Manual handling
The transporting or supporting of a load, including lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving by hand or bodily force. Each jurisdiction requires employers to assess and reduce manual handling risks where injury cannot be avoided.
Also known as
By jurisdiction
UK HSE
“manual handling operations”Exact equivalent“Defined in the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/2793) as any transporting or supporting of a load (including lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving) by hand or by bodily force. Regulation 4 requires employers to avoid manual handling that involves a risk of injury, or where this is not reasonably practicable, to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment and reduce the risk to the lowest level reasonably practicable.”
Irish HSA
“manual handling”Close equivalentThe Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 (Part 2, Chapter 4) implement Directive 90/269/EEC on manual handling. Employers must take appropriate organisational measures and use appropriate means, including mechanical equipment, to avoid the need for manual handling. Where this is not possible, a risk assessment must be carried out.
US OSHA
“manual handling”Partial equivalentOSHA does not have a specific general industry standard for manual handling equivalent to the GB or Irish regulations. OSHA addresses ergonomic hazards through guidance and General Duty Clause citations. The voluntary OSHA Ergonomics Guidelines for specific industries recommend assessment and control of manual handling tasks.
Practitioner note: Avoid, assess, reduce — in that order. The weight figures in guidance are screening filters, not legal thresholds.