Manual Handling Training | Move Safe Manual Handling

Manual Handling Definition

“Any activity requiring the use of force exerted by a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or otherwise move, hold or restrain a person, animal or thing.”

It can also include repetitive and/or forceful movements and any activity where the person must maintain constrained or awkward postures.”

Manual handling most often is associated around work tasks but is just as important in the home and social settings.

To safely perform a manual handling task safely requires the following:

What the manual tasks to be performed are
A risk assessment of the task:
What mechanical aid is required
What support is required

Occupational Health & Safety

The Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984, the OSH Act provides for the promotion, co-ordination, administration and enforcement of occupational safety and health in Western Australia.

It applies to all workplaces with the exception of mining and petroleum. The OSH Act places certain duties on employers, employees, self-employed people, manufacturers, designers, importers and suppliers.

It also places emphasis on the prevention of accidents and injury. In addition to the broad duties established by the OSH Act, regulations support the legislation, together with a lower tier of non-statutory codes of practice and guidance notes.

Code of Practice Manual Handling Tasks

This document replaces the Western Australian Code of practice: Manual handling and the National code of practice for the prevention of occupational overuse syndrome, as approved codes of practice in Western Australia. this code of practice applies to all workplaces in Western Australia covered by the OSH act. it provides:

General guidance for employers and workers on the identification, assessment and control of safety and health hazards and risks associated with manual tasks in which forces exerted, loads handled, repetitive movement, awkward postures, sustained postures and equipment and tools that expose workers to vibration are of concern;
information on key legislative requirements in the OSH act and the OSH regulations, as they relate to hazardous manual tasks.

Benefits of using this code of practice the benefits of implementing programs to eliminate or reduce the risk arising from performing manual tasks include:

preventing injury, illness, pain and suffering of individuals in the workplace;
improved business performance, efficiency and productivity;
fewer workers’ compensation claims, which may lead to lower premiums;
faster and easier return to work for workers who do sustain an injury;
fewer absences from work and less disruption;
retention of skilled workers;
a safe workplace with a positive safety culture.

All employers are required to provide a safe workplace and this involves sound knowledge of the task to be performed. It is important to understand your requirements as an employee or contractor.

‘General duty of care’ and ‘general duties’ are terms used to refer to the duties that the OSH act places to, as far as practicable, ensure workers’ safety and upon people to ensure their own safety at work and that of others who are at the workplace or who might possibly be injured by their work. People and organisations who have general duties under the OSH Act are:

employers;
employees;
self-employed people;
principals (people who engage contractors in the course of their trade or business);
contractors and people engaged or employed by the contractor;
people who have control of workplaces or the access to or egress from a workplace;
designers, manufacturers, importers or suppliers of plants or substances to be used at a workplace;
erectors or installers of plants for use at a workplace;
designers or constructors of buildings or structures for use at a workplace;
agents who are in the business of hiring out workers (labour hire organisations) and their clients (host employers);
workers who are hired out to a host employer by a labour hire company;
people who are in a working relationship that mirrors a contract of employment but is not a contract of employment;
corporate bodies that engage workers under one of the labour relationships covered by the OSH act;
Government of Western Australia;
people employed by the Government of Western Australia.

Examples of different general duties employers must provide:

a workplace where workers are not exposed to hazards as far as practicable;
a safe system of work; and
information, instruction, training and supervision to workers, so they can work in a safe manner. Employers and self-employed people must, as far as practicable, look after their own safety and health and ensure that their work does not affect the safety and health of others. Workers must take reasonable care for their own safety and health and that of others affected by their work. Workers and safety and health representatives must be consulted about safety and health and co-operate with their employer in relation to safety and health at the workplace. Designers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers must provide a plant which is safe to install, maintain and use at workplaces. People who install or erect plants must ensure it does not expose people who use it to hazards.

Injury Prevention

Preventing injuries from performing manual tasks performing manual tasks is an essential part of jobs in most workplaces. Managing the risks from performing manual tasks requires systematically identifying, assessing and controlling those risk factors.

The three-step process should take place:

regularly, as part of operations;
when a hazard, injury/disorder, incident or near miss has been reported in relation to a manual task;
when new manual tasks are being introduced; and
when there are changes that influence the way manual tasks are performed (e.g. change in environment, equipment, systems of work).

Illustration 1. the risk management process