Manual Handling is the biggest cause of injuries ( app 65% of injuries )in the Queensland Workplace, each year there are thousands of workers injured as a result of performing manual handling tasks that are unsafe and the results can be long term debilitating conditions that can severely affect a person’s quality of life. While most jobs involve some form of manual handling, it doesn’t have to be dangerous.

Definition
Manual handling is defined as using your body to exert force to handle, support, or restrain any object and this includes people and animals. It is not just lifting or carrying objects, it also includes  pushing, pulling, holding, lowering, throwing,  etc and the term is not limited to handling heavy objectives pruning plants, stacking  objects on shelf’s and even using a keyboard are examples of manual handling.

Hazardous manual handling involves
1. Repetitive or sustained application of force, awkward postures or movements
2. Tasks that people would find difficult due to the degree of force applied
3. Exposure to sustained vibration
4. Manual handling of unstable loads or loads that are difficult to grasp or hold.

Type of Injuries
While not all manual handling tasks will cause injury, hazardous manual handling can lead to many serious conditions including
1. Repetitive Strain Injuries
2. Muscle sprains and strains
3. Back injuries
4. Soft tissue injuries to the Wrists Arms Shoulders Neck Legs
5. Abdominal hernias
6. Chronic pain
Collectively these conditions are known as Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD, s).

Risk Assessment  
Once the hazard has been identified and the control measures implemented. The best option is to remove the hazard completely, so you should always try to do this first which is not always possible then minimize the risk by changing the workplace layout, environment or work methods eg using mechanical equipment or aids training etc.

Review
It’s important to review your risk controls to ensure they are implemented correctly and to monitor their effectiveness. You need to review on a regular basis and if necessary revise your risk controls whenever any changes are made to the workplace that could increase manual handling risks, such as changes to the way work is undertaken, the tools or equipment used, if a musculoskeletal injury is reported or you become aware of any new information about any hazardous manual handling task.