Encompassing lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling light and heavy loads — manual handling is a part of running many types of businesses. Safe manual handling is essential to protecting the safety of employees and can lead to serious injuries when carried out improperly. These can affect workers due to pain and suffering, as well as businesses, as they could face several types of economic losses.
Therefore, getting manual handling right in a business is critical. Here, we explore the risks and benefits of proper management, training, and implementation, ready to enhance a workplace’s safety and keep productivity levels up.
Risks Associated with Improper Manual Handling
Before we discuss how businesses can best tackle the issue of bad manual handling and prevent injuries, let’s look at a few of the most common issues that occur if it’s not done properly.
Injuries and Health Issues
When manual handling is done wrong, it carries a significant risk — particularly in industries such as retail and construction. This includes actions such as incorrect lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling of loads. This sort of improper handling can lead to serious or even chronic injuries. When performed incorrectly, these types of work activities can damage muscles and tendons, leading to strains and sprains or even slipped discs and lower back strain, which can result in serious spinal issues.
Most Common Manual Handling Injuries
A few of the most common manual handling injuries include:
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Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs): Caused by repetitive tasks, overexertion, and improper lifting, the umbrella of MSDs includes a wide range of injuries that can affect muscles, tendons and nerves.
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Back Injuries: Often caused by improper lifting, twisting, or carrying heavy loads, back injuries will often involve strains and sprains of the lower back muscles and ligaments, which can lead to short and long-term issues.
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Hernias: Usually in the abdomen or groin area, hernias are where an organ or some fatty tissue manages to squeeze through a weak part of the muscle or tissue containing it. They are caused by heavy lifting or straining.
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Hand and Wrist Injuries: Fractures, burns, and cuts around the hands and wrists can occur when proper manual handling or safety procedures are not followed properly. For example, this is commonly seen when the appropriate protection is not worn.
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Foot Injuries: Crushed or broken foot bones from dropping heavy objects or improper use of lifting equipment is another frequent manual handling injury.
Economic Implications of Improper Manual Handling
Impact on Productivity and Efficiency
Along with the element of human pain and suffering, there is another element of poor manual handling that impacts productivity and efficiency. Injured workers often need time off, which can disrupt the workflow or schedule — especially when skilled workers are up against tight deadlines. Time off due to manual handling injuries can also place additional strain on other members of the team who might need to cover. In the case of long-term absences due to injuries, businesses might need to train temporary or new workers, which further hinders productivity.
Cost of Injuries
The economic impact of manual handling injuries on businesses can be huge. In addition to reduced productivity, other costs associated with manual handling injuries can occasionally include compensation claims and legal fees. Businesses could also face further costs such as recruitment, associated admin, and the training of replacement workers.
Are There Manual Handling Laws?
The two key laws regarding manual handling include the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. These regulations set out employer responsibilities, assess risks associated with unavoidable manual handling tasks and measure risk reduction. Keeping to these regulations is a legal obligation, but it also creates an effective guide for health and safety management best practices.
Ways Businesses Can Ensure Safe Manual Handling
There are several ways that businesses can help ensure that manual handling is carried out correctly and safely. Here are some of the most important to consider:
Risk Assessments
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Risk assessments are invaluable when it comes to identifying hazards
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They evaluate risks and help businesses to implement safety measures going forward.
Manual Handling Training
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Regular manual handling training is needed to keep employees up-to-date with best practices to keep them safe.
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This is a legal obligation; businesses must give employees manual handling training. For example, this could be a manual handling course when risks of injury are identified from the risk assessment.
Safe Lifting Techniques
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The training should ensure that everyone knows the proper technique for lifting, carrying, and setting down heavy and light loads. However, businesses should also use mechanical aids and equipment when needed.
Implementing Manual Handling Policies
The risk assessment will highlight problem areas that need attention, and the lessons learned should inform an official manual handling policy.
Creating an effective manual handling policy is crucial for ensuring workplace safety, particularly in the construction industry, where improper handling can result in extremely serious injuries. The policy needs a clear statement of intent, emphasising the commitment to preventing manual handling injuries. It should also outline the responsibilities of staff members, such as management, supervisors, and employees.
So, in answer to the question “Why is manual handling so important to businesses?” in essence, it is of utmost importance — to both workers and business owners — to create a workspace that is safe and legally adherent and ensure certain procedures are regularly carried out. Through risk assessments and manual handling policies, businesses can reduce the chance of injury on their premises (as well as to the wider public if working off-site), preventing needless pain and suffering, as well as keeping to their work schedules and saving money on the loss of productivity and other associated costs.
