Injuries caused through manual handling are extremely common in the workplace. Manual handling injuries can occur when employees are required to lift, carry, lower, push or pull heavy objects. If employees haven’t been properly trained to safely move items then the likelihood of an accident at work is high.

Your employer has a duty of care to look after your well being, through minimising risk, whilst you are in the workplace. Therefore if your job requires manual handling your employer must provide you with the appropriate training and any equipment that you require to do so.

The HSE estimates that over a third of workplace injuries occur as a result of manual handling. Injuries caused as a result of manual handling are also known as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which include any injury or damage to the joints or soft tissue in the limbs and back.

Common injuries include:

• Back injuries
• Sprains and strains
• Hand injuries
• Slips, trips and falls
• Hernias
• Foot injuries

Common manual handling injuries result due to:

• Employees adapting awkward postures to lift, carry or drag, heavy or awkward shaped objects.
• Repetitive movement of arms, legs and back, leading to an injury or making an existing injury worse.

Workers most at risk of suffering a manual handling injury include:

• Assembly line workers
• Construction workers
• Warehouse operatives
• Agricultural staff
• Care home assistants

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations (1992) sets out the rules that employers must adhere to, in order to protect the well being of their staff if their job involves manual handling.

Your employer should do the following before allowing you to carry out any manual handling:

• Carry out a risk assessment.
• Implement any measures that can aid in the heavy lifting such as using pallet trucks, hoists or conveyors.
• Conduct health and safety training to show employees the safe way to conduct the task.