1. MANAGING MANUAL HANDLING
JENNIFER LEWIS
MH COORDINATOR, PCC

2. Manual handling & you Why do I need to know about manual handling?
What do I need to do about manual handling?
What help and Guidance is available to help me?

3. Manual handling is defined as the supporting or transporting of a load by hand or bodily force
Manual Handling Operations Regulations, Guidance on Regulations, L23, HSE, 1992

4. Why do we need to know about manual handling?
The law and you

5. Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974
Procedures
Induction
Policy
Safe systems of work
Equipment demo
Foundation
Refresher
On site
Senior staff take the lead
Shadowing
Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974
Employers must provide the following
Information
Instructions
Training
Supervision
As is necessary to ensure the reasonable health and safety of their employees

6. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, 1999
requires employers to provide adequate health and safety training:
• On recruitment.
• When risks change.
• To be repeated periodically where appropriate.
• To take place during working hours.

7. Manual handling operations regulations 1992
Employees should be given information on:
• Task; individual capability; load; environment and other factors.
• Recognition of risk.
• Safe working systems.
• Use of equipment.

8. A national practice guideline
Welsh Local Government Association Passport for Object Handling (2011)

9. THE COST OF POOR HANDLING
1 in 5 workplace injuries relate to manual handling
In 2012/2013, an estimated 55,000 manual handling related workplace injuries resulted in an absence from work for longer than three days, with the average time lost per injury being 10.8 working days.
Approximately 1.6 million working days were lost due to MH injuries in 2012/2013.
Good handling has benefits:
For organisation
For employee
For clients
Data from Labour Forces Survey

10. What do we need to do about manual handling?
Plan it, Do it, Record it

11. What do we need to do about manual handling?
Culture of good practice
Manual handling risk assessment
Provision and use of equipment
Staff training and support

12. equipment WHERES YOUR EVIDENCE?
PUWER 1998 provision and use of work equipment regulations
LOLER lifting operations and lifting equipment regulations
Suitable and sufficient for purpose
Maintained in good working order (Including servicing and thorough inspection)
Staff know how and when to use it
WHERES YOUR EVIDENCE?

13. Risk assessment
WHY
WHEN
WHAT
WHO
HOW

14. Manual handling operations regulations 1992
Avoid hazardous handling operations as far as is reasonably practicable
Where operations cannot be avoided, these operations, and their hazards, must be formally assessed
The risks of injury must be reduced to the lowest level reasonably practicable.
It is important to note that these regulations acknowledge that not all handling is avoidable – this is why we have a MINIMUM handling policy. We acknowledge that hazardous handling must be reduced as far as possible, but we also acknowledge that some handling cannot be avoided. Case Law has shown that it is not acceptable to have a blanket NO HANDLING policy, which would not allow us to meet the duty of care to our clients. An individualised approach is needed to strike a balance between the human rights of service users and the rights of carers to a safe working environment
Formal v Dynamic
Individualised v blanket policy
Templates available
Examples available
Tileo exercise
accessibility

15. MANUAL HANDLING RISK ASSESSMENT
task I
individual L
load E
environment O
other

16. L23 lifting and lowering risk assessment filter

17. Safe systems of work They only work if your staff know they exist!
A SSW is a formal procedure which results from a thorough examination of a task, to identify hazards. Once the hazards are identified, the SSW will set out the safest way of working to ensure that risks are minimised.
SSW are required when hazards cannot be physically removed and some elements of risk remain.
They only work if your staff know they exist!

18. TRAINING
WHO
WHEN
HOW
DISCUSSION, DEMONSTRATION & PRACTICE

19. TRAINING ALL WALES LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION STANDARD
RELEVANT TO ROLE AND LEVEL OF RISK
DOCUMENTED CONTENT, DURATION, ATTENDANCE
UPDATED AS REQUIRED

20. What help or guidance is there for us?

21. Sources of information
Managing Manual Handling Checklist (PCC document) 2015
L23 Guidance on Manual Handling Operations Regulations, 1992, HSE
WLGA (2011) Passport for Object Handling, free to download for templates of risk assessment, safe systems of work and training standards
HSE website – case studies, free downloadable guidance on MSDs, MAC tools, Risk Assessment guidance and Manual Handling information sheets including Handling kerbs, Handling Heavy Building Blocks, Motor Vehicle Repair etc.