Do you lift, lower, push, pull, carry, move, hold or restrain a person, animal or object? If so, you’re performing a hazardous manual task. Manual handling and the body stressing it causes remain our biggest factor in injuries, across many industries.
How hazardous manual tasks can injure you
Injuries range from sprains and strains of your muscles, to back pain and chronic pain, and degeneration of your joints and bones. You can be injured gradually though repeated or continuous actions, or suddenly by a strenuous or unexpected movement.
Managing the risks of manual handling tasks
First step: do a risk assessment to identify the tasks, postures, equipment, objects and other factors that could put someone at risk of a body stressing injury.
Knowing these will help you work out the best solutions, whether that’s ordering items in smaller/lighter size that can be easily carried, using trolleys, hoists or conveyors to help move or lift items, or rotating jobs so workers aren’t doing one repetitive action for too long.
Get the code
The code of practice Hazardous manual tasks is your best resource. It has practical explanations, examples, templates and illustrations to help you understand manual handling, how to do a risk assessment, and put control measures in place for hazardous manual tasks.
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If you’re a small or medium sized business, our Advisory Service can help you manage safety in your workplace, including manual handling.