6.2 Manual Handling

Common types of manual handling injury

Manual handling covers a wide range of activities: lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling and carrying. If any of them is done badly there is a risk of injury. The injuries include:

• Sprains and strains. Stretching muscles beyond their capacity can cause inflammation, bruising and pain. Strains and sprains happen during manual handling, often in the back, arms or wrists.
• Back injuries. Lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling can strain the back, especially with excessive demands, awkward posture or inadequate recovery. Assess the complete task rather than describe the back as inherently the weakest part of the body.
• Hand injuries. Whatever the handling activity, you usually grip with your hands, and depending on what you touch, that can be a hazard in itself. A hot load can burn or scald the skin, and a load with sharp edges can cut. Injuries do not only come from touching the load. They also come from where you put it. A heavy load can bruise or even break a bone if you do not get your fingers out of the way as you set it down, and fingers can be trapped between the load and nearby obstacles such as containers or walls. This is especially a concern in team lifts, when other people are moving the load too.
• Musculoskeletal disorders. A range of problems and pains in the upper limbs (shoulders, neck, arms, wrists), the lower limbs (hips, legs, toes) and the back. The symptoms usually develop over time, and repeated lifting can cause damage, pain or stiffness in joints and other tissues.
• Slip, trip and fall injuries. Manual handling raises the risk of these accidents and the injuries that follow. A load often blocks part of your view, especially at ground level, so you may miss a cable on the floor, a spillage or an undone shoelace. The consequences are worse too, because you have no free hand to grip a handrail or break your fall.
• Hernias. Strain during handling may contribute to or aggravate a hernia. Causes and treatment require clinical assessment; workplace prevention focuses on reducing excessive handling demands rather than diagnosing from the task alone.
• Foot injuries. When manual handling causes a fracture it is usually in the foot, from a dropped load. The risk is greater without protective footwear. Lifting heavy loads, dropping them instead of lowering them carefully, and not getting a good grip can all lead to crushed, bruised or broken bones in the feet.

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