Manual Handling Awareness: Understanding the Risks and Techniques, Exams of Mechanics

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Welcome

Manual Handling

Awareness

Introduction

Definition of manual handling

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations define it as ‘the transporting or supporting of a load by hand or by bodily force‘, and of which includes:  lifting;  putting down;  pushing;  pulling;  carrying;  moving; and  use of mechanical aids such as trolleys.

Employers’ legal duty

Avoid - manual handling, so far as is reasonably practicable, by redesigning the task to avoid moving the load or by automating or mechanising the process; Assess - hazardous manual handling in a ‘suitable’ and ‘sufficient’ way where it cannot be avoided; and Reduce - the risk of injury so far as is reasonably practicable, taking into account the; task, individual, load and the environment. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations require that employers:

Appropriate control measures

1. eliminate the need for the task;
2. automate or mechanise;
3. provide manual handling aids; and/or
4. implement people measures e.g.  safe lifting techniques;  team handling;  safe operating procedures; and/or  personal protective equipment (as the last resort). To reduce the risk of harm consideration must be given to:

Lifting & handling

Failure to carry out correct manual handling techniques may well result in an injury. Lifting and handling is something we do everyday, most of the time we don’t actually think about the risks and the damage we could do our ourselves.

The problem

Approximately 8 out of 10 people in the UK suffer back pain at some point in their life. Handling is a broad category of work-related injury and such injuries include:  injury as a result of lifting & carrying;  pushing & pulling of loads;  strains & sprains; or  trapped fingers and cuts from sharp objects.

University of Warwick - 2014

Comparison of more common accidents Contact - fixed object Contact - sharp object Contact - hot/cold object Electrical Fall from height Hit by moving item Manual handling Slips, trips & falls

Nationwide - how big is the problem?

 estimated 909,000 working days lost as a result of handling injuries.  average of 6.6 days lost for each handling injury.  handling accounted for almost a quarter of reported injuries. In 2013/2014p:  > 7-day injuries accounted for more than 9 from 10 of total reported accidents (18,354 RIDDOR)

Cause of injury

Traumatic stress Relates to immediate cause and effect, where it is obvious what caused the injury e.g. cut to finger when handling a knife, or trapping a finger in a door jamb

Cause of injury

Cumulative stress Someone may undertake a particular handling task for years or maybe decades and never encounter a problem. It is reckoned that for every 1 hour of hard physical work that a 6 hour recovery rest period is required. Typically that does not happen, therefore, cumulative stress builds up over long period of time, eventually manifesting itself as a painful injury.

Poor posture may result in injury

Who is at risk - vulnerable groups?

 age - less flexible, vertebral discs dehydrate and thin,

spinal bones become less solid.

 youngsters - may be more prone to injury due to lack of experience in lifting techniques, macho tendencies?  stature - due to mechanics of spine, each 1lb of excess weight carried adds 10lb of strain to abdomen. A number of factors increase the likelihood of back injuries: