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Although manual lifting does not involve having to operate powerful
Page 48
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machines, it is still a hazardous operation and a major cause of back injury.
For this reason it has its own rules to control the risk of injury at work: the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.
Regulation 4 sets out a hierarchy of three preventive measures: 1. Avoid, as far as possible, manual handling operations that involve a risk of injury.
2. Assess all manual handling operations that cannot be avoided.
3. Take steps to minimise the risk of injury during those operations. Training in manual lifting focuses on awareness of risks and methods of risk assessment. There are no hard-and-fast rules about what can and cannot be lifted; it all depends upon the circumstances.
If there is no evidence of risk, Regulation 4 has no effect and the employer has no duty. Deciding the presence and degree of risk will be a matter of judgement in each case. Training is available from many sources and varies considerably. RoSPA offers a range of courses for instructors and assessors. The five-day Manual Handling Instructors' and Assessors Certificate costs £965 per trainee (£880 to RoSPA members).