Do you know the risks of manual handling?
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), manual handling is the cause of more than a third of all injuries that happen in the workplace. Despite this, many employers are not training their employees in safe manual handling techniques, nor are they putting other safety measures in place to protect their workers.
What is manual handling?
The term manual handling can be used to describe anything that requires moving a heavy object around. It could refer to someone whose job is to move heavy objects around, but it could also mean an office worker who is asked to move their desk into a different position. Anything that involves pushing, pulling, lifting, lowering or carrying could be classed as manual handling, and it could also cause an injury.
Why is manual handling dangerous?
There are many risks related to manual handling. It can cause pain and injuries to legs, arms and joints, as well as repetitive strain injuries and work-related musculoskeletal disorders, also known as MSDs. The only way to reduce the risk of manual handling-related injuries is to provide employees with the right health and safety training.
Manual handling training
Manual handling is a specific type of health and safety training which teaches participants how to safely lift and move heavy objects using approved methods and techniques. It covers topics such as how to minimise the risk of injury during manual handling, how to assess a person’s capability and occasions lifting equipment should be used.