Manual Handling Guide

Manual handling injuries can occur wherever people are at work – on building sites, in factories, offices, warehouses, hospitals, banks, laboratories, and while making deliveries.  A manual handling operation may be defined as "any transporting or supporting of a load (including lifting, putting down, pushing pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or bodily force."

Where possible you should avoid the need for manual handling by providing appropriate equipment in the workplace.

According to HSE figures, manual handling is responsible for more than a third of all injuries resulting in three or more day’s absence - and costs UK employers £335,000,000.

Sites of injury caused by incorrect handling are:

• 45 percent back
• 16 percent finger/thumb
• 13 percent arm
• Remainder affecting lower limbs, arms, torso

To reduce manual handling accidents, employers should:

• avoid the need for hazardous manual handling, as far as is reasonably practicable
• assess the risk of injury from any unavoidable hazardous manual handling
• reduce risks to the lowest level that is reasonably practicable
• ensure that assessment and action plans are written, and are available to all
• develop, implement and communicate a policy and local codes of practice relating to manual handling in the workplace
• employ a competent person such as a back care adviser
• monitor policy and codes of practice, and take action if they are not properly
• applied.