Manual Handling

Manual handling is any activity involving the use of muscular force (or effort) to lift, move, push, pull, carry, hold or restrain anything of any weight.

It covers more than lifting heavy weights and affects more than the back. Manual handling also includes:

• repetitive activity seen in assembly work
• sustained muscle exertion required to restrain or support a load and
• the effort needed to maintain the fixed postures that occur in the back and neck while typing.

Risk factors

Up to one third of all work injuries in Australia occur during manual handling.

Most of the reported accidents involving manual handling tasks cause back injury although shoulders, hands arms and feet are also vulnerable.

A risk situation can arise when tasks are poorly designed or where handling involves awkward or constrained postures.

These conditions can make it difficult for you to use good handling techniques.

Typical manual handling risks include:

• work involving sudden, jerky or hard to control movements which causes discomfort and pain
• work involving too much bending, reaching or twisting
• work where a long time is spent holding the same posture or position
• work that is fast and repetitious
• heavy weights which have to be lifted and carried manually
• work where force is needed to carry out a task
• work where reaching or bending below the knee or above the shoulder occurs

Employer obligations

The national standard for manual handling requires that all tasks in a workplace which involve manual handling are identified and that the risk or likelihood of injury is assessed. Where there is a risk of injury, suitable "control measures" must be introduced. Control measures need to be suitable and practical.