The manual handling regulation

Not the law. The law that you have to follow is the general one, the The Occupational Safety and Health Act of and more specifically the General Duty Clause, Section 5 a 1 , which states that:. Each employer -- 1 shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees; 2 shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act.

So even though there aren't any specific rules to follow, you have to follow the overall law. As OSHA themselves states :. OSHA will cite for ergonomic hazards under the General Duty Clause or issue ergonomic hazard alert letters, where appropriate, as part of its overall enforcement program. OSHA encourages employers to implement effective programs or other measures to reduce ergonomic hazards and associated MSDs. To perform your own ergonomic risk assessment for manual handling operations in order to discover:.

If you want more information on manual handling from OSHA, you can follow these links and read more about:.

Also, we have created the following ergonomic resources below for those interested in manual handling risk assessment tools from the U.

In Europe we have the EU which sets legislations in terms of directives. These directives must be followed by all member states.

Where the need for the manual handling of loads by workers cannot be avoided, the employer shall take the appropriate organizational measures, use the appropriate means or provide workers with such means in order to reduce the risk involved in the manual handling of such loads, having regard to Annex I.

Just like what is the case in the U. This national focal point often being the national authority of health and safety at work and its national network government bodies and representatives from worker and employer organisations are responsible for developing national guidelines and models for communicating the manual handling regulations for the public in their respective country. In the EU all member states must be able to publicly present guidelines for performing risk assessment for manual handling.

A few countries have chosen to include specific weight limits to the material handling of loads in their national legislation, others have not. The way that each EU country have chosen to work with the Directive and how they have chosen to present it to their national audience is very different from country to country.

Some have put a lot of work into building lots of easily accessible and easy-to-understand material for the public, others seemingly not. The implementation and enforcement of all these directives for safety and health at work, has not been all that easy, however.

Challenges have been especially prominent in the southern parts of Europe. Broadly speaking, even though employers' awareness of the necessity of having to abide by the rules for the manual handling of loads and despite the initiative to take preventive measures has risen since the rules were made, the number of workers suffering from back related problems like MSD is not showing a diminishing trend. In many countries the trend is growing. And rather surprisingly, the number of employees who have to deal with loads manually, is also growing.

All this quite opposite to the intention of the directive. In other words, even though employers know there are rules for lifting, carrying and handling - for some reason, they seem to be not following them. This problem is especially critical in small to medium sized corporations where obligatory risk assessments and proper workers' training still fail to be carried out.

Investigations of this problem have revealed the four following critical areas with regards to the implementation of the directives which includes that of the manual handling of loads :. So some of the biggest tasks for the national administrative bodies are to create simple, yet precise material that can be read and understood by everybody, develop simple risk assessment tools, and to find ways to educate employers in how to deal and comply with the directives.

To discover how your country deals with manual handling regulations and to see what kinds of ergonomic risk assessment tools your country has to offer, please scroll down to find your country's flag and click on it. We have created the following resources for people interested in manual handling regulations and risk assessment tools for EU member states. Find your country right below and follow the link for specific information pertaining to your country.

As you can see we do not have information on national guidelines for all countries in the EU, Europe or worldwide. We have included those countries that we could find material about online, and those countries whose authorities responded to our inquiries for their national guidelines and models. We will however, continue to build on this manual handling resource as we believe it may help many people find what they need in this jungle of material handling regulations.

And if you, as a reader, have information for a specific country not included here, you are most welcome to contact us. We have done our very best to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented on these pages. However, we cannot guarantee the correctness of any information. Thus we cannot accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information provided here. Ergonomics Home. Manual Handling Regulations Guide - Navigating the Jungle of Safe Lifting Rules and Ergonomic Risk Assessments When it comes to manual handling regulations, have you, too, tried to find answers to apparent simple questions like: What are the weight limits for lifting and carrying objects in the workplace in my country?

What do I as an employer need to be aware of what are my legal responsibilities when my employees engage in manual handling of loads? We want to help you! Manual handling regulations have been well-established for many years, yet many workplaces are still failing to effectively implement the correct manual handling techniques.

Failure to ensure the health and safety of employees when working with large or heavy loads can lead to serious injury and may come at a great cost to your business.

Read Also : How to avoid manual lifting injuries in the workplace. It is important to mention here that njury and ill-health resulting from manual handling activities incur significant costs to society as a whole.

To ensure that no injury occurs when moving a load, it is important that the correct technique is used. An Health and Safety activist who believes in the growth and continual improvement of the profession. He is going all out to create awareness and safe precious lives.

Skip to content. Health and Safety Articles. What is manual handling? Did you know that:. Other common injuries that can occur as a result of manual handling include:. Strained or pulled muscles. Prolapsed discs. Crushed limbs. Cuts and abrasions. Broken or fractured bones. Manual handling operations. What are the Manual Handling Operations Regulations ? Avoid hazardous manual handling operations when reasonably practicable. Assess any hazardous manual handling operations that cannot be avoided.

Reduce the risk of injury as much as is reasonably practicable. Under the MHOR, considerations must be given to the:. T ask. I ndividual. L oad. E nvironment. This is known as TILE. The MHOR state that a worker may be at risk of a manual handling injury if:. They are physically unsuited to carrying out the task or operation. They are wearing unsuitable clothing, footwear or other personal effects. They do not have adequate and appropriate training and knowledge relevant to the task.

What is the purpose of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations ? Other relevant legislation. Legislation that may be relevant to manual handling activities includes:. Health and Safety at Work etc Act — This includes guidance on complying with health and safety law.

It is the primary legislation covering occupational health and safety in the UK. It includes the health and safety duties of employers, employees and self-employed individuals. Act It includes explicit outlines of how employers should manage the health and safety of the workplace. It focuses on the safe use of work equipment and provides regulations for employers, managers and other individuals who have a responsibility for the safe use of work equipment. It applies to lifting equipment.

Some regulations employees should adhere to are:. Follow all health and safety protocols and appropriate systems of work. Make proper use of health and safety equipment. Use all equipment safely and correctly and in accordance with any training, instruction and guidelines.

Report any defects in equipment, systems or practices. Co-operate with their employer on all health and safety matters. Inform their employer if any manual handling operations are potentially risky or hazardous. Inform their employer of any shortcomings or flaws in any health and safety procedures or equipment.

Inform their employer of any illness, injury or another factor that may increase their risk of injury or illness from manual handling tasks. Inform their employer if they believe the risk assessment is no longer valid or accurate. Ensure that none of their activities put other people at risk. Attend training if their employer or workplace requires them to. Workers who may be deemed higher risk include:.

Expectant or new mothers. Those with disabilities that may affect their ability to do a task.