Manual Handling: Doing It Right
Manual handling is part of everyday work across many sectors, yet it remains a leading cause of workplace injury. Doing it right isn’t just about individual technique — it’s about how tasks are planned, supported, and managed. This blog looks at the practical realities that influence manual handling outcomes for both managers and staff.
Planning the task
The techniques staff use matter, but those techniques are influenced by the conditions they are working in. For example, even well-trained staff may struggle to apply safe handling techniques if loads are stored at awkward heights, routes are restricted, or suitable handling aids are not readily available.
Poorly planned tasks are more likely to result in injuries.
How the Task Is Set Up
At a practical level, planning should consider the key factors captured by the TILEO approach:
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Task – whether the task genuinely needs to be done manually, or whether it can be eliminated or mechanised.
For example, using mechanical handling equipment such as a forklift truck to move palletised goods removes the need for manual handling entirely. Where this isn’t possible, using a trolley instead of moving multiple boxes individually reduces both effort and repetition. -
Individual – who is expected to carry out the task and their individual capability, including experience, training, and physical ability.
For example, asking a person a younger person, who may have a limited lifting ability. -
Load – the weight, size, shape, and stability of the item being handled.
For example, a load that is light but bulky or an unstable load which may be harder to control than a heavier, compact item. -
Environment – the conditions in which the task takes place, including space, lighting, floor condition, and access routes.
For example, carrying materials through a narrow, poorly lit corridor increases the likelihood of slips and awkward movements. -
Other factors – wider influences such as time pressure, staffing levels, or the availability of equipment.
For example, tight deadlines may encourage staff to rush and ignore correct lifting methods or avoid using handling aids.
When these factors are not properly considered, the risk is often passed directly to the person doing the lifting.
The Working Environment
Most people are already familiar with the basic principles of safe lifting. What often undermines this knowledge is the physical environment in which manual handling takes place. Even well-trained staff can struggle to apply safe techniques if the surrounding conditions restrict how a task can be carried out.
Manual handling risk increases where:
- space is limited, forcing twisting or awkward postures
- storage heights require frequent bending or reaching
- floor conditions or gradients affect balance while carrying a load
- access routes restrict the use of handling aids
These factors influence how a load is held, moved, and controlled, increasing strain on the body even when correct techniques are attempted.
Doing it right means ensuring the environment allows manual handling tasks to be carried out safely, including:
- sufficient space to adopt stable postures and controlled movements
- sensible storage heights that reduce unnecessary bending or reaching
- clear routes that allow the safe use of handling aids
An environment designed with manual handling in mind supports safe behaviour, rather than forcing individuals to work around physical constraints.
Risk Assessments That Reflect Reality
Manual handling risk assessments are a key part of preventing injury, not just a paperwork exercise. Their purpose is to identify foreseeable risks, decide whether manual handling can be avoided, and put sensible controls in place before people are exposed to harm.
They only add real value when they reflect how work is actually carried out. Generic or outdated assessments quickly lose credibility and are rarely followed in practice.
Effective assessments take account of the key factors captured by the TILEO approach. Repetition and fatigue relate to the task being performed and the individual carrying it out. Variations in load affect the load itself, while changes to layouts, access, or staffing influence the environment and other factors. When these influences are overlooked, assessments become documents that exist on paper rather than tools that guide safe work.
When staff see their real working conditions reflected in risk assessments, they are more likely to understand the risks, follow agreed controls, and raise concerns when tasks change — improving both safety and compliance.
Manual Handling Training
Manual handling training is most effective when it goes beyond demonstrating lifting techniques. Its real purpose is to help people recognise risk, understand why controls are in place, and make safe decisions when conditions change.
Training should reflect the reality of the work being done. If it is generic or disconnected from actual tasks, layouts, or equipment, it quickly loses relevance. Staff may know the theory but struggle to apply it when faced with time pressure, awkward loads, or unsuitable working conditions.
Good training reinforces:
- when manual handling can and should be avoided
- how task design, load characteristics, and the working environment influence risk
- when to stop, reassess, or ask for help
For managers, training also sets expectations. If staff are trained to work safely but are then pressured to work quickly or without the right resources, the message is undermined. Training must be supported by planning, equipment, and realistic workloads.
When training aligns with risk assessments and reflects how tasks are actually carried out, it builds confidence, encourages early reporting, and supports safer manual handling in practice — not just in theory.
How Practical Safety Ltd Can Help
Practical Safety Ltd helps organisations manage manual handling risks through a practical, joined-up approach. We provide task-specific manual handling training, risk assessments, and support with developing clear, workable safe methods of work.
Our focus is on real tasks and real working conditions, helping organisations reduce injury risk, improve compliance, and embed safer manual handling practices into day-to-day operations.
Conclusion
Manual handling injuries are rarely caused by a single poor lift. They are more often the result of how work is planned, supported, and managed. By focusing on realistic task design, risk assessment, training, and safe methods of work, organisations can reduce injury risk and support safer manual handling in everyday practice.
Contact us today to discuss your requirements.
Disclaimer: This blog post is intended to provide general information for guidance purposes only. It should not be relied upon as legal or professional advice. Employers should always consult the relevant UK legislation and, where necessary, seek competent health and safety advice tailored to their specific circumstances. Employers remain responsible for carrying out suitable and sufficient manual handling risk assessments in accordance with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. Practical Safety Ltd aims to avoid, but accepts no liability, where any information is incorrect, incomplete, or out of date. Any free resources provided by Practical Safety Ltd are offered for general information only and are used entirely at the user’s own risk.
