Manual handling law

The lower back, or lumbar region, is a particularly vulnerable spot, typically accounting for just under half of manual handling injuries. Manual handling refers to any activity requiring the use of force by a person to lift, lower, push, pull, hold or restrain something. Putting boxes on shelves, gardening, cleaning, operating machinery or handling animals and even typing are all examples of manual handling tasks.

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations legislation was amended and updated in , and the law requires employers to ensure that employees within their sectors are working as safely as possible. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations outline the responsibilities of employers towards their staff.

Quite apart from the potential impact on the health of employees, incorrect manual handling techniques can risk financial, reputational, and operational damage to your organisation. Employers have been fined substantial amounts for not ensuring that their employees were trained in the appropriate manual handling techniques, as mandated in the MHOR Regulations. Just like the way we use our skeletal muscles, the application of manual handling techniques is subject to our own voluntary control.

Whilst the law does set some guidelines and limits, an understanding of how muscles function is essential to ensure safe handling of weights and protect our health.

Carers, nurses, and those in the physiotherapy field, for instance, need to be especially alert to any work-related safety hazards when looking after patients. This applies whether a patient is a fit and healthy adult, or requires more specialised aged care or child care. Another sector where up-to-date manual handling knowledge needs to be applied on a daily basis is the construction industry. While some aspects of the work may be relatively predictable, it helps to have an understanding of the laws of physics as they apply to our muscles, especially when dealing with heavy loads.

These range from assessment to reporting. Managers and employees might also need to work together to take stock of how a storeroom or nurses station is laid out. 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 type of load and the environment the manual handling is taking place in. These four factors can be easily remembered by using the acronym TILE.

Consider the task on a basic, logistical level. What does the manual handling process involve? What do you want to achieve?

Getting Started. Business and Education Supports. Workplace Transport Safety Load Securing. Accidents and Behaviour Bullying at Work. Workplace Stress. The key requirements include: Carrying out a manual handling risk assessment of existing manual handling tasks before making an informed decision on what manual handling tasks need to be avoided or reduced. Organising tasks to allow the use of mechanical or other means to avoid or reduce the need for the manual handling of loads by employees in the workplace.

The hazards can be avoided or reduced through the introduction of appropriate organisational measures for example improved layout of a work area to reduce unnecessary long carrying distances; or the use of appropriate means, in particular mechanical equipment Providing instruction and training to relevant staff. Back to Question List Do I need to assess every manual handling task?

Back to Question List Why does manual handling result in a risk of injury or ill health? The picture below illustrates some examples of work conditions that involve risk: Back to Question List How do I carry out a risk assessment of manual handling tasks? Refer to the Manual Handling Risk Assessment Video Series for examples how to conduct a risk assessment of a manual handling task: Stage 1: This stage involves collecting information on how the task is performed and identifying the key stages in the task.

This should be a team effort involving consultation with those that normally do the job. You or the person carrying out the assessment should have a thorough practical understanding of the type of manual handling tasks being carried out. Stage 2: Collect all technical details to include information on the load weight, load size, number of manual lifts, general information on postures observed and the work environment Stage 3: Identify the problems or risk factors.

Stage 4: Identify what improvements you can put in place. Once you have identified the risk factors, it is necessary to investigate potential solutions.

Examples of efforts that should be made include using mechanical aids, organising the work activity to reduce the need for travelling long distance or reducing the size of the load. Clearly document the rationale for deciding on the appropriate control measure, outlining why other control measures were not possible and how the suggested control measure will avoid or reduce the risk of injury.

Employees should be consulted as part of this process and where a new work activity is introduced it needs to be assessed to ensure that it does not introduce new hazards. Stage 5: Review the effectiveness of the control measures: Effectiveness is the degree to which the control measures have avoided or reduced the risk of injury.

Back to Question List Are there appropriate guidance documents to refer to for advice and direction on how to comply with the Manual Handling of Loads Regulation? Download the Guide on the Manual Handling Training System - Revision Back to Question List What is the current guidance on course content of a manual handling training course for employees?

Ergonomics Home. Manual Handling Regulations Guide - Navigating the Jungle of Safe Lifting Rules and Ergonomic Risk Assessments When it comes to manual handling regulations, have you, too, tried to find answers to apparent simple questions like: What are the weight limits for lifting and carrying objects in the workplace in my country?

What do I as an employer need to be aware of what are my legal responsibilities when my employees engage in manual handling of loads? We want to help you! We want to make it easier for you to find what you need and to understand the rules! We want to contribute our part in helping to bring down the large number MSD Musculoskeletal disorder incidents that apparently continue to rise in Europe perhaps also worldwide despite the existence of and efforts to implement manual handling regulations.

The purpose on this page is twofold and what you get is: 1 An overview of the regulations of manual handling in the U. We will link out to two types of pages: Pages with in-depth information on a certain topic or organization Pages with information on and links out to national guidelines for manual handling so far we have obtained information for the U.

In general terms, these U. It's the responsibility of the employer to identify physical risks perform ergonomic risk assessments and eliminate them , either by completely removing the need for manual handling or to provide the means to make handling actions safe e.

Those are the words in broad terms. All this is very well, but as you may have noticed, not very applicable in practice. So where can you go to find more specific information? For now, let's go through how the manual handling regulations work in the U. Manual Handling Regulations in the U. When it comes to manual handling in the U. However, and this is important: OSHA doesn't have any official regulations on the limits on how much a person may lift or carry!

The law that you have to follow is the general one, the The Occupational Safety and Health Act of and more specifically the General Duty Clause, Section 5 a 1 , which states that: Each employer -- 1 shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees; 2 shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act.

As OSHA themselves states : "Even if there are no guidelines specific to your industry, as an employer you still have an obligation under the General Duty Clause, Section 5 a 1 to keep your workplace free from recognized serious hazards, including ergonomic hazards. A math based ergonomic risk assessment tool for evaluating lifting operations. Mostly used by safety and health personnel. Ergonomic Assessment Tools. Individual state agencies' and other parties' ergonomic assessment models for manual handling: Ergonomic calculators for employers and workers to evaluate risks and maximum loads for manual lifting.

Investigations of this problem have revealed the four following critical areas with regards to the implementation of the directives which includes that of the manual handling of loads : The information is not specific enough and often considered incomprehensible. Thus it's not lack of material, it's the form of the material. Employers simply can't 'translate' the abstract jargon of available documents into practical and applicable knowledge.

The margin for interpretation of the material is considered too large. It's a challenge to find the skills required to manage local health and safety.

There is a lack of resources to ensure sufficient education of staff and leadership parties. It's difficult to get access to specialized and competent technical assistance. To download this document in your own language follow this link. Find UK employer guidelines e. Manual Handling Operations Regulations on how to comply with the regulations for the manual handling of loads. A short introduction to the main occupational safety and health authorities in Germany NOSHC, BAuA plus a delineation of employers' manual handling responsibilities found in the Lastenhandhabungsverordnung and insights into the ergonomic risk assessment tool, the Leitmerkmalmethode, for lifting, holding, carrying, pushing and pulling.

Find to-the-point info on the manual handling authority in Austria, the Labour Inspectorate die Arbeitsinspektion and the law for occupational safety and health, the Safety and Protection of Health at Work Act das ArbeitnehmerInnenschutzgesetz , plus links to ergonomic risk assessment tools for lifting, holding and carrying. See also recommended weight limits for lifting in Austria. Also maximum weight limits for lifting, pushing and pulling and links to simple manual handling risk assessment tools so you can perform your own ergonomic risk analysis at work.

Sharp insights into how the legislative system of safety and health works Arbowet, Arbobesluit, Arboregeling, Inspectie SZW, and the Arbo Catalogue when it comes to manual handling in the Netherlands.

Find relevant links to lifting guidelines and ergonomic tools for risk assessing manual handling operations. Also a presentation of weight limits and other threshold values for lifting.

Get a quick overview of how the manual handling regulations work in Ireland, the role of HSA, and what you need to do and be aware of as an employer. Find also ergonomic guidelines, a list of risk factors and links to risk assessments tools for lifting, lowering, carrying, pushing and pulling loads at work.

A brief word on the authority Arbejdstilsynet responsible for writing up ergonomic guidelines and for enforcing the manual handling regulations in Denmark.