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Health and Safety ■
Getting to grips
Every business should be aware of the risks involved in manual handling, but recent
figures suggest that there are more workplace injuries from poor manual handling than
from any other activity. Michael Collier, chartered health and safety practitioner, looks at
the steps that can be taken to reduce the impact on businesses to help to maintain a
safe workforce.
Manual handling occurs in just about in they will be able to offer practical
every workplace in the world. At any one solutions to help control the risks.
time someone is moving objects as part of Your duties under the Manual
their every day activity. There are more Handling Operations Regulations 1992,
workplace injuries from poor manual as amended in 2002, identifies specific
handling than there is from any other duties that you are required to carry out:
activity – up to 2,900 major injuries and
more than 48,000 three-day plus accidents. • Avoid – the need for hazardous
However, these are not exact figures as manual handling, so far as is reasonably
there will be many more that go under- practicable. Check whether you need to
reported and many more where people move it at all. Does a large workpiece
suffer in silence. They do, however, account really need to be moved, or can the
for more than a third of all three-day plus activity safely be done where the item
injuries reported to the authorities is.? Consider automation, particularly
Manual handling contributes significantly for new processes. Think about
to injuries known as musculoskeletal mechanisation and using handling aids
disorders (MSDs) and most involve a sprain such as a conveyor, a pallet truck, an
or a strain to the back, other strains or sprains electric or hand hel powered hoist or a
affect the arms, muscles and feet. However, lift truck;
many injuries are often difficult to link to any
single activity or accident as they are • Assess – the risk of injury from
cumulative, the problem is a gradual process any hazardous manual handling that
and may not be noticed as a problem at first. can’t be avoided. The employer has the
The results though may be serious enough to responsibility for making the
leave sufferers with permanent disabilities assessment. Most will be able to be Image courtesy of HSE website
and limited range of movements. done in-house and a lot will be able
Manual handling applies to a wide range of to be done by just observing for a
activities including lifting, lowering, pushing, few minutes ad identifying ways of
pulling or carrying. Prevention and control of making the job less hazardous,
MSDs, such as manual handling injuries, has easier and less physically
been identified as a priority by the Health and demanding. Help from the experts
Safety Commission. If you take on board the may be required in the more
action described below it will help you to complex activities, but in lots of
prevent this type of injury and should be cost- activities your own staff will be able
effective. to help, they will often know the handling operations are a low risk and are
problems and how to solve them. going to last a very short time. Assessments
Prevention is better than cure
Consultation with your staff will help to can be generic but you may also need to carry
What can you do to help reduce the impact produce practical solutions as they are best out individual assessments ie pregnant women
upon your business and help to maintain a placed to know how the job works. It is often or for employees with a disability;
health workforce? Well, first you must useful to record and keep the main findings
understand and consider the risks from and this should always be done if it would be • Reduce – the risk of injury from
manual handling – we will see how – and difficult to repeat the assessment. However an hazardous manual handling, so far as is
consult with your workforce on how you are assessment need not be recorded if, it could reasonably practicable. This means reducing
going to minimise the risks and how they can easily be repeated and explained at any time the risk until the cost of further precautions –
help you achieve this objective. In many ways because it is simple and obvious or the time, effort or money – would be far too great
www.PressOnShD.com June 2007 ShD 15
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