Manual Handling: Musculoskeletal Disorders, Tips & Benefits
Musculoskeletal pain is a common problem affecting millions of people. For those employed in positions requiring physical exertion, manual handling is a significant risk factor. In the European Union, these conditions rank first among work-related health problems, affecting millions of workers and dramatically reducing productivity.
Understanding the causes, implementing ergonomic solutions, and providing targeted training are the essential steps for preventing injuries and ensuring a safe and productive work environment.
What is manual handling?
To understand the risks, we must first answer the basic question: what is manual handling? Manual handling means transporting or supporting a load by hand or bodily force. It includes lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, moving, or carrying a load. A load can be a movable object, such as a box or a package, but even a person, an animal, or something being pushed, like a cart.
Causes and Risk Factors (Musculoskeletal Disorders)
Injuries from manual handling belong to the broader group of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which include injuries and conditions that can cause pain in the back, joints, and limbs.
Heavy manual labour, repetitive handling, and awkward postures are key risk factors. To conduct a proper risk assessment and identify the source of the problem, you must thoroughly examine the risks arising from:
- The task: Repetitive movements, pace, and duration.
- The load: Weight, size, or difficulty to grasp.
- The working environment: Constricted spaces, poor lighting, or slippery floors.
- Individual capacity: Physical fitness, age, or pre-existing injuries.
- The equipment: Any materials handling equipment or handling aids used.
- The organisation: How you organise, allocate, and pace the work.
You also need to take account of psychosocial risk factors. High workloads, tight deadlines, and lack of control over work and working methods affect workers’ psychological responses, making them more likely to develop MSDs.
Assessing and Eliminating Risks
Where you identify risks from hazardous manual handling that cannot be avoided, it is necessary to carry out a manual handling risk assessment with the active involvement of your workforce.
1. Avoid and Eliminate the Load
Can you eliminate the risk by not moving the load? Consider whether the work can be done in a different way:
- Does the item really need to be moved, or can the activity be done safely where it already is by redesigning the task?
- Can products or materials be delivered directly to where they will be used?
2. Automation or Mechanisation
If handling the load cannot be avoided, consider whether operations can be automated or mechanised to eliminate the manual part of the handling. The best time to make these decisions is when plants or systems of work are being designed.
- Use equipment such as conveyors, chutes, electric-powered pallet trucks, electric or hand-powered hoists, or even robotics technology.
- Ensure your workers are trained to use any new equipment you introduce, such as lift trucks.
Tips and Prevention Strategies for Safe Handling
When manual handling is absolutely necessary, proper technique is vital. Workers should:
- Keep the load as close to their body as possible throughout the lift.
- Ensure the heaviest side of the load is next to their body.
- Adopt a stable position, keeping their feet apart to maintain a good base of support and balance.
- Avoid twisting their back or leaning sideways, especially when the back is already bent (stooping).
- Avoid or limit carrying loads that exceed their physical capabilities.
The Role of Employees and Employers
To substantially reduce the risk, the effort must be collective.
The employee must:
- Avoid or limit moving loads that exceed their physical capabilities.
- Avoid working at excessive rates without adequate rest breaks.
- Promptly inform their manager if they experience any problems or difficulties.
The employer must:
- Ensure the working environment is safe, not slippery, ergonomically designed, and at an appropriate temperature.
- Provide adequate training to employees to prevent injuries and reduce risks.
- Ensure the workplace meets ergonomic conditions, such as:
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- Reducing carrying distances.
- Avoiding movements such as twisting or lifting loads from floor level or above shoulder height.
- Consider the individual requirements of workers who may be especially at risk, such as:
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- New or expectant mothers.
- People with disabilities or pre-existing health problems.
- Workers returning from an injury.
- Inexperienced, new, or temporary workers.
- Older workers.
- Migrant workers who may not have the local language as their first language, facing potential communication barriers.
- Encourage workers to avoid excessive work rates and follow safety rules.
Training & Multidimensional Interventions
Simple manual handling training alone is often not enough to ensure safety. Effective prevention requires a combination of:
- ergonomic improvements,
- safe manual handling training,
- exercise, strengthening, and flexibility programs.
The primary goal should always be to design handling operations to be as safe as possible. A proper training program must be specific to the job and include practical work so the trainer can immediately identify and put right anything the trainee is not doing safely. This reduces injuries and improves the overall physical condition of the workers.
Benefits for Employers and Employees
For employees:
- Reduction in injuries and physical strain.
- Improvement in physical and mental health.
- Increased productivity and confidence.
For employers:
- Drastic reduction in sick leave and days of absence.
- Improved productivity and efficiency on the production line.
- Enhanced corporate reputation and the creation of a safety and wellbeing culture.
Conclusion
Manual handling is linked to multiple health problems, but prevention is achievable. With proper ergonomic design, appropriate use of mechanical equipment, comprehensive risk assessment, and simple practical solutions, risks are significantly reduced, protecting both employee health and business sustainability.
The Specialized Approach of Workplace Physiocare
At Workplace Physiocare, we know that effective management of manual handling requires a holistic approach. Ergonomics and proper practical training are not a luxury but an essential investment in the health, comfort, and sustained performance of your team.
Discover practical solutions and effective prevention strategies for problems related to manual handling through our specialized service:
How to Integrate Ergonomics into your Company
The process to integrate ergonomics into your company is immediate and simple. Follow the steps below so we will start:
- Contact: Send us your request to email info@workplace-physiocare.gr or fill out the contact form.
- Initial Discussion: We will schedule a brief call to understand your needs (number of employees, location, current issues).
- Proposal & Implementation: We will send you our personalized proposal for the services that suit your organization.
Contact us today to discover how we can improve the wellbeing of your employees, reduce absence rates, and boost your company’s productivity.
Blog written by Michail Arvanitidis
References:
- EU-OSHA. Work-Related MSDs Prevalence, Costs, and Demographics in the EU
- European Commission Statistics on Work-Related Health Problems
- HSE Guidelines on Manual Handling
- Manual handling at work: A brief guide
- Clemes SA, Haslam CO, Haslam RA. What constitutes effective manual handling training? A systematic review. Occup Med (Lond). 2010;60(2):101-107. doi:10.1093/occmed/kqp127