The Importance Of Safe Manual Handling In Your Business

All manual work involves lifting and handling to some extent. Although mechanical equipment should be used whenever practicable, much of the work will inevitably continue to be done manually. The risk of injury can be greatly reduced by a knowledge and application of correct lifting and handling techniques and by taking a few elementary precautions.

Manual handling relates to transporting or supporting of a load (including lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or by bodily force” It is the most common recognised reason for injury at work.

In any case, it’s not simply ‘pulling something’ because of the heaviness of an item, injuries can be brought on in different causes, for example:

• Reaching and lifting over your head
• Long carrying distances
• Twisting
• Bending
• Any poor stance positions
• Lifting or carrying objects with awkward or odd shapes

Over 20% of all accidents occurring in the UK Construction Industry each year involve injuries sustained whilst manually lifting and handling materials or equipment. This incorporates Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs), e.g. injuries or pain in the body’s joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves, tendons, and structures that support limbs, neck and back. Manual handling injuries can happen anyplace inside of the working environment; However, manual labour, existing injuries and unbalanced stance positions can increase the risks.

Manual handling can have consequential implications for the employer and for the individual who has been injured. The employer may bring about some significant expenses, for example, sickness payment, lost production, retraining of a brief labourer, over time to cover the absence and, possibly, compensation. The injured individual may find that their capacity to carry out their occupation has been influenced and their way of life may need to change.

In this manner, it is basic that you must consider the risks and where there are risks, regulations apply.

The Regulations establish a clear hierarchy of measures:

• AVOID handling operations involving risk of injury
• ASSESS operations involving risk of injury that cannot be avoided
• REDUCE the risk of injury e.g. using handling aids and provide information on the load
• REVIEW the assessment

Employers Duties

• Carry out a Manual Handling Assessment
• Reduce risk of injury
• Replace Manual tasks where possible
• Introduce mechanical aids

Employees likewise have responsibilities:

• Make proper use of equipment & follow safe working systems
• Co-operate with their employer
• Ensure others are not put at risk
• Avoid tasks likely to cause injury
• Co-operate with the employer to reduce the risk of injury to themselves and others

There are numerous routes in which manual handling can be maintained, see the HSE’s brief guide on manual handling.

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Falls from height continues to be the largest causes of major injuries and fatalities.  About 4000 working at height-related accidents occur each year at work and the most common cases are falls from ladders and through fragile services. Alarmingly, two thirds of all major injuries at work are caused by ‘low falls’ A low fall is a fall from a height below 2 metres.  A high fall is a fall from a height of more than 2 metres.

5 Top Tips for Preventing Falls from Height:

1. As with all work activities, a suitable and sufficient risk assessment is key to preventing falls from height. The planned activity and location should also be assessed immediately before work takes place, in case there have been any changes since the original assessment took place. The above case is a good example, in terms of missing panels that had not been put back following previous works.
2. All parties involved should be made aware of the findings of the risk assessment, so there needs to be procedures in place to ensure good communication of the hazards, control measures and any changes to the planned works.
3. In terms of control measures, eliminating the need to work at height is usually the best option. However, in reality, that isn’t always possible. Use suitable work equipment such as a working platform, or an existing safe area with a permanent guardrail, and make sure workers can reach it safely.
4. All works should be supervised, and the job undertaken by competent staff. Assessing someone’s competency would include looking at their experience, knowledge and skillset, as well as their qualifications.
5. Consider both personal and collective measures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall, where some risk does remain, such as fall arrest equipment or safety nets.

Most falls from height can be prevented, by ensuring proper planning of the work and by selecting the right equipment for the job. When equipment is not suitable, it can lead to workers finding other ways to complete the job, which can have fatal consequences.

You can download HSE’s Working at Height Brief Guide Here

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Construction Phase Plan

Know your responsibilities

As potential Contractors under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, you need to be aware of your responsibilities. The CDM Regulations require all construction projects to have a construction phase plan (CPP), you will need to ensure this is in place before any works commence.

You will need to produce a construction phase plan describing how you will manage the various safety aspects of the works. The Managing Director in conjunction with the Supervisor shall be responsible for the preparation and maintenance of secured contracts Health and Safety documentation. The Site Supervisor shall co-ordinate the activities of all operatives to ensure they comply with the construction phase plan including contract Health and Safety requirements and legislation, plus check on the provisions of information and training of all employees, where appropriate, as well as subcontractor’s health and safety, when appointed.

When/if acting as Principal Contractor the following protocol will be adopted:

• Develop and maintain a Construction Phase Plan as required by The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
• Through on-site management ensure that every contractor complies with the rules set out in the health and safety plan.
• Ensure co-operation between all contractors;
• Taken steps to ensure that only authorised persons are allowed onto the construction site area.
• Ensure that the particulars of the F10 Notification are displayed in a prominent location on the site where they can be read by any person working on the project;
• Keep the up-to-date with any information required to go into the health and safety file;
• Oversee and ensure compliance with Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).
• Monitor and ensure all work is carried out in accordance with approved/agreed Risk Assessments and Method Statements and ensure that staff and sub-contractors are appropriately qualified/certified to carry out the work;
• Undertake regular site inspection and feed forward to regular toolbox talks with contract staff and sub-contractors.
• Manage the interface between the construction and the site operations to ensure minimum disruption to operations.

If your looking for help with the Construction Phase Plan and purchasing templates get in touch

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What is a risk assessment

A risk assessment is to enable you to identify sensible control and measures for risks within your workplace.

Risk Assessments are not meant to create huge amounts of work for anyone in the company but should be there to ensure the safety of you and your workforce. You are likely to already have a process in place to identify risks and how they should be dealt with. A risk assessment is just a document to have all the information in one place.

How to assess the risks in your place of work:

• Identify the hazards
• Decide who might be harmed and how
• Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions
• Record your significant findings
• Review your assessment and update if necessary

Many companies who are confident they understand the process and the risks involved can complete these themselves. You don’t have to be a H&S expert.

When thinking about your risk assessment, remember:

• A hazard is something that could cause harm, for example electricity, chemicals, working from ladders, an open drawer etc
• The risk is the probability, high or low, that somebody could be harmed by these and other hazards, together with an indication of how serious the harm could be

The process of identifying hazards and evaluating the risks can be delivered systematically using well-established templates and the knowledge of people with hands-on experience. 

We have several risk assessments available to buy. The cost of one of our risk and method statements is less than half an hour of your writing time.

They have taken us more than a day to write each one; however, we sell many, making them very affordable.

The documents arrive in word format to allow you to adjust them to suit your site and circumstances.

Why not see our layout below to see if it is something you could work with.

Risk assessments to buy

Covid 19 Risk Assessment & Method Statement

Infection Control Risk Assessment & Method Statement

Litter Picking and Sweeping Risk Assessment & Method Statement

Mobile Tower Scaffold Safe Operating Procedure

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Top Tips for Manual Handing

Did you know Manual handling causes over a third of all workplace injuries?

These injuries can include pain and injuries to arms, legs and joints, and repetitive strain injuries of all varieties.

Manual handling covers a wide variety of activities including lifting, pushing, pulling, lowering and carrying. If any of these tasks are not carried out correctly there is a risk of injury.

Here are the top tips to make sure you ensure you handle correctly:

• Keep your back straight and bend your knees.
• Lift with your legs and body weight.
• Use handles or lift aids where appropriate.
• Have a good grip on the load.
• Stand close to the load and face the direction you intend to move.
• Lift load as close to the center of your body as possible.
• Lift smoothly without Jerking.
• Avoid lifting, side bending and carrying loads with one hand.

If you need any help with Manual Handling why not visit our site:

Manual Handling Elearning

Manual Handling Training Presentation 

Manual Handling Risk Assessment

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What documents are needed for CHAS?

CHAS is an assessment of your Health & Safety documentation, so you will need to provide evidence that this is carried out correctly. Depending on the size of your business depends on the information you need to provide. The details below are for 5 employees or less you will need more for 5+ employees.

Examples of documentation needed will include:

• Toolbox Talks attendance sheets
• COSHH assessments
• Risk Assessment and Method Statement for job specifics
• Sub contractor induction documentation
• Agreements to show evidence of your safety advisor.
• COVID 19 procedures and processes
• Evidence of training requirement for your industry this can include:
  • CSCS cards
  • Manual Handling
  • Working at heights
  • Asbestos awareness
  • Abrasive Wheel Training

This is not an exhaustive list as each industry will require different information. The assessment is based purely on the documentation you provide so you must be 100% confident with everything you submit.

If you are unsure if you have all the documentation in place there are consultants who can help you. If you would like some advice please get in touch.

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Welcome to our Health & Safety Questions for February

How Hard is to get CHAS?

CHAS is an assessment of your Health & Safety you have in place for your business, you may need some help to get everything in the right format they are looking for but the process should be achievable.

What happens if i fail my CHAS application?

You will be given the reasons from your assessor that you did not gain accreditation at the first attempt, you can try to rectify the issues on your own or gain advice from a third party consultant.

What can i Display if i am Constructionline accredited?

You are able to display the decals and display kit that are provided by Constructionline.

I need an SSIP certificate?

SSIP is an umbrella group of accreditations, for more information see here.

I want someone to do everything for me to get my CHAS?

As a third party consultant we can help you to prepare the documentation and provide support, the application is based on your business so you will need to have input and responsibility.

If you need some support get in touch.

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Welcome to our Health & Safety Questions for January

Please find below the questions we wanted to share with you this month:

What does CHAS stand for?

Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme

How to become CHAS accredited?

Full details on how to apply for CHAS can be found on the CHAS website. We are a 3rd party consultant who can help you to ensure you have the correct documentation to submit and use within your business.

How much does CHAS cost?

There are a number of costs depending on the number of employees you have, please see CHAS website for more details.

How long does it take to get CHAS accreditation?

CHAS take 5 – 10 working days to complete the assessment of documentation that you submit. Preparing the documentation can depend on a number of factors.

Mandatory requirements for CHAS more than 5 employees?

If you have more than 5 employees as well as the other documentation you will need to have a Health & Safety policy as well as competent safety advice on a monthly basis.

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What is Safe Contractor?

Have you been asked for Safe Contractor?

Safe Contractor is a Health & Safety accreditation that is currently run by the government. The Scheme is to ensure companies meet a specific standard for Health & Safety. Safe Contractor is used by thousands of consultants, contractors and businesses every month, typically applying for work with public and private sector companies.

The Safe contractor scheme was developed and is managed by the Government Health and Safety and Procurement Professionals, with the support of the Health and Safety Executive, since 1999. The purpose of the scheme is to ensure that buyers who are signed up have the knowledge that suppliers that use in the scheme are competent and have been assessed.

Suppliers health and safety policy statement, their organisation and how it deals with health and safety and their specific health and safety arrangements will be assessed. As everyone is assessed using the same process buyers know that they are using suppliers who, work to an acceptable standard.

Safe Contractor and suppliers

• Avoids repeated applications
• Consistent Health & Safety assessment
• Access to local authority suppliers
• Saves time and money for all parties.

Safe Contractor and Buyers

• Safe Contractor membership allows access to health trusts, councils, emergency services, the voluntary sector, housing associations, private companies and government departments.
• To locate competent suppliers and contractors,
• Potentially saving time and money for all parties.
• Buyers are afforded peace of mind

What does Safe Contractor assess?

• Assesses health and Safety Management
• Assess compliance issues that apply to work undertaken by you.

If your looking to gain Safe Contractor you can go direct to their site and complete the application yourself, or if your looking for some help in completing the forms we can help you.

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