What are the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992?

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The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (MHOR), amended by the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002, are vital UK health and safety legislation.

These regulations address the important issue of manual handling injuries, which account for about one-third of workplace accidents in the UK [HSE 2023/24 Stats].

Given that manual handling activities are a major cause of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and back injuries, the MHOR plays a crucial role in protecting workers and guiding employers in their responsibilities.

What are the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992?

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (MHOR) form a key part of UK health and safety law, aimed at protecting workers from injuries caused by manual handling activities.

These safety regulations cover any job where you move or carry something, like objects, people, or animals. This includes lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying, or moving things using your hands or physical effort.

Employers should stop dangerous tasks whenever they can.

If they can’t avoid these tasks, they must check the risks and do their best to reduce them.

This means looking at things like the task, the worker’s abilities, the weight being moved, and the environment (called TILE).

Employees must follow safety rules and work with their employers to keep things safe.

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How MHOR Defines Manual Handling

The MHOR defines manual handling as “any transporting or supporting of a load (including lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying, or moving it) by hand or bodily force.”

This broad definition covers many activities across various industries and workplaces. The regulations also specify that “load” includes inanimate objects, people, and animals.

Key Objectives

The main goals of the MHOR are:

• Prevent injuries caused by manual handling operations
• Establish clear responsibilities for employers and employees
• Provide a framework for assessing and reducing risks related to manual handling

Employer Responsibilities

Under the MHOR, employers have important duties to do, which are:

1. Avoid dangerous lifting and moving: Employers should try to prevent jobs that could injure people. They might change how work is done, use machines, or set up the workplace differently.
2. Check risks that can’t be avoided: If people still need to lift or move things, employers must look carefully at what could go wrong. They should think about the job, what’s being moved, where it happens, and who does it.
3. Make risks as small as possible: Employers must try to make jobs safer. They might use tools to help, change how work is done, make the workplace better, or teach workers how to be safe.
4. Keep checking and making things better: Employers should often look at how safe things are and make changes if needed. This is really important when work changes or they learn new things about safety.

Employee Responsibilities

Employees have important jobs to do under the MHOR:

1. Follow safe work practices: Do your job in a safe way.
2. Use safety equipment: Use the tools your employer gives you to stay safe.
3. Work with your employer on safety: Help your employer keep everyone safe.
4. Tell your employer about dangers: If you see something that could hurt someone, tell your manager.
5. Don’t put others in danger: Make sure what you do doesn’t hurt or affect others.

🟣Related Post: The 5 Key Principles for Safer Moving and Handling.

Risk Assessment Process

 This is how to check for risks in manual handling:

1. Find tasks that might be dangerous: Look for jobs where people lift or move things.
2. Gather information: Learn about the task, what’s being moved, where it happens, and who does it.
3. Check how risky it is: Use simple tools or lists to see how dangerous each task might be.
4. Think of ways to make it safer: Come up with ideas to remove or lower the risks.
5. Make changes to improve safety: Put your ideas into action to make the job safer.
6. See if the changes work: Check if the new ways of working are really making things safer.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides tools like the Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC) and the Risk Assessment of Pushing and Pulling (RAPP) tool to help employers with risk assessments.

Training and Information

Providing adequate manual handling training is essential for compliance with the MHOR.

Training should cover these topics:

1. Risks of manual handling: Learn about the dangers of lifting and moving things.
2. Spotting unsafe practices: Understand what bad manual handling looks like.
3. Correct handling techniques: Learn the right way to lift and carry safely.
4. Using mechanical aids: Know how to use tools like trolleys or hoists safely.
5. Reporting problems: Understand why it’s important to tell someone about issues or risks.

The training should match the specific workplace and the jobs employees do. It should also be repeated regularly to keep everyone updated.

👉Related: Manual Handling of Objects Training.

Enforcement and Penalties

The HSE and local authorities make sure the MHOR is followed. If not followed, there could be actions like improvement notices, prohibition notices, or prosecution.

Penalties can include fines or, in serious cases, imprisonment.

Relationship of MHOR with Other Legislation

The MHOR works alongside other health and safety regulations, such as:

• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)

Employers must comply with all relevant regulations to create a comprehensive health and safety management system.

Industry-Specific Considerations

Some industries have special manual handling needs:

• Healthcare and Social Care: Moving patients needs special training and equipment like hoists and sliding sheets.
• Construction and Manufacturing: These industries often involve heavy or difficult loads in tough environments.
• Retail and Logistics: In these areas, focus is needed on repetitive movements, storage setups, and using mechanical aids.

Best Practices for Compliance

To follow the MHOR (Manual Handling Operations Regulations) correctly, employers should do these things:

1. Make a simple manual handling policy: Write down rules for lifting and moving things safely.
2. Think about manual handling when designing the workplace and buying equipment: Make sure the workplace and tools help prevent injuries.
3. Encourage safety and open talking: Help employees feel safe to speak up about safety concerns.
4. Check and update safety checks and measures regularly: Make sure safety plans are working and update them if needed.
5. Buy the right equipment and tools: Use tools that help prevent injuries.
6. Give regular training and refresher courses: Teach employees how to lift safely and remind them often.
7. Watch for accidents and near misses: Pay attention to when things almost go wrong to prevent future accidents.
8. Talk to employees about manual handling safety: Discuss safety with employees to make sure they understand how to stay safe.
9. Stay updated on new safety guidelines and best practices: Keep learning about the latest safety ideas to keep the workplace safe.

📚Read Post: Cerebral Palsy Hoist Equipment.

Conclusion

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 are important to prevent injuries from lifting, carrying, and moving things at work.

Employers must check for risks, put safety measures in place, and give regular training to staff.

By focusing on manual handling safety, companies can reduce injuries, improve work efficiency, and create a healthier work environment.

Following the MHOR rules and using best practices is key to keeping workers safe and lowering injury costs.

If you need manual handling training for your team, please visit our contact page here. We provide onsite training for businesses across the UK.