Manual Handling Risks at Work: How to Identify, Assess and Control Them

Manual handling injuries are among the most common serious workplace injuries in Australia. They build up quietly: a heavy box lifted from floor level all day, a twisting reach into a truck, a trolley with a sticky wheel. The good news is that most are preventable by changing the task, not just training people to lift differently. This guide covers what makes a task hazardous, how to assess it, the controls that work, and how to check they are in place.

What makes a task hazardous

Safe Work Australia’s Code of Practice for hazardous manual tasks identifies five characteristics:

• Repetitive or sustained force: applying effort over and over, or holding it for a long time
• High or sudden force: heavy lifts or jerky, unexpected movements
• Repetitive movement: using the same parts of the body to repeat similar movements
• Sustained or awkward posture: bending, twisting, reaching or holding a position for long periods
• Exposure to vibration: whole-body vibration from vehicles and plant, or hand-arm vibration from tools

Where the risk comes from

• Work area design and layout: shelf heights, bench heights, reach distances and space to move
• Systems of work: pace, workload, staffing, breaks and task variety
• The object handled: weight, size, shape, grip, stability and whether it moves (such as people or animals)
• The environment: heat, cold, wind, lighting and floor surfaces

How to manage manual handling risks

1. Identify hazardous tasks. Look at injury and incident records, watch tasks being done and ask workers which tasks are hard, tiring or painful.
2. Assess the risks. Look at the force, posture, movement and vibration involved, and the sources of risk, unless the risk and its controls are already well known.
3. Remove the task where possible. Ask whether the task needs to be done manually at all.
4. Control the risks. Redesign the work area, the load, the tools or the system of work, then add training and procedures.
5. Review the controls. Check the controls are used and working, especially after injuries, complaints or changes.

Controls that work

Work down the hierarchy of controls:

• Remove the manual task: automate it, deliver goods directly to where they are used, or use conveyors.
• Change the load: buy in smaller or lighter packs, add handles, or break loads down.
• Use mechanical aids: trolleys, pallet jacks, hoists, vacuum lifters and adjustable tables.
• Redesign the work area: store heavy items between knee and shoulder height, reduce reach distances and twisting, and adjust bench heights.
• Change the system of work: rotate tasks, schedule breaks, share heavy tasks and set realistic pace.
• Train and instruct: teach people to use aids, recognise hazards and report problems. Training in lifting technique alone is not enough.

For more on choosing controls, see our guide to workplace risk assessments.

Common examples and fixes

See also our guides to warehouse safety hazards and workplace safety hazards.

Checking controls are in place

Controls only help if they are used and maintained. Add manual handling items to your workplace inspections, such as lifting aids available and working, heavy items stored at waist height, and trolleys in good repair. With DIGI CLIP, inspections are completed on a phone or tablet, each form is location- and time-stamped, and a failed item creates an action in the Action Log to be assigned and closed out with evidence.

Illustrative scenario: a broken pallet jack

During a weekly warehouse inspection, a supervisor notices staff carrying cartons by hand because the only pallet jack has a broken handle. She fails the item in DIGI CLIP with a photo, which creates an action for the operations manager. A replacement is ordered and a second pallet jack is added to the plan, and the action is closed out with a photo once they arrive.

This scenario is illustrative. It shows how a business could use DIGI CLIP and is not an account of a specific customer.