Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992

Duty holders

Who has duties under the Regulations

The duties in regulation 4 fall on employers, for their own employees. Under regulation 2 they also apply to a relevant self-employed person, defined below, for their own manual handling. Employees must make full and proper use of any system of work their employer provides to reduce the risk, such as agreed handling aids and team sizes (regulation 5).

The Regulations do not apply to the master or crew of a sea-going ship, or their employer, for the crew’s normal ship-board work under the master’s direction (regulation 3). The exemption does not reach shore-side workers loading or unloading a vessel, so their employers keep these duties. The Secretary of State for Defence can, by written certificate, exempt home or visiting forces in the interests of national security (regulation 6).

Requirements

What the Regulations require

The steps in regulation 4

What the assessment covers

Schedule 1 lists the factors an assessment must consider. They include:

• The task: holding the load away from the body, twisting, stooping or reaching up, excessive lifting, lowering or carrying distances, excessive pushing or pulling, the risk of the load moving suddenly, and frequent or prolonged effort with too little rest.
• The load: whether it is heavy, bulky or unwieldy, hard to grip, unstable or with contents likely to shift, or sharp, hot or otherwise likely to cause harm.
• The working environment: space to move, uneven or slippery floors, changes in level, temperature and humidity, ventilation and gusts of wind, and lighting.
• Individual capability and other factors: whether the job needs unusual strength or height, or special information or training, whether it puts at risk someone who is pregnant or has a health problem, and whether protective equipment or clothing restricts movement.

Since a 2002 amendment, regulation 4(3) lists what the employer must take into account when deciding whether a person is at risk, including their physical suitability, their clothing and footwear, their training, and the results of the risk assessment under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Lifting

How the Regulations apply to lifting and machine moving

L23 says a mechanical aid such as a sack truck or a powered hoist may reduce manual handling without removing it, because people still move the aid or steady and position the load on it. On a machine move, the crew still handle the load. They push it on skates or a pallet truck, and steady it on the hook.

• Pushing and pulling are part of the definition, so a move along a factory floor can need assessing for the force it takes to get the load moving and to stop it. L23’s guideline figures are about 200 N (20 kg) for men and 150 N (15 kg) for women at the start and stop, and 100 N (10 kg) and 70 N (7 kg) once moving. HSE’s Risk Assessment of Pushing and Pulling (RAPP) tool covers pushing and pulling wheeled equipment and moving a load without wheels.
• A team can handle a load that is beyond one person. As a rough guide, L23 suggests a team handles no more than about 85% of the total its members could each manage alone.
• Where any dimension of a load exceeds about 75 cm, L23 treats handling it as likely to raise the risk of injury.
• Where a hoist or crane takes the weight, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) cover the lift and the lifting equipment, and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) apply to that equipment as well. Trolleys and skates are work equipment under PUWER.

Definitions

Key definitions

• Manual handling operations: any transporting or supporting of a load, including lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving it, by hand or by bodily force (regulation 2).
• Load: includes any person and any animal.
• Injury: does not include injury from a toxic or corrosive substance in or on the load, or one that has leaked or spilled from it. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) deal with those.
• Relevant self-employed person: a self-employed person whose work is of a kind listed in the regulations made under section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which include construction work.

Enforcement

Enforcement and penalties

Depending on the workplace, HSE or the local authority enforces the Regulations. In Great Britain, a breach is an offence under section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; our guide to that Act covers notices and penalties. In Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service decides whether to prosecute.

In Northern Ireland the Manual Handling Operations Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992 (SR 1992/535) apply, enforced by HSENI and the district councils, each for its own types of workplace.

Guidance

Guidance and sources

HSE’s guidance is L23, Manual handling: Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, Guidance on Regulations, fourth edition, 2016. Following it is not compulsory unless it says a step is, and if you do follow it you will normally be doing enough to comply.

HSE’s assessment tools include the Manual handling Assessment Charts (MAC) for lifting, lowering, carrying and team handling, and RAPP for pushing and pulling. Its free leaflet Manual handling at work: a brief guide (INDG143) gives the guideline weights.

Sources and further reading

• Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 on legislation.gov.uk
• HSE L23, Manual handling
• HSE: manual handling at work
• Manual Handling Operations Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992 on HSENI

Questions

Common questions

Related

Related services and guides

For moving plant and machinery, see our machine movement service, and for the lift, crane hire and contract lifting. Call 0800 008 6096 or email office@synergy-lifting.co.uk.