1. Manual Handling STAFF BRIEFING – No 3
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
STAFF BRIEFING – No 3
Manual Handling

2. Training Agenda: What is Manual Handling?
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
Training Agenda:
What is Manual Handling?
Risks and Consequences of Manual Handling
Legal Requirements and Responsibilities
Ways of assessing and Managing Risk
Proper lifting Technique
Practical Training

3. Accommodation & Hospitality Services
Manual Handling is:
“any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or by bodily force”.
In effect, any activity that requires an individual to lift, move or support a load will be classified as a manual handling task.
Manual handling relates to the moving of items either by lifting, lowering, carrying, pushing or pulling.
But it's not just a case of 'pulling something' due to the weight of the item, although this can be a cause of injury. Injuries can be caused because of the amount of times you have to pick up or carry an item, the distance you are carrying it, the height you are picking it up from or putting it down at (picking it up from the floor, putting it on a shelf above shoulder level) and any twisting, bending stretching or other awkward posture you may get in whilst doing a task.

4. Can YOU do that? Accommodation & Hospitality Services
The photo shows Wayne Price (South Africa) flipping a large tire. As you can see, he's curling, shrugging, and leaning into the tire as he lifts it. In order to do so, HE TRAINED FOR YEARS. He is proud that he can lift very heavy loads, though some of them with difficulty. Have you met someone like Wayne? No?
Hmm, to a certain degree you probably acted like him

5. Where is a Manual Handling injury most likely to happen?
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
Where is a Manual Handling injury most likely to happen?
yourself…just trying to lift items that are far too heavy for you or heavier and more awkward to carry than you initially thought. You might get away with it even several times but do not be fooled. Performing manual handling incorrectly even just once can have serious consequences.
it can happen anywhere, at work, while doing your shopping or simply doing simple tasks at home.
The most common tasks you might be doing at work might involve :
pushing cleaning machines
push-pull repetitive actions (mopping / brushing / hoovering)
ride-on machines
use of mops (and mop buckets)
picking up things from the floor
accessing low or high shelves

6. Posture Accommodation & Hospitality Services
While talking about Manual Handling we mention pretty much all the activities that can cause harm . We forget though about one the most basic, and the most important at the same time – good posture.
Sitting and standing put considerable pressure on the lower back; standing exerts five times more pressure than lying down, and sitting, surprisingly, is even more strenuous. In fact, researchers believe that poor sitting posture is a major contributor to low-back pain. Poor standing and lying posture aren't good for your back either
Posture is not simply what happens when you are sitting or standing still—it's also dynamic, and includes your posture when you move. Poor posture may include many elements—rounded shoulders, protruding buttocks and abdomen, overly arched lower back, and the head pushed forward into an exaggerated position
Poor posture may be caused by many factors, including previous injuries, disease, poor muscle tone, and emotional stress. A sedentary lifestyle can reduce muscle tone and strength and lead to bad posture. Sore, aching feet have a negative effect on posture, too.
In itself, poor posture isn’t a health problem. But it won’t improve without some effort on your part, and in the meantime it can have an adverse impact on your musculoskeletal system. If you don’t take steps to improve your posture, you may eventually limit your lung expansion—which means less energy available to your body and brain—and develop chronic muscle aches, including headaches and back pains.

7. Symptoms Healthy Spine Spine Problems
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
Symptoms
Healthy Spine
Spine Problems
Most people will be affected by back pain at some point in their lives. In fact, back pain is the most common reason for work absences in the UK. Most frequently, the area affected is the lower back; with 80% of people affected at some point in their lives. The lower back refers to the area between the bottom of the ribs and the top of the legs.
Symptoms
Symptoms of back pain include soreness and stiffness. Tension felt in the neck, shoulders, buttocks and thighs can also be a sign of back pain.
As long as people aren't actually in pain, they tend to forget how delicately their backs are engineered. The three spinal curves (neck, upper, lower) need to be kept in balanced alignment, and to do this, strong, flexible muscles are important. Poor posture can strain both muscles and ligaments, making you more vulnerable to injury—as well as complicating such everyday tasks as carrying groceries or even sitting at a desk. An improperly aligned spine may narrow the space between vertebrae, thereby increasing the risk of compressed nerves.
Back pain symptoms
Most people experience some degree of back pain during their lives. The symptoms will vary depending on the part of the back that's affected - and the cause of the pain.
Lower back pain symptoms
Although the pain may be concentrated on the lower back area, it may also affect the front, side, or back of the leg or legs. The pain may develop over many years, from causes such as poor posture. The symptoms can also appear suddenly, perhaps after some heavy lifting or twisting the back awkwardly. Sometimes the cause of the pain will remain unknown. Symptoms may be worse at night, while sitting or during some body movements.
Upper or middle back pain symptoms
Pain affecting the area from the base of the neck to the bottom of the rib cage, called the thoracic spine, is known as upper or middle back pain. The pain can appear dull, burning or sharp and muscles may feel tight or stiff. If the symptoms are caused by a trapped or injured nerve, the pain may also affect the arms, legs and chest.
Sciatica
This can cause symptoms including pain in the lower back that travels down the buttocks into a leg or both legs.
Slipped disc
A slipped disc, also known as a prolapsed or herniated disc, occurs when a disc in the spine ruptures allowing the gel inside the disc to leak out and irritate a nerve, often the sciatic nerve causing sciatica. It can cause symptoms of pain to travel down to a leg along with soreness in the lower back and muscles feeling weak and tight.

8. Accommodation & Hospitality Services
Symptoms

9. Causes Back pain causes include:
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
Causes
Back pain causes include:
• bending awkwardly • lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling incorrectly • slouching in chairs • standing or bending down for long periods • twisting • over-stretching • driving in a hunched position • driving for long periods without taking a break • overuse of the muscles, usually due to sport or repetitive movements (repetitive strain injury)
Back pain develops for many different reasons. It can be triggered by everyday activities at home and at work. It can occur all of a sudden when you twist your back awkwardly, or it may develop gradually over time as a result of sitting or standing badly. In general, cases of back pain are not associated with serious disease. It often resolves within 12 weeks. Back pain causes include: • bending awkwardly • lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling incorrectly • slouching in chairs • standing or bending down for long periods • twisting • over-stretching • driving in a hunched position • driving for long periods without taking a break • overuse of the muscles, usually due to sport or repetitive movements (repetitive strain injury) For back pain lasting more than 6 weeks, please consult your doctor

10. Accommodation & Hospitality Services
Everyone likes to eat a donut! Especially with juicy jelly in the middle! The interesting part of this jelly donut is that it is very similar to the disc in your spine called intervertebral disc. This disc is made of fibre and water and has a jelly centre. Sounds like a jelly donut to me. We have of these cartilage discs to support the whole spine as a cushion, create mobility in the spine, and distribute the physical pressure from your body weight
Once we damage the disc, the disc deflates and disappear and that is called Degeneration/Arthritis.

11. Why is Manual Handling training important?
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
Why is Manual Handling training important?
High rates in construction, postal and courier activities, agriculture and health care industries
High rates in building trades, nurses, persoal care and skilled agriculture occupations
High rates for workers aged over 45
Manual handling is the main work activity causing back disorders
8.3 million working days lost
New cases:
Total cases:
Approximately 40% of disorders affect the back, and 40% affect the upper limbs
Work-related
Musculoskeletal
disorders
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) were the most common type of
work-related illness. Adding up to 45% of all work-related injuries, and 30% just for back injuries
THINK
How would a disabling injury affect your life?
Family
Home
Relationships
Wealth / ability to earn
Leisure / sports
Health
Source of handling injury
Proportion of all handling injuries
Lifting or putting down loads
About 1 in 4
Pushing or pulling loads
About 1 in 6
Cuts from sharp/coarse material or trapped fingers
About 1 in 8
Sprains/strains from body movement, e.g. twisting
About 1 in 10
Manually handling or supporting a person
Carrying loads
About 1 in 20
Handling people, using people-handling equipment
About 1 in 50
504 new cases per day

12. Legal Requirements & Responsibilities
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
Legal Requirements & Responsibilities
Employer:
Carry out risk assessments to identify hazards
Eliminate or reduce the risk as much as possible
Consider those people who are especially at risk
Provide safe methods of working
Provide equipment where necessary
Provide Training
Provide PPE
Employee:
Follow appropriate systems of work laid down for your safety
Make proper use of equipment provided
Co-operate with your employer on health and safety matters
Inform your employer if you identify hazardous handling activities
Take care to ensure that your activities do not put others at risk.
Legislation covering MSDs
There are several pieces of legislation relating to musculoskeletal disorders, which attach responsibilities to both employers and employees. The main legal responsibility for employers is to protect the health and safety of their employees and other people who might be affected by what they do, as required by the Health and Safety at Work etc Act Some health and safety regulations are particularly relevant to dealing with musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace (the main ones are listed below). However, if you work within specific industries there may be additional legislation you may have to take into account. More information on sector-specific legislation can be found at MSD guidance and research[1].
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999[2] Regulation 3 requires that all employers assess the risks to the health and safety of their employees while they are at work.
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended) (MHOR)[3] MHOR requires an employer to carry out a risk assessment on all manual handling tasks that pose an injury risk. The employer's duty is to avoid manual handling as far as reasonably practicable if there is a possibility of injury. If this cannot be done then they must take steps to reduce the risk of injury as far as reasonably practicable.

13. What can be done to reduce the Risk of a Manual Handling injury?
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
What can be done to reduce the Risk of a Manual Handling injury?
Can we remove the need for Manual Handling?
Can we use lifting aids?
Improve workplace layout?
Reduce carrying distances?
Avoid repetitive handling?
Vary the work?
Push rather than pull?
Make the load lighter?
Make the load less bulky?

14. T I L E How to make an assessment? Task Individual Load Environment
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
How to make an assessment?
T I L E
Task
Individual
Load
Environment
Before you carry out any manual handling please carry out an assessment of the task yourself. Remember this word: TILE
TASK:
INDIVIDUAL:
LOAD:
ENVIRONMENT:

15. T I L E Task twisting the trunk? stooping? reaching upwards?
combining risk factors?
excessive lifting or lowering distances?
excessive carrying distances?
excessive pushing or pulling of the load?
positioning the load precisely?
a risk of sudden movement of the load?
frequent or prolonged physical effort?
insufficient rest or recovery periods?
The importance of posture
Team Handling
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
T I L E
Task
Task, Load, Work Environment
The Task
Is the load held or manipulated at a distance from the trunk?
Does the task involve:
twisting the trunk?
stooping?
reaching upwards?
combining risk factors?
excessive lifting or lowering distances?
excessive carrying distances?
excessive pushing or pulling of the load?
positioning the load precisely?
a risk of sudden movement of the load?
frequent or prolonged physical effort?
insufficient rest or recovery periods?
involve a rate of work imposed by a process?
The importance of posture
Handling while seated
Team Handling
The Load
Is the load:
heavy?
bulky or unwieldy?
difficult to grasp?
unstable, or are its contents likely to shift?
sharp, hot or otherwise potentially damaging?
Working Environment
Are there:
space constraints preventing good practice
uneven, slippery or unstable floors?
variations in levels of floors or work surfaces?
extremes of temperature or humidity?
ventilation problems or gusts of winds?
poor lighting conditions?
Individual Capability
Does the task require unusual strength, height etc?
Does the job put at risk those who might be pregnant or have a disability or a health problem?
Does the task require special information or training in its safe performance
Other Factors
Personal protective equipment and other chatting

16. T I L E Individual Does the task require unusual strength, height etc?
Does the job put at risk those who might be pregnant or
have a disability or a health problem?
Does the task require special information or training in its safe
performance
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
T I L E
Individual
Before you carry out any manual handling please carry out an assessment of the task yourself. Remember this word: TILE
LOAD; WHAT OS IT? BIG? HEAVY? EVEN?SIZE

17. T I L E Load heavy? bulky or unwieldy? difficult to grasp?
unstable, or are its contents likely to shift?
sharp, hot or otherwise potentially damaging?
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
T I L E
Load
Before you carry out any manual handling please carry out an assessment of the task yourself. Remember this word: TILE
LOAD; WHAT OS IT? BIG? HEAVY? EVEN?SIZE

18. T I L E Environment Are there:
space constraints preventing good practice
uneven, slippery or unstable floors?
variations in levels of floors or work surfaces?
extremes of temperature or humidity?
ventilation problems or gusts of winds?
poor lighting conditions?
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
T I L E
Environment
Before you carry out any manual handling please carry out an assessment of the task yourself. Remember this word: TILE
ENVIRONMENT: LIGHTING, FLOORING, OBSTALCES, PASSAGE, OUTSIDE/INSIDE, DANGERS ON ROUTE

19. Accommodation & Hospitality Services
There is no specified weight limit for an individual lift
It is up to the individual to assess the weight and decide whether it is safe to lift. The load might depend on their strength, age,
The likelihood of injury increases significantly for an average healthy adult when they lift load that weights more than about 16-20kg, and the risk increases as the weight increases

20. Handling Technique Accommodation & Hospitality Services
Now we are ready to move the load
Stand close to it , put one foot slightly forward to the other one. That will provide you with better balance and control as you lift the load
Bend your knees keeping your back as naturally straight as possible
Keep your shoulders level, facing the same direction as your hips.
Now get a good grip of your load, if possible with your palms, not just with your fingers.
Once you are ready, lift your head up so you are looking straight ahead
Then lift your load using your leg muscles, not your back. This is very important.
The lift should be smooth, avoiding sudden movements that can cause injury.
A very common mistake is to bend your back or stoop over the load and lift it using your back.
Proper lifting requires you to keep your back straight, knees bent and use your legs to lift the load.
While moving the load keep it as close to your body as possible.
It is common for people to twist their bodies to turn, which can lead to injury
Instead you should move your foot in the direction you want to turn, then bring the other foot in the same direction.
Don’t twist your body while doing this.
When you get your load to where you want it to be, the technique to put the load down is similar to lifting it up.
If it’s being put onto the floor, bend your knees, keep your back straight, and use your leg muscles while lowering
A common manual handling task involves lifting objects that are above your head, for example to put them onto a shelf.
This is a more dangerous way of lifting as it puts more stress onto your back and it is harder to control the further away from your body it is.
Generally try to find a safer way of performing these tasks. If it is impossible, put one foot slightly forward, looking forward to straighten your back.
Then using your arm and shoulder muscles raise the object to the height of the shelf, while keeping it as close to your body as possible.
Finally, once the load is on the edge of the shelf, push it onto the shelf and shift your weight back from your front foot to your back foot
1 Assess the load TILE
Keep the load close to the waist.
2 Adopt a stable position.
3 Get a good hold.
4 Start in a good posture.
5 Don’t flex the back any further while lifting.
6 Avoid twisting the back or leaning sideways,
7 Keep the head up when handling.
8 Move smoothly.
9 Don’t lift or handle more than can be easily managed.
10 Put down, then adjust.
NOW – find something nearby to demonstrate with and ask everyone to demonstrate good handling technique. If they demonstrate poor technique, ask the others what could have been done differently and move on to the next person, try mixing lifting with carrying as in the next slide.
Keep the load close to the body for as long as possible while lifting. Keep the heaviest side of the load next to the body. If a close approach to the load is not possible, try to slide it towards the body before attempting to lift it.
2. The feet should be apart with one leg slightly forward to maintain balance (alongside the load, if it is on the ground). The worker
should be prepared to move their feet during the lift to maintain their stability. Avoid tight clothing or unsuitable footwear, which may make this difficult.
3. Where possible the load should be hugged as close as possible to the body. This may be better than gripping it tightly with hands only.
4. At the start of the lift, slight bending of the back, hips and knees is preferable to fully flexing the back (stooping) or fully flexing the
hips and knees (squatting).
5. This can happen if the legs begin to straighten before starting to raise the load.
6. especially while the back is bent. Shoulders should be kept level and facing in the same direction as the hips. Turning by moving the feet is better than twisting and lifting at the same
time.
7. Look ahead, not down at the load, once it has been held securely.
8. The load should not be jerked or snatched as this can make it harder to keep control and can increase the risk of injury.
9. There is a difference between what people can lift and what they can safely lift. If in doubt, seek advice or get help.
10. If precise positioning of the load is necessary, put it
down first, then slide it into the desired position.

21. Handling Technique Team Lift
Accommodation & Hospitality Services
Handling Technique Team Lift
Ok, so what happens if the load is too heavy to move on your own?
Let’s say that you wanted to move the sofa. In order to do that you need to organize a team.
Process is very similar to what we already discussed and starts with all the usual planning like inspecting the load and path.
For team moves, one person should take responsibility for planning and executing the move. This is usually done by the person who needs the load to be moved.
As part of the planning, the team leader should brief the other team members about the move, show them what path would be taken to move the load, and advise of anything dangerous, and also how the load will be lifted and lowered. A good briefing helps to reduce the risk by ensuring everyone knows what’s going on.
In order to have a smooth move a team leader should group together people of similar height and strength and consider how the weight of the load is distributed and where people will lift it. For example, desks are often heavier at one end so it is smart to put a stronger person at that end. For the purpose of this example, sofa will be moved onto a steep driveway. So it is best to put two people at the back and one at the front.
When they are ready to lift a team leader should coordinate the move so they all lift at the same time.
This is done by making everyone aware that the lift is about to happen and the team leader should clearly say “prepare to lift” Then he should say “lift”. This ensures everyone lifts at the same time, and the load is evenly distributed. Throughout the move the team leader must give clear instructions, and coordinates what happens.
And how the load is lowered. This is done by clearly stating “prepare to lower”, and then “lower”.
You have now finished this topic when you have learnt how to correctly lift.
Lifting objects – relative
Cubitainer
Chair
bucket
Please remember to use PPE

22. Accommodation & Hospitality Services
Practical Exercise

23. Questions Accommodation & Hospitality Services
Which part of the body is most commonly injured by manual handling?
A Legs.
B Back.
C Arms.
D Neck.
What key principle should workers follow when deciding whether to lift a heavy box?
A Always get help if it weighs more than 5kg.
B Never attempt to lift it if it weighs more than 25kg.
C Only lift what you know you can safely manage.
D Ensure a fellow worker is always nearby.
When carrying a heavy box, you should keep it
A close to your body.
B far away from your body.
C at head height.
D as low down as possible.
Questions & Answers: