What’s the problem?

More than a third of all over three-day injuries reported each year to HSE and local authorities are caused by manual handling- the transporting or supporting of loads by hand or by bodily force. Most of the reported accidents cause back injury, though hands, arms and feet are also vulnerable.

Many manual handling injuries build up over a period rather than being caused by a single handling incident. These injuries occur wherever people are at work – on farms and building sites, in factories, offices, warehouses, hospitals, banks, laboratories, and while making deliveries.

What should be done?

Consider the risks from manual handling to the health and safety of your employees – the rest of this page should help. If there are risks - the Manual Handling Operations Regulations apply.

As well as making good sense, consulting employees on health and safety matters is a legal requirement. If there are safety representatives appointed by trade unions you recognize, the law requires you to consult them. If there are none representing the employees at risk from manual handling, consult the employees themselves or any representative they have elected for health and safety.

What are your duties?

The employer should:

• Avoid the need for hazardous manual handling, as far as reasonably practicable
• Assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling that can’t be avoided; and
• Reduce the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling, as far as reasonably practicable.

Your employees have duties too.

They should:

• Follow appropriate systems of work laid down for their safety.
• Make proper use of equipment provided for their safety.
• Co-operate with their employer on health and safety matters.
• Inform the employer if they identify hazardous handling activities.
• Take care to ensure that their activities do not put others at risk.