Manual handling
Manual handling involves lifting, carrying, lowering or moving a load by hand or bodily force. It is the most common cause of accidental injury in the workplace.
The potential risks of manual handling affect nearly all members and can have a long-lasting impact on personal and professional lives.
It is not just an issue for those members who are required to lift and carry on a regular basis, as almost every job will require you to move items at some point.
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Potential risks
One in three accidents at work are caused by manual handling. Many manual handling incidents cause damage to the back.
Every year, 300,000 people in the UK suffer from back pain due to manual handling accidents. Damage to the back, neck or spine can lead to extreme pain, temporary incapacity or permanent injury.
If you have any issues regarding back pain at work, contact your UNISON safety rep.
Employers’ responsibilities
Employers are required to fulfil a number of criteria to reduce the risk of manual handling accidents at work.
By law, employers are required, among other things, to reduce risk of injury from manual handling operations to ‘the lowest level reasonably practicable’. Employers must also:
- so far as reasonably practicable, avoid the need for employees to undertake manual handling which involves a risk of their being injured;
- carry out a manual handling risk assessment prior to any manual handling tasks;
- provide training and information including specific information about the weight of the load and its heaviest side if its centre of gravity is not positioned centrally the equipment and techniques to be used when carrying out a manual handling tasks;
- assess the layout, structure or nature of the work and the individual capability of staff to reduce manual handling risks;
- retain accurate reports on any previous notifiable manual handling incidents and accidents;
- give equal consideration to those working away from the employer’s premises.
Members’ responsibilities
While employers are obliged to provide adequate facilities, equipment and training for members to safely fulfil their work-related tasks, members have a responsibility to use the information and resources given to them.
You are required by Manual Handling Operations Regulations to make use of equipment and resources provided by the employer, in accordance with the training given. This also applies to work done away from the employer’s premises.
If you believe you need legal advice because you have suffered an injury that you think was caused by your employer’s negligence, you can access that legal help by calling UNISON direct on 08000 857857. Visit our legal support page for more information.
External advice and support
Frequently asked questions
Remember, it is illegal for your employer to refuse to resolve a health and safety issue because of cost, unless the cost involved compared to the risk involved renders the taking of those steps not reasonably practicable.
If your back pain has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, your employer must make reasonable adjustments to the workplace in accordance with the Equality Act.
Legal disclaimer
The information contained within this article is not a complete or final statement of the law and is based on the laws of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
While UNISON has sought to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date, it is not responsible and will not be held liable for any inaccuracies and their consequences, including any loss arising from relying on this information. If you are a UNISON member with a legal problem, please contact your branch or region as soon as possible for advice, or for non-employment matters call UNISONdirect.