MANUAL AND

MECHANICAL
HANDLING
HAZARDS AND
CONTROL
BY: GROUP 5
RAMIREZ, CHEURNEVEE
ALEJO, PATRICK JAYSON
MUSTAFA, RAYAN
 OBJECTIVES

Describe the hazards and the risk factors which

should be considered when assessing risks from
manual handling activities.
Suggest ways of minimizing manual handling risk
Identify the hazards and procedures to ensure
safety in the use of lifting and moving equipment
with specific reference to fork-lift, trucks manually
operated load-moving equipment, etc
 INTRODUCTION
Accidents due to poor manual handling
technique still accounts for over 25% of all
reported accidents and in some occupational
sectors, such as health services, rises above 5%
Mechanical handling methods should always be
used whenever possible, but they are not
without their hazards.
The risks from these hazards are reduced by
thorough examinations and inspections as
required by the LIFTING OPERATIONS AND
 Figure 10 .1
Figure 10 .1
Handling goods onto a truck
Handling goods onto a truck
in a typical loading dock
in a typical loading dock
MANUAL HANDLING
HAZARDS AND
INJURIES
MANUAL HANDLING

Is the movement of a load by human

effort alone.
It may involve the transportation of the
load or the direct support of the load
including pushing, pulling, carrying,
moving using bodily force and of course,
straightforward lifting of heavy loads is
very common and several million working
 Typical hazards of manual
handling include:
Lifting a load which is too heavy or too
cumbersome, resulting in back injury
Poor posture during lifting or poor lifting
technique, resulting in back injury.
Dropping a load, resulting in foot
injury
Lifting sharp edged or hot loads
resulting in hand injuries
 Injuries caused by manual handling
ACUTE INJURIES
normally lead to
sickness, leave from
work and a period of
rest during time is
damage heals
CHRONIC INJURIES
build up over a long
period of time and are
usually irreversible, Figure 10.2 Manual handling
There are many potential
producing illnesses hazards
 Muscular sprains and strains

Most Fractures and Back injuries

common
injuries Trapped nerve
are all
Hernia
musculo
-skeletal Buts, bruising and abrasions
in
nature Rheumatism
and are:Work-related upper limb disorders
(WRULDs)
Figure 10.3 Main injury sites caused
by manual handling accidents
 MANUAL
HANDLING RISK
ASSESSMENTS
 HIERARCHY OF MEASURES FOR
MANUAL HANDLING OPERATIONS

Avoid manual handling operations so far as is

reasonably practicable by either redesigning
the task to avoid moving the load or by
automating or mechanizing the operations.
If manual handling cannot be avoided, then a
suitable and sufficient risk assessment should
be made.
Reduce the risk of injury from those
operations, either by the use of mechanical
Manual Handling Assessments

The Regulation specify four main

factors;
TASK
LOAD
WORKING ENVIRONMENT
CAPABILITY OF INDIVIDUAL
who is expected to do the
lifting.
Is the load held at a distance from the
trunk?
Is a satisfactory body posture being
adopted?
Are there excessive distances to carry
the load?
Excessive pulling and pushing of the
load?
Is there a risk of sudden movement of
the load?
Is frequent or prolonged physical
effort required?
Is there sufficient rest or recovery
periods?
Is there an imposed rate of work on
the task?
Does the handling include two or more
 WORKING
LOAD
ENVIRONMENT

Too heavy, bulky Space

or unwieldy? Uneven floors?
Too difficult to Stairs
grasp? Temperature
Are the contents Ventilation
of the load likely problem (e.g.
to shift? windy?)
Is the load sharp, Lighting
CAPABILIT Does the task require
Y OF unusual characteristics of
INDIVIDUA the individual?
L Are employees who might
reasonably pregnant or to
have a health problem, put
at risk by the task?
Figure 10.4 UK guidance for manual lifting
 Reducing the risk of injury
MECHANICAL ASSISSTANCE involves the use
of mechanical aids such as,

Figure 10.5
Figure 10.6
Wheelbarrow
Hand-powered
Hydraulic Hoists
 Figure 10.7 Figure 10.8
A pallet truck for moving Mechanical aids to lift
loads patients in hospital
 Storing frequently used loads at waist
level.
The removal of obstacles and the use of
a better lifting technique that relies on
the leg rather than back muscles should
be encouraged.
TASK Hands should position correctly when
pushing.
Work routine should examined
To see
Care whether
must it could be made
be taken
lighter, smaller or easier to grasp or
manage.
LOAD Slippery deposits or sharp edges,
should be removed.
Reducing the risk of
injury
WORKING ENVIRONMENT
Space constraints should be removed
or reduced.
Floors should be regularly cleaned and
repaired when damaged.
Adequate lighting is essential and
working at more than one level should
be minimized so that hazardous ladder
work is avoided.
Attention should be given to the need
for suitable temperatures and risk of
Reducing the
 CAPABILITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL
The fifth area where control measures can be
applied to reduce the risk of injury.
The state of health of the employee and his/her
medical record will provide the first indication as to
whether the individual is capable of undertaking the
task
A period of sick leave or a change of job
can make an individual vulnerable to
manual handling injury.
The Regulations require that the employee
be given information and training.
Reducing the risk of
 MANUAL HANDLING TRAINING
Manual handling training session:

types of injuries associated with manual handling activities;

the findings of the manual handling assessment
the recognition of potentially hazardous manual handling
operations
the correct use of mechanical handling aids
the correct use of personal protective equipment
features of the working environment which aid safety in
manual handling operations
good housekeeping issues
factors which affect the capability of the individual
good lifting or manual handling technique is shown in Figure
Figure 10.9 Main elements of a good lifting technique
 SAFETY IN THE
USE OF LIFTING
AND MOVING
EQUIPMENT
 Use strong, stable and suitable lifting
equipment
Equipment should be positioned and installed
correctly
Equipment should be visibly marked with the
safe working load (SWL)
Lifting operations must be planned, supervised
and performed in a safe manner by competent
people
 Four Elements to Manual Handling
Operation
HANDLING EQUIPMENT
THE LOAD
THE WORKPLACE
THE EMPLOYEES INVOLVED
 TYPES OF MECHANICAL
HANDLING AND LIFTING
EQUIPMENT
CONVEYORS
Transport loads along a given level which may
not be completely horizontal

THREE COMMON FORM OF CONVEYORS

Belt
Roller
Screw conveyor
 Overhea
d
conveyo
Roller r
convey
or

Slate
convey
or in a
food
factory

Figure 10.10 Conveyor systems

ELEVATORS
Move loads
from one
level or floor
to another.

Used to
transport
goods
between
floors. Figure 10.11 A brick elevator
 Most Common Hazards and
Preventive Measures:
the in-running nip, where a hand is trapped between the rotating rollers and
the belt. Protection from this hazard can be provided by nip guards and trip
devices;
entanglement with the power drive requiring the fitting of fixed guards and the
restriction of loose clothing which could become caught in the drive;
loads falling from the conveyor. This can be avoided by edge guards and
barriers;
impact against overhead systems. Protection against this hazard may be given
by the use of bump caps, warning signs and restricted access;
contact hazards prevented by the removal of sharp
edges, conveyor edge protection and restricted access;
manual handling hazards;
noise and vibration hazards.
Screw conveyors, often
used to move very viscous
substances, must be
provided with either fixed
guards or covers to prevent
accidental access. People
should be prohibited from
riding on belt conveyors,
and emergency trip wires
or stop buttons must be
fitted and be operational at
all times. SCREW CONVEYOR
Fork-lift trucks
Most common form of mobile handling
equipment
It comes from the group of vehicles, known
as lift trucks
Can be used in factories, on construction
sitesterm
The and Fork-lift
on farms.truck is
normally
Design applied to the
to operate counter- aisles
in narrower
balanced lift truck, where the
load on the forks is counter-
balanced by the weight of the
vehicle over the rear wheels.
Hazards when using Fork-lift
Overturnin trucks
Overloadi
Collisions
g ng
If to be
Silent
used
operation
outside,
of Uneven vehicles
electricall road will
y powered surface become
fork-lift
additional
truck
hazards
Loss of Overhead
Speeding obstruction
load
Physical hazards
Noise
Exhaust fumes
Vibrations
Manual handling
Ergonomic Figure 10.12 Reach truck designed so that
the
load retracts inside the wheel base to save
space
Drivers should be at least 18 years of age and
their fitness to drive should be reassessed
Other Forms of Lifting
Equipment
Cranes ( mobile overhead and jib )
Care should be taken to avoid sudden shock
loading
Controls should be clearly marked and be of
the hold-to-run type.
Lifts and hoists
Lifting tackle

CRANE
CRANE JIB OVERHEAD
The principal reasons for crane
failure, including loss of load,
are:
 Lift or Hoist
Lift or Hoist Incorporates a platform or cage and is
restricted in its movement by guides
HOISTS generally used in industrial settings (e.g.
construction sites and garbage)
LIFTS normally used inside buildings.
Both may be designed to carry passengers and/ or
goods alone.
It is very important that a safe system work is
employed during maintenance operations to protect
Figure 10.13 A hoist for lifting cars
 REQUIRMENTS FOR
THE STATUTORY
EXAMINATION OF
LIFTING EQUIPMENT
Inspection is used to
identify whether the
equipment can be
operated, adjusted and
maintained safely so
that any defect, damage
or wear can be detected
before it results in
unacceptable risks.
It is normally
performed by a
Figure 14 Types of safety
competent person hook
A thorough examination is a detailed
examination, which may involve a visual
check, a disassembly and testing of
components and/or an equipment test
under operating conditions.

A thorough examination as a visual

examination carried out by a competent
person carefully and critically and, where
appropriate, supplemented by other
means, such as measurement and testing,
in order to check whether the equipment
REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK FOURTH EDITION

BY PHIL HUGHES AND ED FERRETT