Over 33% of all workplace injuries in the UK are due to manual handling incidents. If an object is lifted, pushed, pulled or moved incorrectly then it can cause the user serious muscle or joint pain and mean that they are unable to work for extended periods of time.

Manual handling accidents can also cause cuts, bruises and fractures as a result of a sudden movement or unexpected event. The most common types of injuries occur with the back and shoulder due to incorrect technique for lifting heavy objects.

Keeping your workforce fit and healthy is vital to ensure the safety of your workers and their welfare as well as keeping your business running as smoothly as possible. In our latest post we take a look at a couple of options for keeping your workforce safe when involved with manual handling.

Training

Employers have a duty of care to protect their workforce and provide adequate training to ensure the correct lifting and movement of objects. The 1992 Manual Handling Operations Regulations state that there is a legal obligation to assess the risk of the employee for manually handling loads. Depending upon the business these training sessions can either be provided in-house or for a small fee can be completed with fully qualified external professionals.

With the right training employees will be able to safely assess the risks involved with manual handling which in turn could help reduce the number of injuries.

Access To The Right Equipment

For many manual workers having access to the right equipment that they need not only helps to prevent injuries but could also improve the speed and efficiency of certain tasks. Genie Material Lifts from ASR Ltd are a great example of lift equipment that can be used on almost any site to improve the lifting and distribution of certain products.

Machines such as these are designed specially so that they can be set up and operated by a single person, which means you can safely transport heavy loads along your site no matter whether you are an independent self-employed professional, or working for a large organisation.

Genie have become a renowned brand in the industry and their range of adaptable, lightweight and portable equipment means that they have helped improve the health and safety on worksites across the world.