More than a third of all accidents formally reported each year relate to manual handling legislation, the vast majority being ‘over three day’ injuries, most commonly sprains or strains, often of the back. Risks from workplace manual handling tasks are linked to many factors.
Manual handling regulation covers transporting a load and supporting a load in a static posture using the hands or any other part of the body, such as the shoulder. It also includes the intentional dropping or throwing of a load, whether into a container or from one person to another.
Good practice for manual handling health and safety requires employers to avoid manual handling as far as reasonably practicable. They should make a manual handling risk assessment of any hazardous operations that cannot be avoided and reduce risk as far as reasonably practicable and employers need to be up to date with the latest manual handling legislation