Task Risk Assessment – Manual Handling
Date:
Assessed by:
Checked / Validated* by:
Task:
Persons involved
Load weight
Frequency of lift
Carrying distance
Assessment ref no:
Location:
Review date:
Moving equipment from receiving to Workshop
Service Staff
Up to 20 kg
1 – 3 per month
10 m
Activity
Is the risk beyond the guidance limit
for each activity?
(Y/N)
Other problem indicators?
More detailed assessment required.
(Y/N)
(Y/N)
Lifting and Lowering
Carrying
Pushing and pulling
Handling while seated
NB – If you have answered “No” to the above 12 filter questions, further assessment is unnecessary.
Overall assessment of the risk of injury
(Complete tables below prior to making overall assessment)
Recommended Control Measures
Reduce handling distances e.g., from offloading location to storage
location.
Review work area and travel route to eliminate or reduce defects
e.g., uneven floors.
Provide training to personnel involved on safe handling techniques.
If a trolley is used is suitable for the weight of the load
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LOW
MEDIUM
HIGH
Existing Control Measures
Equipment moved by shortest distance and using tested moving equipment
Technicians to walk route prior to carrying out the task. Ensure the route is free from
defects and trip hazards
Only staff who have completed manual handling training may complete the task
Only trained and competent staff to operate the pallet truck and other lifting equipment
Appropriate trolleys are selected on the basis of task / individual load and environment.
Before use check trolley is in good condition and free from defects, especially the wheels.
If defective, do not use and take it out of use.
Trolley must also be able to take the weight of the load. Check the maximum Safe
Working Load (SWL).
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Task Risk Assessment – Manual Handling
Ensure loads are secured or can be carried securely
Ensure checks are made of the manual handling equipment prior to
using it
Implement a maintenance programme for all manual handling
equipment.
Provide information to personnel involved on weights of the load
Wear PPE as required e.g., protective footwear, safety glasses and
gloves.
Avoid repeated lifting and manual handling
Questions to Consider
Do the TASKS involve:
Holding loads away from the torso?
Twisting?
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Load to be secured with ratchet straps where necessary
Before use, check straps are in good condition and free from defects. If defective, do not
use and take it out of use.
If these are lifting straps, ensure the statutory inspection is valid.
Visual inspection is carried out on equipment before use. If defective, do not use and
take it out of use.
If applicable, ensure the statutory inspection is valid
Pallet truck inspected by Allianz as per University policy. Ensure this statutory inspection
is valid
In between statutory inspections, carry out regular maintenance checks such as
lubricating the mechanical parts.
Make visual assessment of weight or check equipment details and associated manuals
beforehand to ascertain the weight
Safety boots, safety glasses, gripper gloves and face masks worn
To mitigate Covid transmission, all these are assigned to individuals and must not be
shared. Users to sanitise items after use and store them correctly.
Take regular breaks between lifts
Plan the work beforehand to avoid dealing with heavy items in succession.
Assign the tasks to several staff so the workload is shared, thus avoiding a small number
of staff being tasked with a lot of manual handling
If yes, tick appropriate level of risk
L
M
H
N/A
Notes on problems occurring from the
task
Notes
Avoid any twisting when loading equipment onto trolley.
Avoid over-reaching or any awkward postures.
Possible remedial action, e.g. task,
load, environment – and who needs
to be involved
Action
Ensure trolley is in correct location
to perform straight lift. Keep spine
in a neutral position,
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Task Risk Assessment – Manual Handling
Do the TASKS involve:
Stooping?
L
M
H
N/A
Notes
Action
Notes
Action
Reaching upwards?
Large vertical movement?
Long carry distances?
Strenuous pushing or pulling?
Unpredictable movement of loads?
Frequent or prolong physical
effort?
Insufficient rest or recovery?
Work rate imposed by a process?
Are the LOADS:
Heavy?
x
L
M
H
N/A
x
Bulky or unwieldy?
x
Difficult to grasp?
x
Unstable/ unpredictable?
x
Intrinsically harmful (e.g. sharp or
hot)
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What are the safety controls here?
Using kinetic lifting technique and lifting equipment?
Ask colleagues to help with bulky item?
Wear gripper gloves to help with secure hold?
If possible and safe to do so, disassemble the
equipment into smaller parts to enable easier handling?
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When manoeuvring large bulky items in a horizontal
direction, ‘churning’ motion should be used to avoid
straining.
x
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Task Risk Assessment – Manual Handling
In the WORKING ENVIRONMENT –
are there:
Constraints on posture?
L
Poor floors?
x
M
H
N/A
Notes
Action
x
Variations in levels?
Checking the route beforehand to minimise level
changes.
Make sure all building occupants in the area are
informed and ensure they will avoid the route while this
task is being carried out.
Ask a competent colleague to accompany the transit as
“Banksman” to ensure route is clear throughout move.
x
Hot/ cold/ humid conditions?
Strong air movements?
x
Poor lighting conditions
x
x
Obstacles on the travel route e.g.,
doors
Re INDIVIDUAL CAPABILITY does
the job:
Require unusual capability?
See above
x
L
M
H
N/A
Notes
Action
x
Pose risks to those with health
problems, physical or learning
difficulties?
Pose a risk to pregnant women?
x
Persons with health risks should not carry out manual
handling task. Persons with learning difficulties should be
closely supervised at all times.
x
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Task Risk Assessment – Manual Handling
Re INDIVIDUAL CAPABILITY does
the job:
Pose a risk to new workers / young
people
Call for special information/
training?
L
M
H
N/A
Notes
Action
x
x
Other factors to consider
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
Is movement or posture hindered by
clothing or personal protective
equipment (PPE)?
Is there an absence of correct/ suitable
PPE being worn?
Y/N
N
Notes
Action
Notes
Staff to maintain 2 metre social distancing during the move.
If staff needs to be within 2m to assist with manual handling or help
with securing the item on trolley, face covering must be worn by all
parties and interaction must be kept to less than 15 mins.
The route taken involved passing research labs which may now be
occupied. Operational Compliance Supervisor to check the sign in/
sign out board to ensure that those labs are not occupied during the
move. If they are, researchers asked to stay in lab until move
completed. All touch points were cleaned with 70 % IPA after the
move.
Action
N
Other factors to consider
Covid-19
Y/N
Possible exposure to Covid-19,
contamination of touch points, failure
to maintain social distancing.
N
Do workers feel that there is poor
communication between managers
and employees (e.g. not involved in
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N
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Task Risk Assessment – Manual Handling
Covid-19
Y/N
risk assessments or decisions on
changes in workstation design)?
Are there sudden changes in workload,
or seasonal changes in volume without
mechanisms for dealing with the
change?
Do workers feel they have not been
given enough training and information
to carry out the task successfully?
Notes
Action
N
N
Appendix A
Associated Toolbox Talks & Standard Operating Procedures for this Risk Assessment
Reference No.:
Description of TBT
Reference No.:
SF-TBT-01-16
SF-TBT-01-23
SF-TBT-01-28
SF-TBT-03-01
SF-TBT-03-02
SF-TBT-03-03
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Description of SOP
Housekeeping
Slips, Trips & Falls
Stacking & Storage
Manual handling
Back Protection
Ergonomics
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Task Risk Assessment – Manual Handling
Action plan (14)
Ref No
Further action required
Action by
whom
Action by
when
Done
none
Result : T = trivial, A = adequately controlled, N = not adequately controlled, action required, U = unknown risk
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