New manual handling guidance

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) booklet "Getting to grips with manual handling" is based on recent research into good manual handling principles. The HSE said its new booklet should help both employers and employees to take sensible steps to reduce associated injuries.

Around a third of all industrial injuries are caused by manual handling accidents, according to the HSE. Also, an estimated 1.1 million people in the UK suffer from work-related musculoskeletal disorders, including those caused by manual handling.

Last year, the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) published the findings of its research into "The principles of good manual handling".

The report, funded by the HSE, followed consultation with manual handling trainers, industry safety practitioners, ergonomists and other professionals involved with training in manual handling.

Employer's duties

The new guidance from the HSE is based on the findings of this research and promotes the various new 'lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying' principles it identified.

The new guide also highlights employer's duties under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, as amended in 2002.

These include; avoiding the need for hazardous manual handling, so far as is reasonably practicable; assessing the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling that cannot be avoided; and reducing the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling, so far as is reasonably practicable.

It also stresses the employees also have duties, including following appropriate systems of work, making proper use of equipment provided for their safety and informing employers of any hazardous handling activities identified.

Compensation claims

Elizabeth Gyngell, head of HSE's "Better Working Environment" division, said: "This guidance forms part of the Health and Safety Commission's Priority Programme on musculoskeletal disorders. By following the guidance, preventive action can be taken quite easily in most workplaces and need not be costly.

"Indeed it is likely to be far more expensive for employers and their insurers to ignore the risks from manual handling, which may lead not only to compensation claims, but also to costs arising from sickness absence and reduced productivity."

Musculoskeletal disorders account for around half of all work-related ill health, according to the HSE. As a result of such disorders an estimated 12.3 million working days were lost in 2002/2003. Research showed that in 1995/1996 musculoskeletal disorders cost the UK £5.7 billion.

The HSE said further research projects would be published later this year including studies of risk perception and the link between stress and musculoskeletal disorders.

This week the Executive also published more detailed guidance concerning the Manual Handling Operations Regulations - copies of "Manual handling: Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended) - Guidance on Regulations" (ref L23) are available from HSE Books (see link above/right).

Johnny Thomson