Of all the workplace injuries reported in the UK, around 20% are the result of manual handling failures. While most are non-fatal, these types of injuries have the potential to cause serious complications.

Preventing such incidents is a must in any modern day workplace, with proper manual handling techniques and processes integral to protecting employees, boosting productivity and remaining legal compliant. Manual handling training is also an excellent financial investment, with liability and associated costs reduced for the employer.

Read on to discover more about the importance of manual handling at work, and the guidance that can help you fulfil your moral and legal obligations.

What exactly is manual handling?

Put simply, manual handling involves the transportation or support of a load by hand. This umbrella term applies to anything from activities that involve lifting and carrying to moving, pushing or pulling loads. The load can be an animate object, person or animal.

Manual handling is practised by almost every employee in some capacity, a fact that puts workers at risk of injury within workplaces up and down the country.

How can I lower the risk of manual handling injuries?

According to the latest guidance from the Health and Safety Executive ((HSE), the key to preserving safety and reducing the risk of manual handling injury is to avoid or assess.

Hazardous manual handling activities should be avoided at all costs, with high risk operations revised to put the safety of employees first and eliminate the risk of harm. The use of mechanical aids to improve how objects, people or animals are lifted, handled and transported is popular. Powered and non-powered trucks, trolleys, adjustable height devices, rotary and lift tables, and hoists are commonplace.

Where do I begin when assessing manual handling risk?

Risk assessment should be conducted as part of your commitment to workplace health and safety, especially when manual handling operations can’t be avoided. This assessment should analyse not just the setting, but the workers within. The availability of mechanical aids that help with manual handling tasks should also be evaluated.

What about manual handling training?

Manual handling training is of course an important piece of the puzzle. It raises awareness and reduces risk, with every employer required to equip their workers with the right knowledge and tools by law. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 provides useful information for employers, managers, safety personnel and employees.

You can also find out more about how manual handling training can help here at National Training Services.