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The
Facts
More
than a third of all over-three-day injuries reported each year to HSE
and local authorities are caused by manual handling. Manual handling is
the transporting or supporting of loads by hand or by bodily force.
Surveys
show that on average over a million people a year in Great Britain
suffer from musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) which have been caused or
made worse by their current or past work.
Manual
handling injuries can occur wherever people are at work for example on
farms, building sites, in factories, offices and warehouses. Heavy
manual labour, poor lifting postures, manual materials handling, and
previous or existing injury are all risk factors implicated in the
development of MSDs. Prevention and control of MSDs, such as manual
handling injuries, has been identified as a priority by the Health and
Safety Commission.
Risk
Assessment
It is a requirement of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
(as amended) to undertake a risk assessment on manual handling
activities. The risk assessment will reduce the risk of injury by
identifying the hazards of manual handling at an early stage. This is
in addition to the general risk assessments set out in the Management
Regulations. The key areas to assess are the task itself, the load, the
working environment and the individuals capability. To assist you with
assessing manual handling, please see our Manual Handling Checklist.
For Risk Assessment solutions please click here to go the Manual Handling
Training Product Solutions
page
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