Version	Date	Approved by	Amendments
1.0	02/21	Health & Safety	New Unitary council policy.
1.1	01/23	Health & Safety	Updated formatting.
1.2	12/24	Health & Safety	Review, updated illustrations and accessibility.

 

In accordance with The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, Buckinghamshire Council has a duty to identify and manage the risks to employees associated with manual handling or moving of loads in order to protect the health and well-being of employees and service users.  Poor or inappropriate manual handling or moving of loads can lead to a range of musculoskeletal and soft tissue injuries that have the potential to result in a range of injuries, including long-term back injury.

Buckinghamshire Council recognises that all employees may be at risk of injury through lifting or handling loads at work. It is the responsibility of Managers, Headteachers and Employees to ensure that the Council’s policy is implemented.  The aim of this Policy is to establish a framework to support safe moving and handling activities across the organisation, which ensures our legal compliance as an employer.

The Council will do all that is reasonably practicable to reduce the risk of injury by:

• Eliminating hazardous manual handling where it is reasonably practicable to do so.
• Assessing risks involved in the remaining handling activities.
• Taking action to reduce the risk of injury where it is reasonably practicable to do so.

This policy does not apply to the moving and handling of people. Please refer to Policy 5.2 Moving and Handling Policy (Schoolsweb) for Assisting Service Users / Pupils with Impaired Mobility for this specific topic.

Manual handling is defined by The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 as:

‘… any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or bodily force.’

Managers/Headteachers must:

• Identify all lifting and handling activities which take place within their area of responsibility.
• Identify all persons likely to be involved in lifting and handling operations.
• Ensure that all manual handling operations that could result in injury are assessed and the risks adequately controlled.
• Ensure all staff who undertake manual handling operations are provided with appropriate supervision, instruction, training and information, necessary to allow them to carry out the manual handling task assigned to them.
• Ensure that manual handling risk assessments are undertaken and included or referred to in job-based risk assessments.
• Ensure all manual handling operations that are considered high risk are individually risk assessed using the Task, Individual, Load, Environment (T.I.L.E.) method with control measures referred to or included in job-based risk assessments (refer to appendices below).
• Ensure an individual risk assessment is carried out where an employee is a young person, a new or expectant mother or has an injury or medical condition which may make them more susceptible to a manual handling injury.
• Ensure risk assessments are reviewed annually or, when the work changes significantly, or following an accident, incident or near miss, or when the validity of the assessment is suspected, or when legislation changes.
• Ensure all manual handling accidents, incidents and near misses are reported to the appropriate line manager for recording on the incident reporting system, Assessnet (see Accident/Incident Reporting Policy health-and-safety-incident-reporting-policy).
• Ensure that appropriate lifting and handling equipment is available, properly stored, correctly used and inspected with records retained.
• Ensure staff are made aware of this policy and associated guidance and understand it, and comply with it.
• Monitor lifting and handling tasks to ensure safe manual handling practices are being carried out in the correct manner.
• Make sure the risks of manual handling whilst lone working, which may include working from home, are assessed.

Employees must ensure they:

• Are aware of the results of any job-based or manual handling risk assessments or working practices specific to their work, and that they comply with these.
• Receive appropriate manual handling training identified as necessary within their job-based risk assessment (visit our Training Section).
• Make full and proper use of appropriate equipment provided, in accordance with the instruction and training received (this equipment may include such equipment as hoists, flat bed trolleys, sack barrows etc.).
• Check manual handling equipment before each use.
• Do not lift anything which they perceive to be beyond their capabilities.

Inform their manager if they:

• Require equipment to enable them to carry out manual handling.
• Develop any health problems which may affect their ability to carry out manual handling tasks which are a part of their job.
• Are pregnant and are involved with manual handling tasks.
• Are carrying out a manual handling task which may pose a risk of injury, and which has not been risk assessed.
• Are aware that equipment has become defective or unsuitable for the task.

Training is an important aspect in the control of manual handling activities. This enables employees to identify for themselves good and bad practice and to apply the principles of safe handling to all manual handling activities.  It promotes good back care by encouraging employees to adopt a lifestyle aimed at preventing postural stress and back injury.

Training Required

• Where the risk is low and infrequent, reading Appendix 1 is deemed sufficient training, or alternatively, carrying out online training. 
• Employees carrying out a significant amount of lifting and handling tasks as part of their job role should attend tutor-led Manual Handling of Objects training, which includes a practical element.

Training should be refreshed on a three-year basis, and records retained.

Manual Handling of Objects training course providers can be found on the council intranet, Health and Safety Training - BucksNet and SchoolsWeb Manual Handling of Objects Training | SchoolsWeb. This course provides the necessary information and training for employees to understand more about the risks associated with manual handling, the procedure for carrying out a manual handling risk assessment and how to ensure appropriate control measures are put in place.

For further advice and to book, contact the Health and Safety Team at handstraining@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Health and Safety Policy 2.1 Risk Assessment Guide

Visit HSE Manual Handling at Work: A Brief Guide (HSE.GOV.UK) 

Contact the Health and Safety Team by emailing healthandsafety@buckinghamshire.gov.uk or call 01296 674412.

Download the full version of 5.1 Manual Handling of Objects, which includes all appendices.