The regulations concerning manual handling have been well-established for years, and yet many workplaces are still not adhering to and implementing the correct manual handling techniques. The health and safety of employees when working with large or heavy loads is vitally important as failure to follow the regulations can lead to serious injury or death and can result in legal ramifications for the company involved.

The regulations set by the Health and Safety Executive are that an employer must avoid the need for hazardous manual handling so far as is reasonably practicable, carry out a risk assessment for any handling that is unavoidable and reduce the risk of injury from manual handling as much as is reasonably practicable.

Employees are required to participate in the risk assessment process, attend any relevant manual handling training and implement good manual handling techniques whenever they are carrying out such tasks such as good posture and lifting techniques.

Simple steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of injury include planning the lift, reducing the distance of the lift, ensuring you have a good grip of the item to be lifted and wearing appropriate clothing. More detailed guidance is available by visiting the HSE website.