Manual handling techniques

Darren's story | Manual handling injuries |
Preparing for a manual handling job | Safe manual handling methods

Manual handling refers to any activity that requires the use of force to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or move a person, animal or object. By observing simple, safe manual handling methods, you can avoid manual handling injuries. Have a look at Darren's story, below.

Darren's story

Darren Taylor is unable to work because of long-term back and knee injuries sustained while he was employed as a builder's labourer. "I've been working as a labourer since I was 17 and now I can't physically do the work," he says. "The doctor and physiotherapist told me that my problems came from not properly lifting and carrying heavy loads when I was working. My knees and lower back are completely stuffed up and I'm in pain almost every day."

Darren is only 20 – an age when many people are just starting out. His injuries prevent Darren from participating in any heavy physical labour. This means that he will have to find a new job – one that does not require much physical work. He will also need to change his lifestyle. "I had to pull out of the local footy club," Darren says sadly. "The doctor says that I've got to avoid strenuous sports and exercise, or the injuries will worsen."

Unfortunately, Darren's story is a common one. Manual handling injuries can include:

• back pain

• muscle strain

• joint injuries

• hernia

• stress fractures

• spinal injury

New South Wales, for example, spends around $100 million a year on compensation for injuries suffered from manual handling. That's a lot of money and a lot of injured workers.

Manual handling injuries

Incorrect manual handling can cause different types of injuries. Long-term injuries can include damage to the spine and joints. Short-term injuries include sprained ligaments or torn/strained muscles.

Have a look at the different types of injuries you can get from incorrect manual handling. Click on the arrows pointing to the different parts of the body to find out how these body parts can be damaged by unsafe manual handling.

Neck Neck muscles can be strained or torn if: heavy loads are not lifted properly sudden jerky movements are made while handling heavy loads loads are carried for a long period of time. Getting a sore neck is a sign that you may have damaged your neck muscles. Shoulders Shoulder muscles can be strained when a heavy load is lifted, carried, pushed or pulled. This can lead to soreness in your shoulders. If this continues, then you should stop handling any heavy loads and have a rest. Always carry loads close to your body to avoid straining your shoulders. Lower back Injury to the lower back is caused by incorrect lifting and carrying of heavy loads. A warning sign of this injury is a twinge in the back but usually there are no immediate warning signs. Your back just gets sore a day or so later. A back injury can take a long time to heal and can affect your ability to work, so make sure that you always follow safe lifting and carrying methods when handling loads. You should always keep your back straight when lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling to avoid damaging it.

Chest Lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling loads can strain the muscles of your chest. A sign of strain is a feeling of soreness in your chest. To prevent this, make sure you follow the correct methods for handling heavy loads and always carry a load close to your body to avoid strained muscles. Knees Incorrect lifting could damage your knee joints. Always bend your knees when you need to get down to grip a load, then straighten your legs to lift the load. Try and avoid getting into a full squat position when you do this, or you could hurt your knees.

Preparing for a manual handling job

There are a few easy steps you can follow to make sure that you're ready for a manual handling task.

Warm up

Just as you'd warm up before taking part in sports or exercise, you need to warm up before you handle a heavy load.
Check the load Have a good look at the load. Check for: areas where you can get a firm grip on the load the overall size and shape of the load the weight of the load – you should only try and manually handle loads that are less than 20 kilograms. Loads of more than 20 kilograms should not be manually lifted. You should use equipment such as a fork lift to move these loads.
Move yourself into position Get close to the load and put yourself in the best position to handle the load.

Safe manual handling methods

There are different methods for safe manual handling. These depend on the manual handling task you have to do. Click on each of the tasks below to find out more about these methods.

Lifting	Pushing/Pulling	Carrying	Moving