Health and Safety

Manual handling Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992

Guidance on Regulations

This guidance aims to help employers comply with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, as amended by the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002.

It will help employers – and managers, safety representatives and employees – to control and reduce the risk of injury from manual handling.

The fourth edition has been simplified and restructured, with the regulations and guidance in Part 1 and more detailed guidance to assist in carrying out risk assessments and control risks in Parts 2–4. The risk filter which helps to identify those tasks that do not require a detailed assessment (formerly in Appendix 3 of the third edition) has been adapted so that HSE’s assessment tools can be used as part of the risk assessment process. The full risk assessment checklists are now L23 (Fourth edition) online. Published 2016 Regulation 2 has been changed to reflect an amendment to section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 relating to the self-employed.

HSE Books

© Crown copyright 2016

First published 1992 Second edition 1998 Third edition 2004 Fourth edition 2016

ISBN 978 0 7176 6653 9

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Guidance

This guidance is issued by the Health and Safety Executive. Following the guidance is not compulsory, unless specifically stated, and you are free to take other action. But if you do follow the guidance you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law. Health and safety inspectors seek to secure compliance with the law and may refer to this guidance.

Contents

Introduction 5 About this book 5 Summary of changes 5 Background 6 What do the Manual Handling Operations Regulations require? 7 Consult employees 7 Risk assessment filters 8 PART 1 Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992: Legal duties 9 Regulation 1 Citation and commencement 9 Regulation 2 Interpretation 9 Definitions of certain terms 9 Duties of the self-employed 10 Regulation 3 Disapplication of Regulations 11 Seagoing ships 11 Regulation 4 Duties of employers 11 Employer’s duties: What is ‘reasonably practicable’? 12 Avoiding manual handling 13 General advice on manual handling risk assessments 14 An ergonomic approach 14 ‘Appropriate’ steps 15 Review the assessment 16 Physical suitability of the employee 16 Clothing, footwear or other personal effects 17 Knowledge and training 18 The results of any risk assessment 19 Employees especially at risk 19 Health surveillance 21 Regulation 5 Duty of employees 21 Regulation 6 Exemption certificates 22 Regulation 7 Extension outside Great Britain 22 Regulation 8 Repeals and revocations 23 Schedule 1 Factors to which the employer must have regard and questions he must consider when making an assessment of manual handling operations 24

PART 2 Carrying out a manual handling risk assessment 26 Do I need to do a manual handling risk assessment? 26 Who should carry out the assessment? 26 How should the assessment be done? 27 Generic and multi-stage manual handling assessments 27 Assessments for moving and handling people 27 Records of accidents and ill health 28 Recording the assessment 28 Making a more detailed manual handling assessment 28 PART 3 Assessing and reducing manual handling risks 30 The task 30 Task layout 30 Work routine 35 The load 38 Size and weight 38 Designing equipment so it can be handled easily 40 The working environment 41 Space constraints, floors, temperature, ventilation and lighting 41 PART 4 Mechanical assistance and good handling technique 44 Mechanical assistance 44 Maintenance of equipment 48 Good handling technique 48 APPENDIX How to choose the right level of detail for your manual handling risk assessments 51 Introduction 51 The filters 52 When to do a more detailed assessment 53 The filters in detail 53 Lifting and lowering risk filter 54 Carrying risk filter 54 Pushing and pulling risk filter 55 Handling while seated risk filter 56 Using HSE’s tools to carry out a more detailed risk assessment 57 The MAC and RAPP tools 57 A full risk assessment 58 Using the MAC/RAPP tools plus additional factors 59 Using the online checklists 59 Useful contacts 61 References and further reading 62 Further information 66

Introduction

About this book

1 This publication will help you, as an employer, comply with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (the Regulations), as amended by the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002.1 If you follow the guidance it will help you manage, control and reduce the risk of injury from manual handling. It will also be useful to managers, safety representatives, employees and others. For those who need less detail, HSE’s leaflet Manual handling at work: A brief guide2 provides a short guide to the Regulations and what employers need to do to comply with them.

2 The Regulations originally came into force on 1 January 1993 and were made under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (the HSW Act).3 They:

■■ implement into UK law European Directive 90/269/EEC4 on the manual handling of loads; ■■ supplement the general duties placed on employers and others by the HSW Act; ■■ supplement the broad requirements of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (the Management Regulations).5

3 The Regulations apply to manual handling activities involving the transporting or supporting of loads, including lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving loads. A load may be either inanimate, for example a box or a trolley, or animate, for example a person or an animal. The risks from manual handling can be found across all kinds of workplaces – on farms and building sites, in factories, offices, warehouses, hospitals, banks, laboratories and while making deliveries.

Summary of changes

4 The main changes in this fourth edition are:

■■ The text has been simplified and brings the Regulations and brief guidance on them together in Part 1. More detailed guidance which helps you carry out risk assessments and control risks is in Parts 2–4. ■■ Regulation 2 has been changed to reflect an amendment to section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 relating to the self-employed. ■■ The risk filter which helps to identify those tasks that do not require a detailed assessment (formerly in Appendix 3 in the third edition) has been adapted so that the Manual handling assessment charts (the MAC tool)6 and the Risk assessment of pushing and pulling (RAPP) tool7 can be used as part of the risk assessment process. ■■ The ‘Full risk assessment checklists’8 (formerly in Appendix 4 in the third edition) are now online. ■■ The main messages about the actions employers and workers should take to eliminate or control risks have altered very little since the third edition.

5 The Regulations are set out in italics and the accompanying guidance is in normal type. Coloured tabs also indicate each section clearly.

■■ PART 1 Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992: Legal duties has blue tabs and includes the text of the Regulations and accompanying guidance.

■■ PART 2 Carrying out a manual handling risk assessment has red tabs and includes general guidance on how to carry out a manual handling risk assessment.

■■ PART 3 Assessing and reducing manual handling risks has green tabs and includes extra information on what to look for when making risk assessments of manual handling activities.

■■ PART 4 Mechanical assistance and good handling technique has orange tabs and includes examples of handling aids and advice on good handling technique.

■■ APPENDIX How to choose the right level of detail for your manual handling risk assessments has purple tabs and includes ways to help you choose how detailed your manual handling assessments should be.

Background

6 Manual handling injuries are part of a wider group of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The term ‘musculoskeletal disorders’ covers any injury, damage or disorder of the joints or other tissues in the upper/lower limbs or the back. Some MSDs are caused by work activities but some are caused by activities outside work or may be the result of illnesses or diseases unrelated to work. How much a person is affected by MSDs varies widely. Some people are able to continue normal activities but more severely affected people may need adjustments to their workplace to help them continue to work or may need to take time off work to recover. Many episodes of MSD pain get better quite quickly. Look at HSE’s web page ‘Musculoskeletal disorders’9 for more information.

7 The Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates that work-related MSDs, including those caused by manual handling, account for around 40% of all work-related ill health. Find more information on HSE’s web page ‘Work-related MSD statistics’ at www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/musculoskeletal/.

8 There is evidence that, as well as manual handling, heavy manual labour, awkward postures and a recent or existing injury are all risk factors in the development of work-related MSDs. There are things you can do to prevent or minimise MSDs, however you cannot prevent them all. To help reduce the risk of manual handling injuries in your workplace:

■■ comply with the Regulations and guidance; ■■ review risk assessments when necessary; ■■ encourage early reporting of symptoms; ■■ ensure any cases of manual handling injury are managed effectively; ■■ consult and involve the workforce and their representatives. They know the risks and can offer solutions to control them.

What do the Manual Handling Operations Regulations require?

9 The Regulations require employers to:

■■ avoid the need for hazardous manual handling, ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’; ■■ assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling that can’t be avoided; ■■ reduce the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling, ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’.

10 ‘Reasonably practicable’ means balancing the level of risk against the measures needed to control the real risk in terms of money, time or trouble. However, you do not need to take action if it would be grossly disproportionate to the level of risk. See paragraph 32 for information about how it relates to employers’ duties and manual handling.

11 Do not consider the Regulations in isolation. Also look at regulation 3(1) of the Management Regulations which requires employers to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of their employees while at work. Where your general assessment indicates the possibility of risks to employees from the manual handling of loads, you should comply with the requirements of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations. HSE provides information on general risk assessments on its ‘Risk management’ web pages.10

12 You should regard managing risk from manual handling operations as part of your ongoing responsibilities under the HSW Act for managing health and safety risks arising from your work activities. HSE’s detailed guidance Managing for health and safety11 and the introductory leaflet Plan, Do, Check, Act: An introduction to managing for health and safety12 both explain how to apply the ‘Plan, Do, Check, Act’ approach to managing health and safety. This approach treats health and safety management as an integral part of good management.

13 The Regulations do not set specific requirements such as weight limits. While weight is an important factor, there are many other risk factors which you need to take into account. Where hazardous manual handling cannot be avoided, the Regulations require a risk assessment to determine the risk of manual handling injury and to help identify what remedial action is required. Medical and scientific knowledge stress the importance of an ergonomic approach to manual handling, taking into account the nature of the task, the load, the working environment and individual capability, and this approach requires worker participation. It is central to the European Directive on manual handling and to the Regulations.

14 Psychosocial risk factors also need to be taken into account. These are things that may affect workers’ psychological response to their work and workplace conditions. Examples are high workloads, tight deadlines and lack of control of the work and working methods. See the guidance on Schedule 1 (paragraphs 138–143 in Part 3) for more information.

Consult employees

15 You must consult all your employees, in good time, on health and safety matters. In workplaces where a trade union is recognised, this will be through union health and safety representatives. In non-unionised workplaces, you can consult either directly or through other elected representatives. Consultation involves employers not only giving information to employees but also listening to them and

taking account of what they say before making health and safety decisions. Issues you should consult employees on include:

■■ risks arising from their work; ■■ proposals to manage and/or control these risks; ■■ the best ways of providing information and training.

16 Your employees will know what the manual handling risks in the workplace are and can probably offer practical solutions to controlling those risks. They can contribute by letting you know about any specific difficulties caused by, eg:

■■ the size, shape or weight of loads; ■■ how often loads are handled; ■■ the order in which the tasks are carried out; ■■ the environment in which the handling operations are carried out, eg: –– any space constraints which make it difficult to manoeuvre the load; –– unsuitable shelving/storage systems; –– uneven flooring.

17 For further information on your legal duties see the HSE leaflet Consulting employees on health and safety: A brief guide to the law.13 Also see HSE’s ‘Worker involvement’ web pages for more information on consulting your employees at www.hse.gov.uk/involvement.

Risk assessment filters

18 Where it is not possible to avoid a manual handling operation, employers have to assess any risks of injury to their employees. To enable assessment to be concentrated where it is most needed, the Appendix sets out ways to help you decide how detailed your manual handling assessments should be. These are:

■■ simple weight filters which assume that handling is infrequent, symmetrical and takes place in favourable working conditions; ■■ a more detailed assessment of the most common manual handling risk factors, carried out using tools such as HSE’s MAC tool. You may choose to use other tools not published by HSE instead; ■■ a full risk assessment taking account of all the factors in Schedule 1 of the Regulations. This is needed when there are risk factors that the earlier stages do not address. HSE’s website includes blank and example checklists8 to help you do full assessments. As long as the assessment is ‘suitable and sufficient’ you do not need to use HSE’s checklists – you can use other methods to suit your own circumstances. If you are unsure about the level of detail required, then carry out a full risk assessment.

19 Where a risk assessment identifies that a task may be harmful to a worker’s upper limbs (hands, arms, shoulders) or neck, you may also find it helpful to look at the HSE leaflet Managing upper limb disorders in the workplace14 and the more detailed guidance Upper limb disorders in the workplace.15 You may also find HSE’s Assessment of repetitive tasks of the upper limbs (the ART tool)16 useful to help you assess risks to the upper limbs. For information on how to manage back pain in the workplace look at ‘Back pain’ on HSE’s ‘Musculoskeletal disorders’ web pages9 and The back book.17

PART 1 Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992: Legal duties

Regulation 1 Citation and commencement Regulation 1 These Regulations may be cited as the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 and shall come into force on 1st January 1993.

Regulation 2 Interpretation Regulation 2 (1) In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires –

“injury” does not include injury caused by any toxic or corrosive substance which –

(a) has leaked or spilled from a load; (b) is present on the surface of a load but has not leaked or spilled from it; or (c) is a constituent part of a load;

and “injured” shall be construed accordingly;

“load” includes any person and any animal;

“manual handling operations” means any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or by bodily force.

Guidance 2 Definitions of certain terms

Injury 20 The main aim of the Regulations is to prevent injury, not only to the back, but to any part of the body. They require employers to take into account the whole handling operation, including the external physical properties of loads which might either affect grip or cause direct injury, for example slipperiness, roughness, sharp edges and extremes of temperature.

21 Hazards which result from any toxic or corrosive properties of the load are not covered by these Regulations. Those which result from spillage or leakage are likely to be subject to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH).18 For example, the presence of oil on the surface of a load is relevant to the Regulations if it makes the load slippery to handle, but the risk of dermatitis from contact with the oil is dealt with by COSHH.

Load 22 A load in this context must be a discrete movable object. This includes, for example, not only packages and boxes but also a patient being lifted, an animal being moved during veterinary treatment, and material supported on a shovel or

Guidance 2 fork. An implement, tool or machine, such as a chainsaw, fire hose or breathing apparatus, is not considered to be a load when in use for its intended purpose.

Manual handling operations 23 The Regulations apply to the manual handling of loads. That means human effort is involved rather than mechanical handling by devices such as cranes or lift trucks.