Manual handling causes over a third of all workplace injuries. These include work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such as pain and injuries to arms, legs and joints, and repetitive strain injuries of various sorts. This is one of the primary areas of incident in a warehouse environment wherever possible, manual handling should be minimised with the use of fork lift trucks and other lifting appliances.
The employer must avoid the need for workers to do any manual handling task which involves a risk of injury.
When this cannot be done, the employer must assess the task, taking into account the range of risk factors specified in the Regulations:
- The employer must reduce the risk involved to the lowest reasonably practicable level
- The employer must provide workers with general indications of the risks and where possible specific information on the weight of each load and the heaviest side of a load with an off-centred centre of gravity
Employees must make full and proper use of systems of work provided by the employer.
Figure 1 shows how to lift a load correctly to avoid injury:
Figure 1: Manual Handling