Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

10.3 
Manual handling risk assessments 
10.3.1
Hierarchy of measures for manual 
handling operations 
With the introduction of the Manual Handling Operations 
Regulations, the emphasis during the assessment of 
lifting operations changed from a simple reliance on 
safe lifting techniques to an analysis, using risk assess-
ment, of the need for manual handling. The Regulations 
Figure 10.2
Manual handling – there are many potential 
hazards.
Back 45%
Rest of torso 8%
Arm 13%
Fingers and
thumb 16%
Lower limb 9%
Hand 6%
Figure 10.3
Main injury sites caused by manual handling 
accidents.

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Manual and mechanical handling hazards and control
145
established a clear hierarchy of measures to be taken 
when an employer is confronted with a manual handling 
operation: 
➤
avoid manual handling operations so far as is rea-
sonably practicable by either redesigning the task 
to avoid moving the load or by automating or mech-
anizing the operations 
➤
if manual handling cannot be avoided, then a suit-
able and suffi cient risk assessment should be made 
➤
reduce the risk of injury from those operations so 
far as is reasonably practicable, either by the use of 
mechanical handling or making improvements to the 
task, the load and the working environment. 
The guidance given to the Manual Handling Operations 
Regulations (available in the HSE Legal series – L23) is 
a very useful document. It gives very helpful advice on 
manual handling assessments and manual handling 
training. The advice is applicable to all occupational sec-
tors. Appendix 10.1 gives an example of manual hand-
ling assessment forms.