Manual Handling
Common Questions

Common Questions

What must managers do to manage manual handling risks?

As a Manager (or Producer if on a Production), you are responsible for ensuring that Risk Assessments are carried out to identify manual handling activities with a risk of injury, although you can delegate this task to a nominated competent person.
You should use the Manual Handling Flowchart to ensure all aspects of the process are covered.
When risks are identified you must follow the detailed guidance provided in this document.

What must an individual do to undertake manual handling safely?

comply with any control measures introduced by your manager
make proper use of any equipment provided
read the Individual Checklist to find out whether any individual risk factors apply to you and if so, let your manager know
familiarise yourself with the manual handling information in this document including the Manual Handling Flowchart
if at any time you identify a manual handling task which you feel could cause an injury, report it to your manager
report any accidents, incidents or injuries to your manager Are there guidelines about how much weight I can safely lift?
Yes, they can be found in the Initial Assessment guidance notes about Lifting and Lowering Is there a limit on the size of what can be safely lifted?
There is no limit as such, but the guidelines say the load should be able to be readily grasped in both hands, so it depends on stature of the individual.
Also in general, NO dimension should exceed 75cm as this makes it difficult to maintain a good posture and can interfere with vision.

Who should undertake the risk assessments?

Initial assessments should be undertaken by managers or competent individuals. Detailed assessments can only be undertaken by trained and competent assessors.

Are there training courses for manual handling?

Yes, see the related links in my Risks or Gateway.

Manual Handling Common Questions

Manual Handling
Common Questions