Manual handling
- 1. Manual Handling Health and Safety Advice for Stonemasons Stonemasonry Department 2011
- 2. Statistics Statistics Number of major injuries to employees in construction 2008/2009 Falls from Height Slips, trips or falls (same height) Struck by moving/falling object Injured lifting, handling or carrying According to statistics for reported major injuries in the construction industry in 2008/2009, lifting, handling or carrying accounted for 16.7% of total injuries. *Information taken from Construction Intelligence Report, HSE,
- 3. Legislation Manual handling operations are covered by the Manual Handling Operations Regulations (MHOR) 1992. A copy of the manual handling regulations can be found at the following website: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ uksi/1992/2793/contents/made
- 4. Employers Responsibilities Avoid Assess Reduce 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 cant be avoided Reduce the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling, so far as is reasonably practicable
- 5. Your Responsibilities Make appropriate use of equipment provided for your safety Co-operate with your employer on health and safety matters Inform your employer if you identify a hazardous handling activity Ensure your activities do not put others at risk
- 6. Training Before carrying out a manual handling task, operatives should have received manual handling training. The training should include: •Manual handling risk factors and how injuries can occur •How to carry out safe manual handling including good handling technique •Appropriate systems of work for the individual’s tasks and environment •Use of mechanical aids •Practical work to allow the trainer to identify and put right anything the trainee is not doing safely
- 7. Assessing the Risk Your employer has a duty to assess the risks associated with manual handling. When carrying out their risk assessment, they should consider the following: •The task •The load •The environment •Individual capability •Other factors The next slides will identify the questions your employer must answer for each of the considerations
- 8. The Task Your employer has a duty to answer the following questions regarding the lifting task. Does the task involve: •Holding or manipulating loads at distance from the trunk? •Unsatisfactory bodily movement or posture, especially twisting the trunk, stooping or reaching upward? •Excessive movement of loads including excessive lifting or lowering distances, carrying distances or pushing or pulling of loads? •Risk of sudden movement of loads? •Frequent or prolonged physical effort? •Insufficient rest or recovery periods? •A rate of work imposed by a process?
- 9. The Load Your employer has a duty to answer the following questions regarding the load of the object being lifted. Is the load: •Heavy? •Bulky or unwieldy? •Difficult to grasp? •Unstable, or with contents likely to shift? •Sharp, hot or otherwise potentially damaging?
- 10. The Environment Your employer has a duty to answer the following questions regarding the environment. Are there: •Space constraints preventing good posture? •Uneven, slippery or unstable floors? •Variations in level of floors or work surfaces? •Extremes of temperature or humidity? •Conditions causing ventilation problems or gusts of wind? •Poor lighting conditions?
- 11. Individual Capability Your employer has a duty to answer the following questions regarding individual capability and other factors. Does the job: •Require unusual strength, height etc? •Create a hazard to those who might reasonably be considered to be pregnant or to have a health problem? •Require special information or training for its safe performance? •Is movement or posture hindered by personal protective equipment or by clothing?
- 12. Manual Handling Loads The MHOC 1992 does not specify what is considered to be a safe working load. The degree of risk associated with lifting varies according to the nature of the load, the circumstances in which the lift takes place, how often the lifting is carried out and the weight of the item being lifted. The diagram above should be considered a guide.
- 13. Lifting Safely 1. Adopt a stable position with feet apart and one leg slightly forward to maintain balance 2. Start in a good posture 3. Keep the head up when handling 4. Put the load down then adjust
- 14. Lifting Aids
- 17. References The information in this presentation has been sourced from: •Getting to Grips with Manual Handling, A Short Guide: HSE Publications •Health and Safety in Construction: HSE Publications •Construction Intelligence Report: HSE Publications •http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1992/2793/contents/made
- 18. Developed by The Stonemasonry Department City of Glasgow College 2011