Manual Handling for East Thames Housing Association Staff Presented by Simone Plaut

Definition of Manual Handling Includes the following: Pushing and / or Pulling Transporting Carrying Lifting Lowering Throwing and / or catching Sliding

7 Rules for Safeguarding your Career… Foot position: apart and one ahead. Back straight Look ahead Maintain curves in low back and neck Use thigh muscles Load close to belly button Do not stoop or twist

Risk Assessment: Skip this and your skipping days are over… Environment E Load L Individual I Task T Equipment E ELITE staff stay healthy!!! (LITE, TILE)

Environment Space to work? (bathrooms, corridors) Flooring condition? (wet, slippery…) Cables or other obstructions? Can you see where you are going? Is lighting adequate? Is loud noise hampering communication ? Is it very cold or wet?

Load Are you moving a supplies or equipment? How heavy is the equipment? If supplies , can it be reduced or taken in smaller chunks ? Can use of trolleys or other moving equipment make the load easier to manage? Are there other hazards such as sharp edges or chemicals (waste removal)..PPE needed?

Individual Yes this means you! Are you fit, healthy, pregnant? Do you have an injury eg pulled muscle? Age? What footwear/clothing are you wearing? Knowledge Communication skills?

Footwear and Clothing Shoes: rubber soles, flexible, well fitting. Trousers with plenty of room or stretch Tight jeans ?

Task What are you moving/lifting/transferring? From where to where? Is this a frequent task? Does it take more than a few moments? Are more than one person needed to carry out the task?

Task ~continued Do you need to reach up high or down low? Not possible to keep the load close to your Centre of Gravity? Do you need to twist, stoop or maintain a static position to carry out the task? Does it weigh more than 25 Kg (male) ……….16.6 Kg (female) If yes to any of these: take great care!

Equipment What kit should you use to do this? Are special trolleys/ramps etc needed ? Do you have all these available? If not what are you doing to ensure it is obtained for next time?

Accidents Do Happen… Report immediately. Twinges can indicate early injury. Disc symptoms develop over 36 to 72 hours. Repeatedly finishing work with pain could indicate a serious problem. Know your accident procedure.