Manual Handling Assesment Procedure
Purpose and Scope
To define the Company Procedure for carrying out Manual Handling Assessments in accordance with the Manual Handling Regulations 1992.
Responsibilities
Managers are responsible for:
- Ensuring all Supervisors have correctly identified the requirement to carry out manual handling assessments during their appraisals of risk assessments carried out under procedure 1
Supervisors are responsible for:
- Identifying when manual handling assessments are necessary
- Carrying out the assessments and including the findings in their overall risk assessment
The Safety Manager is responsible for:
- Ensuring all employees have received training in manual handling techniques
Procedure
The Directors/Managers/Supervisors, when ordering materials, are to give careful consideration as to how the materials will be handled once they are delivered to site. In the first instance they should seek to move loads by mechanical means.
If it is not possible to move loads by mechanical means they are to ensure a manual handling assessment is carried out by the site Supervisor included in the overall risk assessment for that activity.
If the manual handling assessment indicates a risk, the site Supervisor is to decide on measures for moving the materials that will minimise that risk. The control measures he decides upon are to be recorded in the overall risk assessment carried out under procedure 1 The Safety Manager will instruct all employees in correct manual handling techniques on a regular basis.
Manual Handling Instruction
- Where possible you should try to move heavy objects by mechanical mean i.e. forklift trucks, pallet trucks, etc.
- Gloves should be worn to protect against cuts, scratches or punctures.
- Wear safety boots or shoes to protect toes from falling loads.
- Size up the load and if necessary, make a trial lift of a few inches.
- Do not attempt to lift alone any load that is too heavy, large or awkward.
- See that there are no obstructions in the direction you will be going.
- Bend the knees, back muscles should relax.
- Take up a position, feet hip breadth apart, one foot slightly advanced pointing in direction it is intended to move.
- Get a secure grip on the load.
- Lift, keeping the back straight, arms close to the body (inside the legs) allowing the leg muscles to take the strain.
- Step off in the direction the advanced foot is pointing.
- Hold the load as close to the body as possible.
- Do not carry a load that obscures the vision.
- When lifting to heights from the floor do it in two stages.
- Do Not Stoop.
- Do Not Twist
- Do Not Overreach
- Do Not have Parallel arms and feet
