Manual handling injuries are common in manufacturing industries and can have devastating consequences for workers and manufacturers. Manual handling injuries can significantly reduce productivity and quality of life if left unchecked.
That’s why manufacturers need to understand what manual handling is, identify its associated risks, and develop strategies to reduce those risks.
Manual handling covers various activities such as lifting, pushing, pulling, lowering, and positioning loads, equipment or parts.
Common tasks include lifting boxes or pushing heavy-wheeled loads up and down inclines.
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations (or MHOR) cover employers and employees.
The regulations state that:
The nature of manual handling means that it presents several risks. When done incorrectly, manual handling can result in serious injuries within the workplace.
The likelihood of manual handling injuries increases when:
Manual handling can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), back injuries from overexertion, strains from awkward posture and even hernias from overexertion. Other risks include trips and falls caused by uneven surfaces or poor visibility when moving materials
Different types of manual handling activities carry different levels of risk depending on their complexity, frequency, and difficulty.
The most hazardous manual handling activity requires the repeated movement of heavy loads in awkward positions. Such tasks present a high risk for MSDs because muscles have no time to rest between movements.
Back injuries are the most common injury caused by manual handling. Often injuries are caused by lifting heavy loads but pushing and pulling wheeled loads, poor posture or repetitive movements are also key contributors.
Repetitive movements, over-exertion, lifting, pushing, and pulling heavy trolleys are just a few aspects of manual handling that can lead to MSDs in the workplace.
Strains and sprains occur when musculoskeletal tissues become overloaded from activities such as moving loads that are too heavy or by using excessive strain when gripping.
Overstraining to lift, push, pull or stop a heavy load through manual handling can cause hernias.
The manual movement of heavy loads can increase the risk of slips and trips through poor visibility or movements on uneven floor surfaces.
The State of MSDs Report [2022 Statistics]
477,000 workers are suffering from a musculoskeletal disorder (new or long standing)
7.3 million working days lost due to work-related musculoskeletal disorders
139,000 workers suffering from a new case of work-related musculoskeletal disorder
HSE reports that the key work factors causing work-related MSDs are:
To reduce manual handling risks in manufacturing environments, there are several strategies employers can implement, including:
Incorporating appropriate mechanical aids into your process can make tasks easier on staff, i.e., lifting equipment to take the weight when lifting load or electric tugs to take the strain out of moving wheeled loads.
Regularly reviewing your processes and tasks with employees will help identify manual handling tasks with a higher risk of injury.
This involves ensuring that jobs and work processes are designed with safety at the forefront and avoid manual handling where possible.
Ensure employees receive adequate training for each task, how to carry out manual handling activities safely and on correct manual handling techniques.
Monitor how much each worker is doing and what tasks involve manual handling and excessive physical exertion.
Give employees scheduled breaks throughout their shifts, so they have time to rest between tasks.
Evaluate each employee’s capabilities during risk assessments so you know if particular staff members require additional support/mechanical aids when performing specific tasks or if they are at higher risk of injury.
Implementing manual handling preventative strategies creates an environment where workers feel safe, resulting in fewer workplace injuries, reducing staff absences, and improving productivity overall.
We’ve created an easy-to-use checklist to help you quickly assess manual handling processes and identify the next steps in reducing the risk of manual handling injuries.
