Manual handling – the 411

Manual handling is a term we hear a lot when it comes to support work.

It’s a major part of the job, but it’s also a major part of life. It’s something everyone needs to be aware of. Otherwise you’ll end up like Quasimodo.

You’ve probably heard the phrase: “that’s back-breaking work.” And, while there are many trades that we know as hard, physical labour, support work is no different.

Even a relationship can be back-breaking work if you’re in the wrong one…but that’s more emotionally back-breaking, than physical. Unless your partner is Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and he’s asking you to carry him up two flights of stairs.

Manual handling covers all aspects of ensuring you’re moving your body the right way. To avoid injury.

So while support workers really need to know this stuff, we should all be aware of it. No excuses.

Let’s find out how to avoid a trip to the chiropractor.

What actually is manual handling?

While the direct meaning is to handle something manually, it can be a bit vague.

What it really means is to transport or support a load by using your bodily force or your hands. This could be:

 

• • Lifting

• • Pushing

• • Pulling

• • Carrying

• • Putting down

A load could be an object, animal or person.

It’s important that we know the best way to carry out the above tasks, especially with heavy items. This will reduce the risk of injury in the workplace – and anywhere else.

It’s also key that an employer reduces any risks from manual handling.

This means:

 

1. 1. Avoid unnecessary and hazardous manual handling. Ever heard of a forklift? Yeah, they come in handy when you don’t want to do your back in.

1. 1. Risk assessments to avoid potentially harmful manual handling operations.

1. 1. Reducing the risk of injury by ensuring safe practices are in place.

What’s heavy for one person, might not be heavy for another, so determining the weight of a load might not help us that much.

Especially with support work. With this, it can fall to the employee to make sure they say when something is too risky for them to carry, move, push or pull.

For example, helping a client out of a chair and into their wheelchair. This might be very easy for some support workers, whereas another member of the team might really struggle with this. A way to manage this, is to have a client’s weight in the care plan – it can then be known by the support worker if they’re too heavy to move without the aid of equipment or another staff member.

But, this falls with the employer to ensure this information is readily available for a staff member to make an informed decision based on their manual handling training.

What risk factors should you look for?

Risk factors are things that could cause injury, or a dangerous situation which could then lead to injury.

Things to consider are:

 

• • The type of work: will someone working be in a strict posture for a long period of time?

• • Weight of a load: the heavier the weight, the increased risk there is.

• • Type of workspace – is it cramped? This can cause people to maintain awkward and uncomfortable positions in their work day.

• • Duration and frequency of task that involves manual handling: are you making someone handle something for a long time, too often?

• • Is the load a little bit…awkward? Loads that are hard to hold because they’re on odd shape or slippery can increase the risk of injury, regardless of the weight.

• • Condition of an object that needs to be moved: if it’s old or out of date, more effort might be needed to actually manually handle it.

• • Where an object is: if the location of an object is above shoulder height or below knee level, this requires extra effort from someone to move it or lift it.

• • Type of load: if the load is a human or animal – alive (sorry, but dead weight is different, but definitely made this article a bit more morbid unless you work in a morgue).

What is the right way to move something, then?

With manual handling, lots of people think of the back, but it involves your whole body really.

Your hands, neck and back are all at risk. Oh, and your knees. Those pesky knees became more fragile as we get older too.

Manual handling training is basically all about safety suggestions. Find the safe way to do certain tasks in your day.

Try:

 

• • Lifting and carrying heavy loads close to your body

• • Lift with your thigh muscles, don’t hinge from your back

• • Choose push over pull: pushing a load is far less stressful and injury-inducing than pulling

• • Having a break (and having a KitKat – though this isn’t obligatory)

• • Have a clean and clutter-free work area to avoid bending, stretching and twisting (we’re not playing Bop It)

• • Use machinery to help with certain tasks like a trolley

• • Improved fitness will strengthen muscles

• • Warm up muscles so they’re not cold as a cold body is more likely to get hurt (look at a snowman…completely vulnerable)

Final Thoughts

Your workspace should be safe.

If it isn’t then, um, maybe, find somewhere else to go.

No job is worth breaking a bone or pulling a muscle over. Unless you’re a UFC fighter, then you’re quite clearly aware of the risks.

Identifying a risk or feeling comfortable to say something about the workspace, and its dangers, are your rights as an employee. But, don’t just take these skills and only use them at work. We’re always using our body to do strenuous tasks. We put it through the wringer.

Make sure you’re always thinking safety first wherever you are.

Find tools to use, stretch, contact your team and superior to advise of any difficulties or potential risks and most importantly, say no if you don’t deem something as safe to do.

Take the safest option always: “Bend with your knees, not with your back.” This seems to be the manual handling mantra and it’s right. There’s a safe way to do things. So focus, take your time and feel comfortable in your work tasks.

At Kimberley Care Group, we’re all about staff feeling empowered in their work. Having high-quality, safe and up-to-date equipment is critical, not only for our staff, but for our clients.

Want to know more about the safe (but fun) work at Kimberley Care Group? Follow our Facebook and Instagram for our most recent updates.