CASES & TROLLEYS
RESOURCES

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH MANUAL HANDLING:

Assessing And Reducing Injury Risk

 

Who should make the assessment?

 

The assessment is the employer’s responsibility. You should be able to do most assessments in-house. You, your employees and safety representatives know your business better than anyone. Most situations will require just a few minutes’ observation to identify ways to make the activity easier and less risky, i.e. less physically demanding. Later in this guide you will find easy-to-use guidelines to help decide whether there are risky lifting activities where a full assessment is required.

 

Advice from outside experts may be helpful in difficult or unusual cases, or to get you started. See the Table below for the kind of problems to look for.

 

What role can employees and their representatives play in carrying out assessments?

 

Your employees can help you carry out the assessment - they often know what problems there are and how best to solve them. If their work is varied or not closely supervised, make sure they are aware what risks to look for when manual handling, and what to do about them. But the final responsibility for assessments rests with employers. You have duties under the Safety Representatives and Safety

 

Committees Regulations 1977 and the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996 to consult and keep safety representatives and employees up to date. Consultation with them will offer the best solutions as they are best placed to know how the job works and what can be done to improve it. It is especially useful to get your employees’ input when buying new equipment.

 

Do assessments need to be recorded?

 

It is often useful to record and keep the main findings, and this should always be done if it would be difficult to repeat the assessment. However, an assessment need not be recorded if:

● It could very easily be repeated and explained at any time because it is simple and obvious; or

● The handling operations are low risk, and are going to last a very short time.

 

Do I have to do assessments for each individual employee and workplace?

 

It is sometimes acceptable to do a ‘generic’ assessment - one that is common to several employees or to more than one site or type of work.

 

However:

● This should only be done if there are no individual or local factors which need to be taken into account, for example differences in stature, competence etc;

● You should review any generic risk assessment if individual employees report adverse symptoms, become ill, injured or disabled, or return following a long period of sickness, as they may have become vulnerable to risk.

 

Remember, you may need to carry out individual risk assessments for employees with a disability and to comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (in particular section 6).

 

The important thing in all assessments is to identify all significant risks of injury and point the way to practical improvements. How should I use my assessment?

 

Don’t just forget it or file it away. The purpose of the assessment is to pinpoint the worst features of the work - and they’re the ones you should try to improve first (see Table below). It is also important to remember to update the assessment when significant changes are made to the workplace. All employees covered by a risk assessment - including generic assessments - should be told about the risks it identifies.

 

Problems to look for when making an assessment	Ways of reducing the risk of injury
The tasks, do they involve:	Can you:
● Holding loads away from the body? ● Twisting, stooping or reaching upwards? ● Large vertical movement? ● Long carrying distances? ● Strenuous pushing or pulling? ● Repetitive handling? ● Insufficient rest or recovery time? ● A work rate imposed by a process?	● Use a lifting aid? ● Improve workplace layout to improve efficiency? ● Reduce the amount of twisting and stooping? ● Avoid lifting from floor level or above shoulder height, especially heavy loads? ● Reduce carrying distances? ● Avoid repetitive handling? ● Vary the work, allowing one set of muscles to rest while another is used? ● Push rather than pull?
The loads, are they:	Can you make the load:
● Heavy, bulky or unwieldy? ● Difficult to grasp? ● Unstable or likely to move unpredictably (like animals)? ● Harmful, e.g. sharp or hot? ● Awkwardly stacked? ● Too large for the handler to see over?	● Lighter or less bulky? ● Easier to grasp? ● More stable? ● Less damaging to hold? ● (If the load comes in from elsewhere) Have you asked the supplier to help, e.g. provide handles or smaller packages?
The working environment, are there:	Can you:
● Constraints on posture? ● Bumpy, obstructed or slippery floors? ● Variations in levels? ● Hot/ cold/ humid conditions? ● Gusts of wind or other strong air movements? ● Poor lighting conditions? ● Restrictions on movements or posture from clothes or personal protective equipment (PPE)?	● Remove obstructions to free movement? ● Provide better flooring? ● Avoid steps and steep ramps? ● Prevent extremes of hot and cold? ● Improve lighting? ● Provide protective clothing or PPE that is less restrictive? ● Ensure your employees’ clothing and footwear is suitable for their work?
Individual capacity, does the job:	Can you:
● Require unusual capability, e.g. above-average strength or agility? ● Endanger those with a health problem or learning / physical disability? ● Endanger pregnant women? ● Call for special information or training?	● Pay particular attention to those who have a physical weakness? ● Take extra care of pregnant workers? ● Give your employees more information, e.g. about the range of tasks they are likely to face? ● Provide more training (see ‘What about training?’) ● Get advice from an occupational health advisor if you need to.
Handling aids and equipment:	Can you:
● Is the device the correct type for the job? ● Is it well maintained? ● Are the wheels on the device suited to the floor surface? ● Do the wheels run freely? ● Is the handle height between the waist and shoulders? ● Are the handle grips in good order and comfortable? ● Are there any brakes? If so, do they work?	● Provide equipment that is more suitable for the task? ● Carry out planned preventive maintenance to prevent problems? ● Change the wheels, tyres and / or flooring so that equipment moves easily? ● Provide better handles and handle grips? ● Make the brakes easier to use, reliable and effective?
Work organisation factors:	Can you:
● Is the work repetitive or boring? ● Is work machine or systempaced? ● Do workers feel the demands of the work are excessive? ● Have workers little control of the work and working methods? ● Is there poor communication between managers and employees?	● Change tasks to reduce the monotony? ● Make more use of workers’ skills? ● Make workloads and deadlines more achievable? ● Encourage good communication and teamwork? ● Involve workers in decisions? ● Provide better training and information?

 

How far must I reduce the risk?

 

To the lowest level ‘reasonably practicable’. That means reducing the risk until the cost of any further precautions - time, effort or money - would be far too great in proportion to the benefits.

 

Do I have to provide mechanical aids in every case?

 

You should definitely provide mechanical aids if it is reasonably practicable to do so and the risks identified in your risk assessment can be reduced or eliminated by this means. But you should consider mechanical aids in other situations as well - they can improve productivity as well as safety. Even something as simple as a sack truck can make a big improvement.