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Machines can only do so much; sometimes we just have to utilise our own strength. Receiving training in proper manual handling techniques is essential. Our bodies have amazing capabilities, but also great limitations. Like machines, they’re going to develop faults and break down after long-term misuse. And when we’re worn down physically, we tend to get worn down mentally too. Usually caused by sudden and small unexpected accidents, e.g. losing grip and dropping a load, lifting an excessively heavy load at an awkward angle, or falling while carrying a load. These are known as musculoskeletal disorders. This is usually a negative side effect of dealing with long-term injuries that have disabling and difficult-to-manage symptoms. Long-term disorders and injuries in these areas are defined as musculoskeletal disorders, and lower back issues are the most common. Although the number has decreased since 2015, this is still 35% of the total cases. Thus, preventing risk by engaging in safe manual handling practices is a necessity. Recent research has revealed that many workers who suffer from musculoskeletal disorders end up requiring treatment for depression. But in the case of musculoskeletal disorders prompted by manual handling activities, sufferers will have a great deal of overlap in terms of what type of symptoms and negative thoughts they experience. For example: Liz has written a variety of articles, ranging from fire safety, through food hygiene and anti-bribery, to dignity in care. Training Plan Access to all courses with no limits. Talks Plan Get daily health and safety talks. Pro Plan ? Access everything with the Pro Plan. Pricing More CDM CDM guides, tools and packs for your projects. Free Tools Free and simple health and safety tools. Blog Best practice and safety guidance. Try HASpod Free Get started on the Free Plan.
Log In Support Contact Us Tools Blog Start FREE 0 Menu Services Documents Training CDM Free Tools Membership Documents Plan Training Plan Talks Plan Pro Plan. Blog About Support Contact Us Log In Try HASpod Free. Home Blog Manual Handling 29th October, 2019 7 Types Of Manual Handling Injuries And The Hazards That Cause Them For something so simple, it might surprise you to know that manual handling is responsible for over 30% of injuries at work. Why so many injuries. Well, it's likely to be because we don't expect anything to go wrong. We lift things all the time. Manual handling is simply a person (or people) moving something. You could be picking something up, or putting it down. Pushing, pulling or carrying. If you use your physical effort to move it, you are manual handling. We all carry out manual handling, in one form or another, every day. For something so simple, it might surprise you to know that manual handling is responsible for over 30% of injuries at work. Manual handling causes over a third of all workplace injuries. These include work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such as pain and injuries to arms, legs and joints, and repetitive strain injuries of various sorts. HSE Manual Handling Why so many injuries. We carry things often. It's normal. It's boring. But things do go wrong, and when they do, the consequences can be serious. And in some cases, life-changing. So let's look at 7 types of manual handling injuries, and the hazards to watch out for. 1. Back injuries When it comes to manual handling, your back is the weakest part of your body. Especially if you don't have good lifting technique. Or if what you are lifting is simply too heavy for your body to handle. It's not just during lifting you need to watch your back. At any time you are carrying a load, poor posture can damage your back. Stooping or twisting can make your back more vulnerable to injury. Common back injuries include injuries to the spine and slipped discs. 2.
Strains and sprains Ever picked something up and regretted it after. Because it was much heavier or harder to grip than you realised. Or because over time, it became too much to handle. You're not the only one. But overstretching your muscles beyond their capacity can lead to inflammation, bruising and pain. Muscular strains and sprains can happen during manual handling, often in the back, arms or wrists. 3. Hand injuries Lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling. Whichever type of manual handling activity you carry out, you usually grip with your hands. Depending on what it is you are touching, this could be a hazard in itself. If the load is hot, it could burn or scald your skin. If the load has sharp edges it could cut you. Hand injuries don't always come from direct contact with the load, but also from where you are placing it. If the load is heavy, it could bruise you or even break a bone if you don't get your fingers out the way when you put it down. And your fingers could also get trapped between the load and other nearby obstacles like containers or walls. This is especially a concern during team lifts when other people are also moving the load. 4. Musculoskeletal disorders Musculoskeletal disorders cover a range of issues and pain, in the upper limbs e.g. shoulders, neck, arms, wrists (upper limb disorders), the lower limbs e.g. hips, legs and toes (lower limb disorders), and back. HSE Musculoskeletal disorders While we have already covered back injuries as a section on its own, musculoskeletal disorders can involve a range of symptoms that usually develop over time. It can be caused by repetitive lifting leading to damage, pain or stiffness in the joints or other tissues. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are conditions that affect the nerves, tendons, muscles and supporting structures, such as the discs in your back. They result from one or more of these tissues having to work harder than they’re designed to. IOSH Musculoskeletal disorders 5.
Slip, trip and fall injuries Slips, trips and falls can happen at any time, whether you are manual handling or not. And, they usually have their own causes. A spillage. A trailing cable. An uneven floor. So why does this makes its way into our 7 types of manual handling injuries. Because manual handling can increase the risk of this type of accident, and the resulting injuries. Often, when you are carrying a load, some of your visibility is blocked. Especially at ground level. You might not see that cable on the floor, or that spillage, or notice your shoelace has come undone. Always assess the environment as part of your manual handling assessment, as the surrounding workplace can add additional hazards to your task. And the consequences of a slip or trip when you are manual handling is higher. You don't have a free hand to hold a handrail or put out to break your fall. Carrying a load can block visibility of other hazards 6. Hernias A hernia occurs when an internal part of the body pushes through a weakness in the muscle or surrounding tissue wall. NHS Hernia Repeated strain on the tummy can be the cause of a hernia, and most hernias will not get better without surgery. Over straining by lifting loads heavier than you can handle can result in a hernia, and you are at higher risk as you get older. Manual handling activities should always be assessed, considering the load and the individual ( think LITE ), to make sure it is safe and lifting aids provided as necessary. Despite the weight of the bench, no equipment was provided to enable the 49 year old man and his colleague to lift it safely. Thompsons Solicitors Heavy Lifting Leads To Hernia 7. Foot injuries You might not lift with your feet, but foot injuries still make into our 7 types of manual handling injuries. When manual handling causes a fracture, it's usually to the foot due to dropping of the load. This is an even bigger risk if you are not wearing protective footwear.
Lifting heavy loads, dropping loads from height (rather than carefully lowering them) and not getting a good grip can all lead to crushing, bruising or broken bones in the feet. Raise awareness with our free manual handling toolbox talk, and make sure your manual handling activities are assessed with the manual handling risk assessment template. This article was written by Emma at HASpod. Emma has over 10 years experience in health and safety and BSc (Hons) Construction Management. She is NEBOSH qualified and Tech IOSH. Can you handle this. Take our manual handling elearning course and get your certificate today. Course Info Recent posts like this. Manual Handling? Think LITE! Manual handling is present in nearly every workplace in one form or another. With manual handling being the leading cause of musculoskeletal disorders at work, it’s important to know how much you can safely lift, and use good handling techniques. In this blog post, we learn how to think LITE. Read Post 7 Types Of Manual Handling Injuries And The Hazards That Cause Them For something so simple, it might surprise you to know that manual handling is responsible for over 30% of injuries at work. Read Post The Importance Of Safe Manual Handling Techniques Manual handling might not seem high risk, but it is actually one of the most common causes of workplace injuries. The importance of safe manual handling techniques can therefore mean the difference between a productive day at work or being off work with a bad back. Read Post Spend less time on paperwork. Start with the free plan today. Free Plan Learn more HASpod ? 2020 Darley PCM Ltd Products Documents Training CDM Free Tools Membership Documents Plan Training Plan Talks Plan Pricing Support Support About Us Contact Us Blog Account Account Guides Terms Privacy.
For example, a muscle tear will be felt immediately, whereas other conditions may take a certain amount of time before pain occurs, like repetitive strain injury where a worker can perform a task quite happily for a while before they experience any problems (hence the word 'repetitive' in the name). At one end of the spectrum, a minor muscle pull will heal completely within a few days or so if given complete rest, whereas a dislocation or hernia will take much longer. For some, their injuries may never fully heal, such as a back injury which troubles a person for the rest of their life. This is why it is essential that manual handling injuries, or rather the prevention of them, is not overlooked and is given serious attention when compiling or conducting your company's health and safety training programme. As mentioned above, suitable manual handling training will give workers and employees the knowledge to utilise correct manual handling techniques when moving loads in the workplace through lifting, pulling, carrying, pushing etc. Although many people may already believe they know how to lift or move an object, they may not know how to do it correctly and minimise the chances of an injury to themselves. Whether it is too heavy, awkward, unstable, or a combination of these or other reasons, it can often result in over-stressing their body and bringing about an injury such as a slipped disc or muscle tear which has the potential to keep them away from the workplace for a lengthy period of time. This is not only inconvenient from an employer's point of view in terms of the organisational and administrative headaches that ensue, but will also have a financial impact in terms of lost output and sick pay. For example, it is inappropriate to expect a worker who is more advanced in age to do heavy lifting or extremely tiring work, as they are much more likely to be more susceptible to suffering a manual handling injury than a younger person would be.
Training will teach workers the types of injuries that can occur through incorrect manual handling, the correct manual handling techniques along with how to use provided aids such as lifting machinery. To discuss your manual handling training requirements in more detail with one of our knowledgeable health and safety training advisors, please call us on 0844 800 3295 or send us an online contact form by clicking on the 'Contact' button at the top of the page. Extensive tools were provided to make all the manual labour easier and the extent of the safety precautions taken was mind boggling.One of the most common reasons employees take time off from work to recover from injury is sprained, strained, or torn muscles as a result of manual lifting. It doesn't matter whether you run a law firm, care home or a farm, manual handling is something most of your employees will encounter. If you aren't prepared, there are serious risks and consequences involved for both the individual and the business. So, how do you prepare? Eliminating the hazard is the first step to take for any health and safety if it is reasonably practical to do so. Obviously, this is a lot easier in an office than a construction site and either way completely eliminating the need is virtually impossible.Don't let an employee lift what a dolly can easily handle. Machines carry risks as well, so be wary of these when considering what tools to invest in, but always be sure you are utilising the tools available to their full extent. The obvious application is asking an employee what they can easily handle, but dialogue often includes asking an employee if they see any risks that you haven't noticed or if they can see an easier way of accomplishing a specific goal. Always be aware that many people will not want to admit that the load is too much for them, so some judgment on your part may be needed to stop them taking on something which may injure them. This is the big one.
You have a responsibility to your employees to watch out for their safety and provide manual handling training, whilst employees also have some responsibility for looking after themselves. Training your workforce regularly in the safest way to accomplish manual handling is the best way to avoid such an injury in the workplace. By doing your research on how to have a safe environment for your employees you can minimise the risk of injuries, protecting your business and your employees in the process. There are a number of reasons for this. Young people joining as apprentices or coming straight out of school or college may never have experienced an injury caused by incorrect manual handling techniques, so will be largely unaware of the pain or recovery time needed after suffering a manual handling injury that prevents them from carrying out their work duties. Making new starters attend manual handling training courses will give them the knowledge required to perform manual handling tasks correctly and so reduce the chances of injury. Whilst this can be true for a person of any age, most often than not it is a young person trying to put on a show of strength by lifting a weight which is too heavy, or thinking that using equipment to help with the load is for the weak. This may also be due to a lack of experience in not knowing how heavy the load can be when it is moved over a distance, but, whatever the reason, trying to lift or move a load beyond a person's capabilities is one of the primary causes of manual handling injuries. Delegates will be briefed on the importance of procedures, safe handling and risk assessment of hazardous substances within their organisation. It is a health and safety training course which has been designed to give all personnel the necessary information, skills and training for them to be competent in basic fire safety. Therefore, understanding the risks and having suitable prevention measures in place is vital.
It ensures that all components of a safe system of work are established before high risk work commences, thereby controlling and reducing risk to individuals and the organisation. The permit to work is also a means of communication and control between site managers, supervisors, contractors and those carrying out the hazardous work. Typical delegates include supervisors, managers, directors and safety representatives. We introduce delegates to the relevant legal framework and current HSE recommended best practice. It is designed to provide an insight to some of the issues associated with the incorrect handling of sharp objects as well as health risks, and ensuring the safe disposal and handling of these implements. These include work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such as pain and injuries to arms, legs and joints, and repetitive strain injuries of various sorts. If any of these tasks are not carried out appropriately there is a risk of injury. This meant that the operators were continually reaching down or up, both of which increase the risk of injury. However, where it is not possible to avoid handling a load, employers must look at the risks of that task and put sensible health and safety measures in place to prevent and avoid injury. The plants were heavy, bulky and of varied sizes and shapes. Workers had reported severe back strain when handling these plants. The new barrow means just one person (rather than two) is needed to transport plants and workers report there is no longer a back strain issue. The load should be kept close to the body for as long as possible while lifting. Where is the load going to be placed. Will help be needed with the load. Remove obstructions such as discarded wrapping materials. For a long lift, consider resting the load midway on a table or bench to change grip. The feet should be apart with one leg slightly forward to maintain balance (alongside the load, if it is on the ground).
Be prepared to move your feet during the lift to maintain your stability. Avoid tight clothing or unsuitable footwear, which may make this difficult. This may be better than gripping it tightly with hands only. At the start of the lift, slight bending of the back, hips and knees is preferable to fully flexing the back (stooping) or fully flexing the hips and knees (squatting). This can happen if the legs begin to straighten before starting to raise the load. Keep the load close to the body for as long as possible while lifting. Keep the heaviest side of the load next to the body. If a close approach to the load is not possible, try to slide it towards the body before attempting to lift it. Shoulders should be kept level and facing in the same direction as the hips. Turning by moving the feet is better than twisting and lifting at the same time. Look ahead, not down at the load, once it has been held securely. There is a difference between what people can lift and what they can safely lift. If in doubt, seek advice or get help. If precise positioning of the load is necessary, put it down first, then slide it into the desired position. It’s the biggest cause of injuries in Victorian workplaces. It’s hazardous manual handling if it involves: These include: You'll find tools and guides in the Compliance code: Hazardous manual handling. That's why consultation is an important part of risk management. In certain situations employers must consult about health and safety issues with employees and health and safety representatives (HSRs) if they have them. Not all manual handling is hazardous. Examples of hazardous manual handling include: You don’t have to do a formal risk assessment if there is already information about the risk and how to control it. For example, it takes more bending and twisting of the back to pick up a box from the floor than from a bench at mid-thigh height. The longer the work is done, the greater the risk.
Environmental factors like heat, cold and lighting levels can also increase the risk. For example, job demands, low job control, and poor support might affect how someone goes about their job. The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (OHS Regulations) set out specified risk control measures, to be used in order. This is called the hierarchy of control. Always try to remove the action that can cause the injury. For example, use bulk bags of stock that have to be handled with a forklift. Change the workplace or the work. Reduce the risk by changing things like the workplace layout, environment, or work systems. You could also change the things used, or use mechanical aids. Some examples are altering the height of a bench, changing the tools used to carry the load or reorganising the work flow. Give employees information, instruction or training on how to reduce the risk of injuries. Review risk controls You must review and, if needed revise them if, for example: The OHS Regulations also have specific duties about risks of MSD from hazardous manual handling. See the Compliance code: Hazardous manual handling for full detail of duties relating to hazardous manual handling for: It’s the biggest cause of injuries in Victorian workplaces. There are several risk factors that make manual handling of loads hazardous and increase the risk of injury. Particularly, for back pain, these can be grouped into five main categories: the load; the task; the environment; organisational and psychosocial factors; and individual and lifestyle factors. Risk assessment methods have been developed to provide comprehensive information about the complex interactions of risk factors associated with the handling of loads. The aim of the directive is to reduce or eliminate the risk of injury associated with manual handling operations in all workplaces, regardless the economic sector.
In particular, back pain is a major work-related health complaint associated with manual handling and occurs across the European Union (EU). Manual handling can also lead to occupational accidents.In the Construction and Transport sector more than half of the working population are exposed to this risk.The risk of carrying or moving loads can be associated with all types of MSDs. Of all the workers whose job always involves carrying or moving heavy loads, around 63 % report having MSDs as opposed to 34% when their job never involves carrying or moving heavy loads. It should be noted that the EWCS include data of self-reported MSDs, not only work-related MSDs. The association between MSDs prevalence and exposure to the risk of carrying or moving heavy loads has been found for upper limb disorders, lower limb disorders and back pain. Figure 2 shows the percentage of workers having backache, by proportion of working time involving carrying or moving heavy loads by age.Examples of risk factors within the five major risk factor categories are:Especially if one of the following conditions is present during lifting, carrying, and the pushing and pulling of loads, the risk of back injury increases.However, weight limits can be found in guidance documents and standards. ISO-standard 11228-1 Ergonomics - Manual handling - Part 1: Lifting and carrying proposes a similar limit of 25 kg for men and 15kg for women under ideal conditions. Ideal conditions include aspects such as lifting with 2 hands, trunk is not rotated, lifting duration of less than one hour per day, etc. Lifting under non-ideal conditions decreases the safe lifting limit. Another well-known example are the guidance values of HSE (UK). These values can be used for assessing the risk of manual handling and differ according to the horizontal and vertical reach distance (figure 3). The optimal zone is at elbow height, close to the body. Some EU member states have also included weight limits into their legislation.
In order to grasp a large load, the handler has to adopt a posture with the arms extended, thus increasing the spinal loading. Gloves usually make holding objects more difficult than with bare hands. Providing the objects with handles or using aids to assist gripping (e.g. when carrying metal plates) reduces the load on the handler. Loads with sharp edges or containing dangerous materials (solids or liquids) present a risk to handlers, especially in the event of a collision.This may lead to asymmetrical loading of muscles, and potentially lead to fatigue. Unstable or moving contents, such as liquids, are particular hazardous as the load can suddenly move causing the handler to lose their balance, with the possibility of them falling.When lifting, the spine is particular at risk of injury when the trunk is bent or twisted.The weight of the object, the hold on the object and the position of its centre of gravity are important issues when assessing the risk of injury from manual handling tasks. A poor work environment, (e.g. the space available to perform handling tasks, temperature, humidity, etc.) can compromise muscle efficiency and may lead to vascular and neurological damage of the musculoskeletal system. Workers with cold hands may exert greater forces than normal, affecting muscles, soft tissues and joints. It is important to be aware that individuals differ in their susceptibility to musculoskeletal injury. Where this is not possible employers must assess the risks associated with manual handling in the workplace, and act to safeguard the safety and health of their employees and others who may be at risk. A Risk assessment involves a systematic and thorough evaluation of the hazards in the workplace and the likelihood that these could cause harm to an individual. The benefits of a good risk assessment are that they can help reduce the costs to businesses from lost output, compensation claims and higher insurance premiums.
The use of a simplified checklist to identify potential hazards can be of great benefit in ensuring that all risk factors are identified. Some examples of suitable risk assessments can be found on national and international health and safety at work websites. For example, the checklist for the prevention of manual handling risks on the EU-OSHA website. The checklist allows assessing the risks related to manual handling and examines risk factors related to: Other examples of risk assessment tools for manual handling are: They are user-friendly and can be applied by ergonomists, occupational hygienists, occupational physicians as well as by employers, labour inspectors, etc. The risk factors which must be taken into account when carrying out an assessment of the risks are primarily: loads characteristics, the physical stress exerted on the handler (distance of the load, adopted posture, intensity of the task, frequency and duration of the required handling task, etc.), characteristics of work environment, age, gender, and working experience.In many cases, some of these methods have been incorporated (as employer decision support tools) into company specific guidelines.If manual handling can not be avoided, the risks should be limited by measures such as: These training programmes have to be tailor-made, take into account the risks of the tasks and provide practical solutions and techniques. The introduction of exoskeletons can improve the performance of the worker and offer support for frequent lifting of heavy loads. However, the use of exoskeletons remains limited and technical or organisational measures should be preferred over introducing exoskeletons.Nevertheless, every workplace is different, which means employers must carry out an assessment of the risks at their own workplace so that those solutions that are developed are specific to their own situation.
Prevention has mostly been targeted at providing resources to address a number of key areas, mainly through improving compliance with the regulations. Nevertheless, further improvements must inevitably involve changes to cultural practices making musculoskeletal disorders a public health priority. Certain back injuries and MSD can sometimes be long-term and terribly debilitating, affecting not just day-to-day ability to work and productivity but even ongoing quality of life. Unlike lesser training providers, our courses are not just about ticking boxes and avoiding litigation, but they will actually enable the workforce to take care of themselves, with course content including. For the best experience please upgrade or use another browser. Manual handling covers a wide range of activities including: lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, restraining, throwing and carrying. It includes repetitive tasks such as packing, typing, assembling, cleaning and sorting, using hand-tools, operating machinery and equipment, and handling and restraining animals. Not all manual handling tasks are hazardous, but because most jobs involve some form of manual handling, most workers are at some risk of manual handling injury. These hazards can be identified in different ways: Typical risk factors that can increase the risk of injury include: These tips can help reduce injury at home as well as at work. Safety suggestions include: Safety suggestions include controlling risk factors in the workplace, in addition to personal controls: Organisations such as WorkSafe Victoria or unions can offer information and advice on modifying the workplace or work practices to reduce the risk of manual handling injuries. More information here. If you are looking for health or medical advice we recommend that you: Once you have activated a link navigate to the end of the list to view its associated content.