Safe Manual Handling

Introduction & legislation

Welcome

• Manual handling is part of nearly every job on a building site. Done badly, it is also one of the quickest ways to end up injured.
• This module takes about 20 minutes. It covers what the law expects, how to assess a lift, and the technique that keeps your back out of trouble.
• There are ten questions along the way. You need 8 out of 10 to pass.

Introduction & legislation

What counts as manual handling

• The Regulations define manual handling of loads as any transporting or supporting of a load by one or more employees.
• That includes lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving a load.
• A load is not only a box. It can be a bag of sand, a length of timber, a tool, a wheelbarrow, a gas cylinder or a person.

If you move it with your body rather than a machine, it is manual handling.

Introduction & legislation

Why it matters

• Manual handling is the single biggest cause of workplace injury reported in Ireland.
• In 2022, manual handling accounted for 2,712 non-fatal injuries reported to the Health and Safety Authority: 30% of the total. Manual handling and falls together made up 55%.
• Back injuries are slow to heal, easy to repeat, and can follow you for the rest of your working life.

Introduction & legislation

How your back works

• Your spine is a stack of bones called vertebrae, separated by soft discs that act as cushions.
• Muscles and ligaments hold the stack in line. The spine is strongest when it keeps its natural S-shape.
• Bending and twisting under load squeezes the discs unevenly. Do that often enough and the disc gives way.

Introduction & legislation

The law: the 2005 Act

• The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 is the main piece of Irish safety law.
• It places a duty on employers to provide a safe place of work, safe systems of work, and the information, instruction, training and supervision needed to work safely.
• It also places duties on employees, which we cover in the next section.

Introduction & legislation

The Regulations

• Manual handling is dealt with in Chapter 4 of Part 2 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007.
• The Regulations set out what the employer must do, and Schedule 3 lists the risk factors that a manual handling assessment has to consider.
• Those factors fall into five groups: the load, the physical effort, the working environment, the requirements of the activity, and the individual doing it.

Introduction & legislation

Two ways injuries happen

• Sudden injuries happen in one movement: a heavy awkward lift, a slip mid-carry, a twist to put something down.
• Cumulative injuries build up over months of small, repeated strains that never quite get a chance to recover.
• Both can end in the same place: strains, sprains, or damage to a disc.

Anywhere in the musculoskeletal system can be injured, not just your lower back.

Introduction & legislation

Section summary

• Manual handling covers lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling and supporting any load.
• It causes around 30% of reported non-fatal workplace injuries in Ireland.
• The rules come from the 2005 Act and Chapter 4 of Part 2 of the 2007 General Application Regulations.

Employer & employee duties

Avoid, assess, reduce

• The employer’s duties run in a fixed order.
• First, avoid hazardous manual handling wherever it is reasonably practicable, by organising the work differently or using equipment.
• Where it cannot be avoided, assess the risk. Then reduce that risk as far as reasonably practicable.

Avoid first. A lift that never happens cannot hurt anybody.

Employer & employee duties

Designing the lift out

• Deliver closer to the point of use, so loads travel less.
• Order materials in smaller units, or split a load before moving it.
• Provide trolleys, sack trucks, pallet trucks, hoists, telehandlers and roller tracks — and keep them where the work is.

Employer & employee duties

Assess what is left

• A written manual handling risk assessment is required for handling that cannot be avoided.
• It has to consider the factors in Schedule 3 of the Regulations, which we cover in the next section.
• It should be reviewed when the job, the load, the place or the people change.

Employer & employee duties

Information and training

• Employers must give employees information on the weight of loads and how to handle them safely.
• Employees who carry out manual handling must receive training from a person with the relevant training and experience.
• Training should be specific to the actual work, not generic, and refreshed when things change.

Employer & employee duties

Your duties as an employee

• Under the 2005 Act you must take reasonable care of your own safety and that of anyone affected by what you do.
• Follow the safe system of work, use the equipment provided, and use it the way you were trained to.
• Do not be under the influence of anything that puts you or others at risk, and do not interfere with or misuse safety equipment.

Employer & employee duties

Report it

• Report anything that could injure someone: a blocked route, a broken trolley, a load heavier than expected, a near miss.
• Report injuries as soon as they happen, even minor ones. A small strain ignored is how long-term back trouble starts.
• Tell your employer if a health condition, an injury or a pregnancy affects what you can safely handle.

Employer & employee duties

Looking after your back

• Warm up gently before heavy work, and change position regularly through the day.
• Keep general fitness up and keep your weight within a healthy range for your height.
• If back pain starts, stop the activity and get it looked at rather than working through it.

Risk assessment

What an assessment is for

• A manual handling risk assessment looks at the whole job, from where the load starts to where it ends up.
• Its purpose is to find the hazardous parts, decide who could be harmed, check what controls already exist, and decide what else is needed.
• The person carrying it out should know the Regulations, know the job, and be competent to do it.

Risk assessment

TILE

• The Schedule 3 factors are easiest to remember as TILE.
• Task — what the handling actually involves. Individual — the person doing it. Load — what is being moved. Environment — where it happens.
• Run through all four before a lift you have not done before.

Task · Individual · Load · Environment

Risk assessment

T — Task

• Does the task involve stooping, twisting, or reaching above shoulder height or below knee height?
• Is the load held away from the body, carried a long distance, or lifted and lowered repeatedly?
• Is there enough rest, and can the pace be set by the worker rather than by a machine or a delivery?

Risk assessment

I — Individual

• Has the person been trained for this handling, and do they have the information they need?
• Does the job call for unusual strength, height or reach?
• Could it put someone at particular risk — a pregnant worker, a young worker, or someone with an existing injury or health condition?
• Does their clothing, footwear or PPE get in the way of a safe lift?

Risk assessment

L — Load

• Is it heavy, bulky or awkward to hold? There is no legal maximum weight in Ireland — it depends on the whole situation.
• Is the contents likely to shift, or is the load unstable or unpredictable?
• Are there handholds, or could packaging be changed to add some?
• Is it hot, cold, sharp, or hazardous if it spills?

Risk assessment

E — Environment

• Is there enough space to stand and move properly, and is the route clear?
• Are floors level, dry and in good condition, or are there steps, slopes and changes of surface?
• Is the lighting good enough to see the load and the route?
• Is it hot, cold, wet or windy? A gust can turn a sheet of ply into a sail.

Risk assessment

Other factors

• What equipment is available, is it maintained, and does everyone know how to use it?
• Does the way the work is organised force a rush — deliveries at the end of a shift, a single person doing a two-person job?
• Does PPE that is needed for another hazard make the handling harder, and how is that dealt with?

Risk assessment

Write it down and act on it

• The assessment should be written down and kept with the safety documentation.
• Findings have to be acted on. An assessment that sits in a folder changes nothing on the ground.
• Review it when the load, the equipment, the place or the people change, or after an incident.

Risk assessment

Section summary

• Assess the whole job from start to finish, using TILE.
• There is no single safe weight limit: weight is only one factor among many.
• Record the assessment, act on it, and review it when things change.

Handling techniques

Think before you lift

• Where is it going, and is the route clear all the way?
• How heavy is it? Test it by tilting a corner before you commit.
• Do you need help, a trolley, or a different way of doing it altogether?
• Are there obstructions to move first, and somewhere ready to put the load down?

The lift starts before you touch the load.

Handling techniques

Feet and stance

• Wear footwear suitable for the job and the ground.
• Put your feet roughly shoulder width apart for a stable base.
• Place the leading foot slightly forward, pointing the way you are going to travel.

Handling techniques

Grip

• Grip opposite corners rather than the sides — it is far more secure.
• Use handholds where they exist, and gloves where the load is sharp, rough or cold.
• Keep your arms within the boundary of your body rather than stretched out.
• If the grip is not secure, set it down and start again.

Handling techniques

Posture

• Bend your knees, not your back, and do not fully flex the knees into a deep squat.
• Keep your spine in its natural alignment, with the shoulders level and facing the same way as the hips.
• Get close to the load before you start. Reaching out multiplies the strain on your lower back.

Handling techniques

The lift

• Keep relaxed. A smooth, progressive movement is safer than a snatch.
• Lead the movement with your head, and use the power of your legs.
• Keep the load close to your body, with the heaviest side nearest you.

Handling techniques

Carrying

• Carry the load close to your waist, not out in front of you or on one hip.
• Keep your head up and look where you are going once the load is secure.
• Take shorter distances where you can, and put the load down and rest rather than struggling on.

Handling techniques

Turning

• Never twist your trunk while holding a load. Twisting under load is one of the most common ways backs are injured.
• Move your feet to turn, so hips and shoulders stay in line.
• Plan the turn before you lift, so you are not correcting it halfway.

Turn with your feet, not your spine.

Handling techniques

Setting down

• Lower the load the way you lifted it: knees bent, back in line, load close.
• Put it down first, then slide it into position. Do not adjust it in mid-air.
• Watch your fingers and toes, and make sure it is stable before you let go.

Handling techniques

High and low loads

• Avoid lifting above shoulder height. Use steps or a platform so the load starts at a better height.
• For loads on the ground, bring them to bench height first where you can.
• Store heavy items between knee and shoulder height so they never need a bad lift.

Handling techniques

Team handling

• Use a team lift for long, heavy or awkward loads, and match people of roughly similar height where possible.
• One person calls the lift, and everyone knows the plan and the route before it starts.
• Lift, move and lower together on the call.

Handling techniques

Pushing and pulling

• Push rather than pull where you can: you can see where you are going and your back is better supported.
• Keep your back straight, and push with your legs and body weight rather than your arms alone.
• Keep loads low on the trolley, check the wheels run freely, and slow down on slopes and ramps.

Handling techniques

If it hurts, stop

• If you feel pain during a lift, stop straight away. Do not try to finish it.
• Report it to your supervisor and follow your site procedure for injuries and near misses.
• Get medical advice. Early treatment is what keeps a strain from becoming a long-term problem.

This module is guidance only. Practical, instructor-led training is still required.