Manual handling is a regular and important part of your role within the Post and Packing team including assisting employees, couriers and visitors with any manual handling as required. These guidelines are intended to provide details of what manual handling is, the associated risks, the company’s legal responsibility and your legal responsibility, together with training and general guidance.
What is manual handling?
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended) defines Manual Handling as ‘any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or by bodily force’.
In effect, any activity that requires an individual to lift, move or support a load is classified as a manual handling task.
Within the Post and Packing role, the main manual handling duties consist of (but are not limited to) the moving of deliveries from the goods-in area to the post room or to other locations in the building, for example distributing books and parcels around the office, usually with the use of a trolley/barrow, or providing help to other members of staff by moving outgoing material prior to packing for shipping.
What are the risks associated with manual handling?
Incorrect manual handling of loads may cause gradual and cumulative deterioration of the musculoskeletal system through continuous lifting / handling activities. Incorrect manual handling may also contribute to acute trauma such as cuts or fractures, either due to bad handling techniques or accidents.
There are several factors that make manual handling potentially hazardous, and increase the risk of injury. The risk factors, particularly for back injury, are related to 4 aspects of manual handling, being the load, task, environment and the individual.
Load
The risk of back injury increases during lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling of loads, if the load is:
- Too heavy – You need to be realistic about your own capabilities and, where appropriate, enlist the help of someone else if the load is too heavy. Note that pushing or pulling often imposes less loading on the body than lifting or carrying;
- Too large – Keep the load as close to the body as possible. To get a broad load close to the body, open the arms to reach and hold the load. This way, the arm muscles can produce more force;
- Difficult to grasp – Loads that are difficult to grasp can result in the object slipping, causing sudden movement of the load. Gloves usually make grasping more difficult than with bare hands, though can be helpful when dealing with loads with sharp edges;
- Unbalanced, unstable or if the contents can move – With unbalanced objects, it is difficult to hold the centre of gravity of the load close to the middle of the body. This leads to uneven loading of muscles, and fatigue. Unstable or moving content, such as a liquid, causes uneven loading of the muscles and sudden movements of the load can cause a loss of balance and potentially a fall;
- Difficult to reach -Loads that can only be reached with outstretched arms, or by bending or twisting the trunk, require more muscular force. The spine may easily be hurt if the trunk is bent or twisted while lifting.
Task
The risk of back injury increases if the task:
- Is too strenuous – tasks may be very demanding if they have to be carried out too frequently or for too long with insufficient rest or recovery time;
- Involves awkward postures or movements -working with a bent and/or twisted trunk, raised arms, bent wrists, a bent neck and turned head increases the risk of injury and should be avoided, as should twisting, turning and bending movements of the trunk, overreaching, sudden movements and repetitive handling;
- Static work – when maintaining a posture (holding the body or part of the body in a fixed position), certain skeletal muscles remain contracted;
- Dynamic work – when moving body parts, active skeletal muscles contract and relax rhythmically. For example, when carrying boxes your arm muscles perform static work in holding the boxes, while your leg muscles carry out dynamic work in walking;
- Static as well as dynamic work can cause fatigue and lead to injuries. Manual handling should therefore be carried out as much as possible in a neutral posture, where the joints and muscles are comfortably functioning within their natural positions and movement. Should the body be extended to the extremes of these limits, into an unnatural range of movement, the individual risks straining of the muscles, will be more easily fatigued and will be able to work less effectively;
- Posture which is repeatedly or continually constrained or over-stretched will lead to additional pressure on the joints and spine, and may lead to longer lasting issues such as Repetitive Strain Injury or muscular pain.
Environment
The following characteristics of the work environment may increase the risk of injury:
- Space available – A lack of space to carry out manual handling may lead to inappropriate body postures and dangerous imbalance in the loads;
- Floor – Handling loads on different working levels or on floors that are slippery, uneven or unstable may increase the risk of accidents and back injury;
- Climate – The physical climate (temperature, humidity and ventilation) may affect the risk of back injury. Heat makes you feel tired, and sweat makes it hard to hold loads, requiring more force. Cold can make your hands numb, making it harder to grip;
- Lighting – Insufficient lighting may increase the risk of accidents when handling loads. It may also make you work in awkward positions to see clearly what you are doing.
The individual
There are also some individual factors that can influence the risk of injury, in particular to the back:
- Experience, training and familiarity with the job (for example, new episodes of low back pain are common in the first year of employment);
- Age (the risk of low back disorders increases with the number of years at work: the first episode of low back pain occurs in most people by the age of 30);
- Physical dimensions and capacity (length, weight, strength, etc.);
- Personal lifestyle (smoking may, for example, increase the risk of low back disorders);
- History of back disorders (this is a predictor of future back injuries);
- Willingness to use personal protective equipment (for example, clothing and footwear).
Employer legal responsibilities
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended) establishes a clear hierarchy of measures for dealing with risks associated with manual handling. These are:
- Avoid hazardous manual handling operations so far as reasonably practicable;
- Assess any hazardous manual handling operations that cannot be avoided; and
- Reduce the risk of injury so far as reasonably practicable.
In short, as manual handling cannot be avoided within your role, we provide you with guidance and appropriate equipment (trolleys, barrows, step ladders) to help prevent associated risks.
Employee legal responsibilities
It is your personal duty to take all reasonable care of your own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by your activities. You are required to cooperate with the Company’s health and safety procedures, follow all guidance and training, and make proper use of equipment provided. For example, do not place/position any load in a potentially dangerous area, such as in a designated escape route, outside a lift, or in a place which could immediately present a trip hazard. Should you identify a hazard, you must inform the Office Manager as soon as practical.
Correct process for lifting:
It is of utmost importance that you make full and proper use of the equipment provided (for example a trolley, barrow, or any other equipment provided from time to time). If lifting a load involving the use of a stepladder, please refer to the separate document titled ‘Procedural Guidelines for Working at Height’.
Before lifting the load, you should plan and prepare for the task. Make sure that:
- You know where you are going;
- The area around the load is clear of obstacles;
- Doors are open and there is nothing on the floor that could cause a trip or slip;
- You have a good grip on the load;
- Your hands, the load, and any handles are not slippery;
- If you are lifting with someone else, both of you know what you are doing before you start.
Correct position for lifting:
Correct posture for lift:
Correct handling:
Correct handling technique for pushing and pulling
Pushing and pulling handling devices such as trolleys and barrows is particularly strenuous for the back, shoulders, and arms. It is important that:
- Pushing and pulling is done using the body’s own weight: when pushing you should lean forward, when pulling you should lean backward;
- You have enough grip on the floor in order to lean forward/backward;
- You avoid twisting, turning and bending the back;
- Handling devices have handles/hand grips that you can use to exert force. Handle height should be between the shoulder and waist so that you can push/pull in a good, neutral posture;
- Handling devices are well-maintained so that the wheels run smoothly;
- Floors are hard, even and free from rubbish (good housekeeping).
Manual handling outside the office
There may be occasions where manual handling is required outside the office premises, for example assisting with the loading/unloading of a delivery van. It is important that the procedures outlined in this document are adhered to, but in addition, the following should also be noted:
- Before moving any load into the T&H goods-in area, a designated fire escape route, ensure that there is sufficient floor space to drop the load without in any way compromising the escape route;
- When exiting or entering the building, in particular, if you are using a barrow/trolley, ensure that the pavement is clear and there is no risk to any passing pedestrians;
- Be particularly careful if assisting in the loading or unloading of any van or lorry, especially if this involves lifting over waist height or the barrow or trolley has to be lifted from the road to the pavement, or vice versa;
- Beware of surface conditions as pavements can become very slippery.
Last updated: 17/07/19
