What are the specific risks for Manual Handling?

Manual Handling is the supporting or transporting of a load (for example pulling, pushing, lifting carrying, moving, or putting down) by hand or bodily force. Insufficient training, inadequate equipment or location design could increase the risk of manual handling injury in the movement of loads, increasing the risk of injury resulting in acute or long-term conditions.

It is the policy of the University of Northampton to:

• Eliminate or avoid the need for hazardous manual handling operations
• Design and provide safe and ergonomically suitable workplace environments
• Assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling that cannot be avoided and eliminate or reduce these risks to a tolerable level
• Introduce appropriate measures to reduce the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling, as much as is reasonably practicable
• Provide equipment to enable manual handling operations and activities to be undertaken safely
• Provide suitable and sufficient supervision, instruction, training (including periodic training), and information to all staff involved in manual handling operations.

For more information see the Manual Handling Procedure.

The Health and Safety Executive guidance note on provides information on the management of manual handling at work risks.

There is also a homepage that lists the range of Health and Safety risks identified as relevant to the University's activities and facilities, together with information on the University's policies and arrangements on how these risks are to be managed and controlled.