Manual Handling Tips
Introduction
- Lifting and moving loads manually is one of the most common causes of injury at work.
- 56,000 Work Related MSD cases in construction per year
- There is no truly ‘safe’ weight limit for manual handling operations so try to find alternatives.
When you have to manually handle loads consider:
| Task - how often, how much twisting or bending is needed? |
Individual capability, male or female, old or young, experienced or inexperienced? |
| Load - how heavy? Good grip? Bulky? Heavier at one end? |
Environment - hot, cold, uneven floor, windy, stairs? |
Remember: TILE
Some solutions
- General Handling
- Building Blocks
- Panel products e.g. Plasterboard
- Heavy Lintels
- Bagged Aggregate
General Handling
- Simple aids on site - sack trucks, trolleys
Masonry Units/Blocks
- Specify/order blocks that weigh less than 20kg
- Store blocks where they will not get wet (and increase their weight)
- Arrange work so that lifting over shoulder height is not carried out
- Deliver blocks as close to the point of laying as possible
- General Handling
- Building Blocks
- Panel products e.g. Plasterboard
- Heavy Lintels
- Bagged Aggregate
Panel products e.g. Plasterboard
- Much more difficult to manoeuvre (and risky) in windy conditions
- 8’x4’ boards of 15mm thickness are all over 25kg and some ‘special’ boards can be up to 50kg
- It is possible to select smaller boards which are lighter and more manoeuvrable
Plasterboard
- Don’t remove handrails/banisters to move boards upstairs as this creates a fall risk
- Use aids to hold and position boards
Heavy Lintels
- In this case there were 150 lintels each weighing 115 kg. The firm calculated each lift needed a team of 5 which was not physically possible! They identified that a lift truck could be used.
- An alternative is to specify lightweight steel lintels where possible.
Bagged Aggregate
- Order materials in smaller unit weights (max. 25kg) so that they can be more easily handled….OR
- Order the materials in such large unit weights that they can only be handled mechanically
Hazardous Manual Handling
- Do not try to manually handle items that weigh over 100kg
- Do not try to use manual handling teams of more than 4 people.
Top Tips
- Plan and prepare for deliveries
- Find out how much commonly used items weigh
- Use simple aids
- Do not try to handle items heavier than 100kg or use teams of more than 4 people
Credit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/resources/toolboxtalks.htm
