Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

10.2 
Manual handling hazards and 
injuries 
The term ‘manual handling’ is defi ned as the movement of 
a load by human effort alone. This effort may be applied 
directly or indirectly using a rope or a lever. Manual hand-
ling may involve the transportation of the load or the 
direct support of the load including pushing, pulling, carry-
ing, moving using bodily force and, of course, straightfor-
ward lifting. Back injuries due to the lifting of heavy loads 
is very common and several million working days are lost 
each year as a result of such injuries. 
Typical hazards of manual handling include: 
➤
lifting a load which is too heavy or too cumbersome 
resulting in back injury
➤
poor posture during lifting or poor lifting technique 
resulting in back injury
➤
dropping a load, resulting in foot injury
➤
lifting sharp-edged or hot loads resulting in hand 
injuries.
10.2.1 Injuries caused by manual handling
Manual handling operations can cause a wide range 
of acute and chronic injuries to workers. Acute injuries 
143
10
Manual and 
mechanical handling 
hazards and control
Figure 10.1
Handling goods onto a truck in a typical 
docking bay.

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Introduction to Health and Safety at Work
144
normally lead to sickness leave from work and a period 
of rest during which time the damage heals. Chronic 
injuries build up over a long period of time and are usu-
ally irreversible producing illnesses such as arthritic and 
spinal disorders. There is considerable evidence to sug-
gest that modern lifestyles, such as a lack of exercise 
and regular physical effort, have contributed to the long-
term serious effects of these injuries. 
The most common injuries associated with poor 
manual handling techniques are all musculoskeletal in 
nature and are: 
➤
muscular sprains and strains – caused when a mus-
cular tissue (or ligament or tendon) is stretched 
beyond its normal capability leading to a weaken-
ing, bruising and painful infl ammation of the area 
affected. Such injuries normally occur in the back or 
in the arms and wrists 
➤
back injuries – include injuries to the discs situated 
between the spinal vertebrae (i.e. bones) and can 
lead to a very painful prolapsed disc lesion (com-
monly known as a slipped disc). This type of injury 
can lead to other conditions known as lumbago and 
sciatica (where pain travels down the leg) 
➤
trapped nerve – usually occurring in the back as a 
result of another injury but aggravated by manual 
handling 
➤
hernia – this is a rupture of the body cavity wall in 
the lower abdomen causing a protrusion of part of 
the intestine. This condition eventually requires sur-
gery to repair the damage
➤
cuts, bruising and abrasions – caused by handling 
loads with unprotected sharp corners or edges 
➤
fractures – normally of the feet due to the dropping 
of a load. Fractures of the hand also occur but are 
less common 
➤
work-related upper limb disorders (WRULDs) – cover 
a wide range of musculoskeletal disorders which are 
discussed in detail in Chapter 15
➤
rheumatism – this is a chronic disorder involving 
severe pain in the joints. It has many causes, one of 
which is believed to be the muscular strains induced 
by poor manual handling lifting technique. 
The sites on the body of injuries caused by manual hand-
ling accidents are shown in Figure 10.3. 
In general, pulling a load is much easier for the 
body than pushing one. If a load can only be pushed, 
then pushing backwards using the back is less stress-
ful on body muscles. Lifting a load from a surface at 
waist level is easier than lifting from fl oor level and most 
injuries during lifting are caused by lifting and twisting at 
the same time. If a load has to be carried, it is easier to 
carry it at waist level and close to the body trunk. A fi rm 
grip is essential when moving any type of load.