Tata Steel Europe Distribution UK & Ireland Managing Manual Handling at Work. Justina Sebag-Montefiore Senior Occupational Hygiene Advisor

Transcription

1 Tata Steel Europe Distribution UK & Ireland Managing Manual Handling at Work Justina Sebag-Montefiore Senior Occupational Hygiene Advisor

2 Introduction Accidents causes by manual handling account for, roughly, a third of all reported accidents. The most common of these are sprains or strains particularly of the back. Sprains and strains arise from the incorrect application and, or prolonged use of bodily force. Poor posture and excessive movement are important contributory factors. Many manual handling injuries are cumulative rather than attributed to one single injury. A full recovery is not always made; the result can be physical impairment or even permanent disability. 2

3 The legal bit. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 require employers to assess manual handling operations undertaken by its employees. All operations deemed to be heavy, difficult and repetitive require a written assessment to be completed Appropriate steps must be taken to reduce the risk of injury to the lowest level practicable. What s out there to help you? HS(G)60 Upper Limb disorders in the Workplace INDG 398 Making the best use of lifting and handling aids INDG 143 Manual handling at work Manual handling assessment charts (the MAC tool) Assessment of repetitive tasks (ART tool ) 3

4 Why improve our manual handling? In 2012/13 (HSE 2012 statistics): 7% of major and more than 25% of over seven day injuries to employees involved handling (1418 major, over seven day). There was one fatal injury. (RIDDOR) Over 90% of the handling injuries were over seven day injuries. (RIDDOR) The latest 3 year averaged estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) showed an estimated reportable handling injuries resulted in more than three days absence from work. This was a handling injury rate of 190 per workers. (LFS) An estimated 1.6 million working days were lost due to handling injuries. The estimated average number of days lost for each handling injury was 10.8 days. (LFS) 4

5 HSE: Statistical breakdown

6 HSE: Ill health at work

7 HSE: MSDs

8 HSE: Trends

9 What can go wrong? 9

10 Risk assessment

11 Factors to be considered Task Individual Load Environment 11

12 Task Does it involve: Holding or manipulating loads at distance from trunk Poor posture Twisting Stooping Reaching up Excessive lifting or lowering distance Excessive carrying distance Pushing / pulling Frequent or prolonged effort Seated handling Team handling 12

13 Individual Personal factors: Strength Pregnancy Health problems Training Protective equipment Age Pressure / stress 13

14 Load Is it: Heavy Bulky or unwieldy Difficult to grasp Unstable / contents liable to shift Sharp, hot etc Wet / slippery 14

15 Environment Are there: Postural constraints headroom, obstructions, narrow aisles Poor floors Uneven, restricted Extremes of temperature Too humid (slippery) or freezing (slippery) High winds Poor lighting 15

16 Manual handling aids 16

17 Factors to consider when selecting lifting and handling aids Involve employees and safety representatives during assessment and when considering possible solutions, so that you can be sure what you propose will work in practice and won t introduce any new hazards. Seek advice from suppliers on the suitability of new lifting and handling aid equipment for your business. Check equipment is CE-marked and within the safe working load. Consider what maintenance will be required. Consider whether the equipment will suit the area it will be used in, eg is there enough room to manoeuvre or enough headroom? Check that the equipment is suitable for the floor area in terms of stability and ground surface. Consider other factors associated with introducing lifting and handling aids, eg site safety, training, information and support. 17

18 Trolley 18

19 Sicssor trolley 19

20 Powered tug 20

21 Hopper trolleys

22 Manipulators

23 Magnets

24 Tools

25 .more tools

26 Managerial responsibilities the three Cs Consider the risks Identify the hazards, risk assess Consult and involve Discuss possible solutions with employees and their representatives Control the risk Put control measures in place to reduce the level of risk, by. Avoiding the need for manual handling Assessing the risk from tasks which cannot be avoided, and Reducing the risk of injury by introducing equipment, tools and / or safe working procedures

27 Breakout session

28 In conclusion - benefits of suitable ergonomics 1. Faster We can work quicker because there are less factors in our thought process to confuse us 2. Easier Our work becomes easier because the logical way to do is the way in which we are doing it 3. Safer They way which is the quickest, most logical is also the safest way Therefore..we can enhance our productivity with suitable ergonomics

29 Handouts INDG398 Making the best use of manual handling aids

30 Powered trucks and trolleys 30

31 Non-powered trucks, trolleys and aids 31

32 Tracks, conveyors, slides, chutes and roller balls 32

33 Adjustable height devices 33

34 Mechanical hoists and vacuum lifting devices 34

35 Other devices 35