible
- Assess the risk of injury to workers if manual handling cannot be avoided
- Reduce the risk of injury by using correct techniques
Safety Moment
Manual Handling - Good Practice
Featured Resources
Managing Upper Limb Disorders in the Workplace - a brief guide (HSE)
HSE Online Musculoskeletal Disorders Tool (MAC)
Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC) tool was developed to help the user identify high-risk workplace manual handling activities and can be used to assess the risks posed by lifting, carrying and team manual handling activities.
It is designed to help you understand, interpret and categorise the level of risk of the various known risk factors associated with manual handling activities. It incorporates a numerical and a colour-coding score system to highlight high-risk manual handling tasks.