MANUAL HANDLING OPERATIONS OF INANIMATE LOADS
POLICY
Version
9
Name of responsible (ratifying) committee
Health and Safety Committee
Date ratified
08 May 2013
Document Manager (job title)
Lead Back Care Advisor
Date issued
22 May 2013
Review date
May 2015 (unless requirements change)
Electronic location
Health and Safety Policies
Related Procedural Documents
See Page 7 Paragraph 8.
Key Words (to aid with searching)
Load; Inanimate; Pushing, Pulling; Manual Handling
operations; Inanimate loads; Materials handling; Safe
handling; Occupational hazards; Risk management;
Working environment; Training; Musculoskeletal
disorders; Risk assessment; Equipment; Occupational
health and safety; Work related injuries;
In the case of hard copies of this policy the content can only be assured to be accurate on the date of issue marked on the
document.
For assurance that the most up to date policy is being used, staff should refer to the version held on the intranet
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CONTENTS
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE ............................................................................................................. 3
1.
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................... 3
2.
PURPOSE ................................................................................................................................... 3
3.
SCOPE ........................................................................................................................................ 4
4.
DEFINITIONS .............................................................................................................................. 4
5.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ............................................................................................. 4
6.
PROCESS ................................................................................................................................... 6
7.
TRAINING REQUIREMENTS ...................................................................................................... 7
8.
REFERENCES AND ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTATION ........................................................... 7
9.
EQUALITY IMPACT STATEMENT .............................................................................................. 8
10. MONITORING COMPLIANCE ..................................................................................................... 9
Appendix A: Assessment help checklist....................................................................................... 10
Appendix B: Example Assessment ............................................................................................... 12
Appendix C: Principles of Manual Handling Inanimate Loads…………………………………..…..13
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QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
For quick reference the guide below is a summary of actions required. This does not negate the need
for the document author and others involved in the process to be aware of and follow the detail of this
policy.
1. All managers are responsible for ensuring that hazardous manual handling activities are
clearly identified through the process of risk assessment. They must ensure that where
significant risks are identified, appropriate action is taken to reduce the risk to the lowest
level reasonably practicable.
Hazard Identified
2. Process.
Risk Assess T.I.L.E
(Appendix A)
Can it be avoided?
Yes
No
Can it be mechanised
No
Develop safe system of
work
Information given to staff
Yes
Train staff on equipment
Record Actions
Review if risk
changes
1. INTRODUCTION
The Trust recognises and accepts its duties and responsibilities as an employer to provide, so far as
is reasonably practicable, a healthy and safe environment to enable its staff to undertake manual
handling safely. All employees are required to accept responsibility for the implementation of this
policy and work proactively to reduce the risks that cause musculoskeletal disorders. The Trust will
ensure that reasonable resources will be made available so that the requirements of this policy can
be effectively implemented. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations (as amended) 1992
impose a duty on the Trust to avoid the need for employees to undertake hazardous manual handling
so far as is reasonably practicable.
The regulations identify a hierarchy of duties to which the Trust must adhere.
 Avoid hazardous manual handling operations so far as is reasonably practicable.
 Assess any hazardous manual handling operations that cannot be avoided, and
 Reduce the risk of injury to the lowest level so far as is reasonably practicable.
 Indicate where practicable the weight of the load and its centre of gravity.
2. PURPOSE
This policy describes how the Trust will comply and maintain compliance with the regulations. It
will ensure that the Trust actively reduces the risk of injury from manual handling and thereby
reduces the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders within the staff population of the Trust.
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3. SCOPE
This policy applies to all employees within the Trust who carry out manual handling activities
including agency, bank and volunteers.
‘In the event of an infection outbreak, flu pandemic or major incident, the Trust recognises
that it may not be possible to adhere to all aspects of this document. In such circumstances,
staff should take advice from their manager and all possible action must be taken to maintain
ongoing patient and staff safety’
4. DEFINITIONS
Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974: the act and its regulations impose a duty on every
employer to “ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all his
employees”
Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992: supplements the general duties upon
employers concerning the moving of loads. It imposes a hierarchy of measures to avoid the
hazardous manual handling tasks so far as is reasonably practicable; assess those tasks which
cannot be avoided and to reduce the risk to the lowest level reasonably practicable
Manual Handling: lifting/lowering, carrying, pushing /pulling, transporting a load or supporting a
load in a static posture by hand or bodily force.
Inanimate Load: a discrete, moveable object.
T.I. L. E: initials of the risk factors to be assessed; Task, Individual, Load, Environment
Hazardous Manual Handling: risk to the individual of being injured when undertaking the
manual handling.
Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD): disorders of the muscles, and their associated ligaments and
other connective tissue, and of bones and cartilage viewed collectively.
5. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Lead Back Care Adviser is the competent person who advises the Trust in respect of the
manual handling of loads including the formulation and development of policy. In addition to
carrying out these duties the Advisor will:
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Provide advice on the manual handling of loads
Provide statutory manual handling training for the Trust in line with the Trust’s essential
training matrix.
Provide support to the Learning and Development Dept to underpin the Essential Skills
Handbook for all staff.
Organise audits of manual handling practice
Provide advice to promote musculoskeletal health
Provide a resource to managers to ensure compliance with the Manual Handling Operations
Regulations
Be an active member of the Health and Safety Committee on all matters relating to manual
handling and musculoskeletal health.
Design, facilitate and evaluate all manual handling training and education.
Provide support to managers to enable them to review and investigate accidents and
incidents related to manual handling.
Provide support to managers to undertake complex risk assessments.
Provide support on the purchase, use and maintenance, of manual handling equipment
within the Trust.
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Ensure all identified relevant issues are communicated to the Health & Safety Advisor for
inclusion in the 6-monthly report to the Governance and Quality Committee.
Manage the outsourcing contract to provide some essential manual handling training.
Monitor incident trends and provide appropriate manual handling advice to managers.
Back Care Advisers are delegated duties by the Lead Back Care Adviser. They will:
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Advise staff on all aspects of the moving and handling of inanimate loads.
Support managers in the Investigation of accidents and incidents relating to manual
handling.
Support managers to undertake complex risk assessment
Support managers to instigate manual handling advice following any trends identified in
reported incidents
Undertake the manual handling training
Undertake audits of manual handling practice in the workplace
Identify individual(s) who are unable to safely perform the practical elements of manual
handling during training
Complete the relevant documentation to provide a record of manual handling training
Act as role model for staff
Provide manual handling training/workshops in the workplace when requested by managers
and deemed appropriate through risk assessment,
Maintain the practical manual handling training room in a safe manner
Provide support and advice on the use of manual handling equipment
Work with a member of staff in the workplace who has been identified as encountering
problems when manual handling loads. This may be by self, Occupational Health or
Manager’s referral
Work with and support the outsourced training provider to provide some essential manual
handling training.
Provide feedback to the Lead Back Care Adviser on all of the above
Health & Safety Advisor will provide the Governance and Quality Committee with a 6-monthly
report on all matters of health and safety, including those relating to the manual handling of
loads. The Health & Safety Advisor will also ensure that any identified risks are presented to the
Risk Assurance Committee for potential inclusion on the Trust’s Risk Register or Assurance
Framework.
Senior Managers (Clinical Service Centre (CSC) Management Team and Operational
Managers) are responsible for ensuring that their line managers undertake appropriate risk
assessments and that the production of information, training or supervision through local policy
and procedures (safe systems of work) is provided.
Managers are responsible for bringing to the attention of staff actions required to reduce the risk.
All staff have the duty to work to instructions given or to use any equipment provided, which is
designed to reduce the risk.
Line Managers will ensure that:
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Safer moving and handling practice is promoted at all times and the importance of looking
after the musculoskeletal health of all staff, whilst at work, is positively reinforced.
They undertake moving and handling risk assessments in their area of managerial
responsibility. Refer to appendix A for guidance
When risk assessments identify hazardous manual handling that appropriate action is taken
to reduce the risk, so far as is reasonably practicable, through the implementation of safer
systems of work.
Moving and handling risks and associated safe systems of work are communicated
effectively to all employees they manage.
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Staff they identify through risk assessment as requiring additional update training to that
provided by the Essential Skills Handbook for All Staff and the accompanying E assessment
receive it.
There is sufficient and adequate manual handling equipment available to manage the
manual handling tasks being undertaken. These may include lifting hoists, sack trolleys and
height adjustable trolleys.
Staff receive the appropriate instruction in how to use the equipment in accordance with
manufacturer’s instructions, in line with their current duties.
All equipment in their charge is fit for the purpose of use, has undergone the appropriate
inspection and maintenance and relevant legislation is adhered to such as The Lifting
Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) and the Provision and Use of
Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).
All lifting devices in their charge are notified to Carillion service so that appropriate
inspection, maintenance and repair can be carried out.
Requests to Carillion service for maintenance and/or repair of defective equipment is
recorded.
Matters relating to manual handling that are raised on the Adverse Incident Reporting
System are investigated.
Employees are required to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and that of their
colleagues and others by the way they work. They should:
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Avoid any manual handling that may cause harm to themselves or others.
Use handling equipment in accordance with instructions given,
Report and/or label unsafe activities or faulty equipment to their Line Manager;
Report all adverse incidents or near misses using the Trust’s incident reporting system.
Health and Safety Committee
Will receive bi-monthly updates on current issues relating to the manual handling of loads and
the recommendations to be implemented or proposed to reduce the risk, as directed by the Lead
Back Care Advisor, to ensure that proposed actions are appropriate and, if necessary, brought to
the attention of the Trust Board via the Governance and Quality committee.
6. PROCESS
Hazard Identified
Risk Assess T.I.L.E
(Appendix A)
Can it be avoided?
Yes
No
Can it be mechanised
No
Develop safe system of
work
Yes
Train staff on equipment
Information given to staff
Record Actions
Yes
Review if risk
changes
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The process is designed to:
a) Avoid hazardous manual handling operations, so far as is reasonably practicable.
b) Assess the risk of any hazardous manual handling operations that cannot be avoided.
c) Reduce the risk of injury, so far as is reasonably practicable.
Access to Specialist Advisors
Specialist advice can be obtained from the:
Moving and Handling Advisory Team (MHAT)
Occupational Health Building,
Queen Alexandra Hospital
Telephone 023 9228 3642 (7700) 3642
7. TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
7.1 Training forms part of the Trust’s Essential Skills and Training Requirements; as identified in
the Training Needs Analysis/Matrix.
7.2
Staff read the Essential Skills Handbook for All Staff and undertake the e-Assessment
annually. For information on the principles of the manual handling of inanimate loads that
underpin training, please refer to Appendix C.
7.3
Managers can request the MHAT to provide manual handling training for staff that they
have identified as requiring more than that at 7.2. This need will be met either through
centrally provided courses and workshops or through department/locally delivered training.
7.4
All training is recorded on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) from which the Learning and
Development Team provide a monthly heat map to each CSC, to enable monitoring of
compliance
7.5
Compliance is further monitored through the CSC performance reviews with the Executive
Team
7.6
In addition to compliance with the training as prescribed in the Training Needs Analysis,
awareness of manual handling issues is also raised through:
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Workshops and events guided and/ or undertaken by the Moving and Handling Advisory
Team.
Moving and Handling Advisory Team webpage on the intranet
Articles in the Trust magazine “Link”
Displays and information bulletins using the Trust intranet system
Posters displayed in ward areas
Participating in the National Back Care week
Articles in the Health and Safety Quarterly newsletter
8. REFERENCES AND ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTATION
External
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations (as amended) (1992)
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (1998)
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Requlations (1992)
Getting to Grips with Manual Handling. A short guide (03/04)
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
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Internal
Health and Safety Policy
Risk Assessment Policy and Protocol
Policy for the Management of Adverse Incidents and Near Misses
Inanimate Load Training Pack
9. EQUALITY IMPACT STATEMENT
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust is committed to ensuring that, as far as is reasonably
practicable, the way we provide services to the public and the way we treat our staff reflects their
individual needs and does not discriminate against individuals or groups on any grounds.
This policy has been assessed accordingly
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10. MONITORING COMPLIANCE
As a minimum the following elements will be monitored to ensure compliance
Element to be monitored
Lead
Tool
Frequency of
Report
Reporting arrangements
Manual
handling
of
inanimate loads practice
in the workplace
Moving and
Handling
Advisory
Team
Workplace observation and
audits (samples)
Annually
Health and Safety Committee
CSC Managers
Health & Safety Leads
Manual Handling Incident
trends
Lead
Back
Care Adviser
Datix
6 monthly
Health and Safety Committee
CSC Managers
Health & Safety Leads
Manual
handling
of
inanimate loads workplace
risk assessments
Lead
Back
Care Adviser
Review of manual handling
of inanimate loads risks on
CSC Risk Registers
Annually
Health and Safety Committee
CSC Managers
Health and Safety Leads
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Lead(s) for acting on
recommendations
Appendix A: Assessment help checklist
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Problems to look for when
Making an assessment
Ways of reducing the risk of injury
The tasks: do they involve:
Can you:
Holding loads away from the body?
Twisting, stooping or reaching upwards?
Large vertical movement?
Long carrying distances?
Strenuous pushing or pulling?
Repetitive handling?
Insufficient rest or recovery time?
A work rate imposed by a process?
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The loads: are they:
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Heavy, bulky or unwieldy?
Difficult to grasp?
Unstable or likely to move unpredictably (like
animals)?
Harmful? e.g. sharp or hot
Awkwardly stacked?
Too large for the handler to see over?
Can you make the load:
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Constraints on posture?
Bumpy, obstructed or slippery floors>
Variations in levels?
Hot/cold/humid conditions?
Gusts of wind or other strong air movements?
Poor lighting conditions>
Restrictions on movements or posture from
clothes or personal protective equipment
(PPE)?
Lighter or less bulky?
Easier to grasp?
More stable?
Less damaging to hold?
If the load comes in from elsewhere, have you
asked the supplier to help, e.g. provide handles
or smaller packages?
The working environment: are there:
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Use a lifting aid?
Improve workplace layout to improve
efficiency?
Reduce the amount of twisting and stooping?
Avoid lifting from floor level or above shoulder
height, especially heavy loads?
Reduce carrying distances?
Avoid repetitive handling?
Vary the work, allowing one set of muscles to
rest while another is used?
Push rather than pull?
Can you:
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Remove obstructions to free movement?
Provide better flooring?
Avoid steps and steep ramps?
Prevent extremes of hot and cold?
Improve lighting?
Provide protective clothing or PPE that is less
restrictive?
Ensure your employees’ clothing and
footwear is suitable for their work?
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Problems to look for when making an
assessment
Ways of reducing the risk of injury
Individual capacity: does the job:
Can you:
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Require unusual capability, eg aboveaverage strength or agility?
Endanger those with a health problem or
learning/physical disability?
Endanger pregnant women?
Call for special information or training?
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Handling aids and equipment:
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Is the device the correct type for the job?
Is it well maintained?
Are the wheels on the device suited to the
floor?
Do the wheels run freely?
Is the handle height between the waist
and shoulders?
Are the handle grips in good order and
comfortable?
Are there any brakes? If so, do they
work?
Work organization factors:
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Is the work repetitive or boring?
Is work machine or system-paced?
Do workers feel the demands of the work
are excessive?
Have workers little control of the work and
working methods?
Is there poor communication between
managers and employees?
Pay particular attention to those who have
a physical weakness?
Take extra care of pregnant workers?
Give your employees more information,
e.g. about the range of tasks they are
likely to face?
Provide more training (see ‘What about
training?’)
Can you:
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Provide equipment that is more suitable
for the task?
Carry out planned preventive
maintenance to prevent problems?
Change the wheels, tyres and/or flooring
so that equipment moves easily?
Provide better handles and handle grips?
Make the brakes easier to use, reliable
and effective?
Can you:
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Change tasks to reduce the monotony?
Make more use of workers’ skills?
Make workloads and deadlines more
achievable?
Encourage good communication and
teamwork?
Involve workers in decisions?
Provide better training and information?
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Appendix B: Example Assessment
PORTSMOUTH HOSPITALS NHS TRUST RISK ASSESSMENT AND ACTION PLAN
KEY
colour coding used to identify risks
Existing Risks
New Risks
TYPE (may be more than one type)
C = Clinical
H&S = Health &
Safety
L = Legal
Risk scores are calculated by
Consequence (C) x Likelihood using the 5 x 5 matrix
QAH
Clinical Services Centre
C20a
C, H&S, L, SD
Anytime
A Person
Managing patient notes
which are delivered in
blue
boxes.
Average
weight of a box of notes is
30kgs and these need to
be lifted up onto desk to
be sorted.
IMPACT

Delayed clinics.

Workplace injury sustaining
sickness absence, from
musculoskeletal disorders
of more than 3 days
duration.
Any specific measures
currently in place to
control the risk.
 Two persons to lift the
box
or
 One person to decant
notes from box.
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3x4
4
2X2
FURTHER ACTIONS
REQUIRED TO
CONTROL THE RISK
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Boxes not to be over
packed by records staff.
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Storage surface to be
installed where the
boxes are delivered so
that they are situated at
a height where the
boxes are more easily
lifted from.
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ASSURANCE
MECHANISM /
MONITORING
(how are you going to monitor
whether your controls are
working)
Review of any manual handling
injuries to ensure none related to
the moving and handling of
boxes of patient notes.
RESPONSIBLE LEAD /
COMMITTEE
An Area
KEY CONTROLS
RISK / HAZARD
DESCRIPTION
SD = Service Delivery
INITIAL TARGET DATE /
REVISED TARGET
DATE
A Place
R = Reputation
Assessor:
PREDICTED RESIDUAL
RISK RATING (C x L)
DATE OPENED
ID /
CQC
Ref
TYPE / SOURCE
Dir/Dept/Specialty/Ward
Q&P = Quality /
Performance
Date:
INITIAL RISK RATING
(C x L)
Hospital Site
F = Financial
Risk reduced / recommended for local monitoring
APPENDIX C
Principles of Manual Handling
Inanimate Loads
This Appendix provides information which builds on the Trust’s ‘Essential Skills
Handbook’ and forms the content of ‘face-to-face’ classroom-based learning.
Training for managing inanimate loads in PHT comprises of the following:
 Staff read the Essential Skills Handbook for All Staff and undertake the e-Assessment
annually.
 Information on the principles of the manual handling of inanimate loads, that underpin
training, is contained in this Appendix.
 Managers can request the Moving and Handling Advisory Team to provide manual
handling training for staff that they have identified as requiring more than that which is
described above. This need will be met either through centrally provided courses and
workshops or through department/locally delivered training.
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Legislation
The two key pieces of legislation which underpin manual handling practice at work are:
1. The Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974
This states that:
Employers: ‘must, as far as is reasonably practicable, safeguard the health
safety and welfare of employees’
And that:
Employees: ‘must take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that
of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions’
2. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations (as amended) 1992
Define manual handling as:
“Any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, lowering, pulling, pushing,
carrying or moving thereof) by hand or bodily force”
And impose a hierarchy on employers, for manual handling risk assessment,
where reasonably practicable, to:
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Avoid hazardous manual handling;
Assess the tasks which are undertaken; to
Reduce the risk
Risk Assessment
The risk assessment process under this legislation is often given the acronym ‘TILE’
Consideration of the manual handling tasks must be made under the following headings
(some examples are shown but more detail is given in Appendix A):
TASK - what is to be done? How long will it take? Will it be done frequently? Is it repetitious?
Is equipment required? Is the equipment suitable and sufficient; and fit for the purpose?
INDIVIDUAL–
this is you. Are you fit and healthy enough? Do you have enough skills and
knowledge? Can you apply the safer biomechanical principles? Do you need help?
LOAD – this is what you are moving. Do you know its weight? Is it heavy? Large? Unwieldy?
Difficult to grasp? Have handholds? Do you know where its centre of gravity is?
ENVIRONMENT – is it spacious enough? Free from obstacles? Are there slopes, stairs or doors
to negotiate?
Does this need to be written down?
A written risk assessment (or ‘safe system of work’ or ‘Standard Operating Procedure’) will need to
be available for those tasks which are deemed hazardous or not easily passed verbally from one
person to another. The manager is responsible for writing this but all staff members should have
input into it and have access to it. The risk assessment(s) should be reviewed at least annually, or
when the situation changes.
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Musculoskeletal System
‘Musculoskeletal’ is defined as: The muscles, and their associated ligaments and other connective
tissue, and of the bones and cartilage viewed collectively.
To manage loads safely you need to understand where your centre of gravity (COG) is and where
the COG of a load is. The COG of an object is described as: ‘an imaginary point in the centre of its
mass’.
If the object is uniform in shape and density then its COG will be exactly in the geometric centre.
In humans the COG will alter dependant on a change in posture and in movement.
However, for a stationary person standing upright, with their arms at their sides, it is generally
described as being just in front of the 2nd sacral vertebra (inside your abdomen, at about the level
of your navel).
To remain healthy and safe at work, when you are handling a load, you need to think about how
you use your body most effectively and efficiently to maintain your musculoskeletal health. This
can, generally, be described as ‘using the safer biomechanical principles’, which are:
1. Adopt a wide base of support (feet apart, in a ‘walking stance’, if possible)
2. Keep your knees soft (to enable balance and to get down to a lower load)
3. Keep your spine in an upright, neutral position (avoiding bending, twisting or over-reaching)
4. Keep close to the load (its COG close to yours)
5. Keep your head up (to balance the weight of your head on the top of your spine)
It may not always be possible to apply all these principles to every task so you must undertake
personal risk assessment to determine if it is safe to proceed with an adaptation of the principles.
This approach may work, in the short term, if the load is reasonably easy to manage.
However, any such adaptation should act as a trigger to re-assess the process.
Musculoskeletal (MSK) Health
The following are the common causes of MSK disorders:
 Cumulative build up of strain from poor postures and repetition
 Trauma (injury) from a sudden shock to the musculoskeletal system
 Degeneration of discs from repetitiously bending, stooping and over-reaching
 Static postures (remaining in one position too long, including sitting)
Rarely MSK disorders can arise due to a:
 Disease process
Most cases of back pain resolve within a few weeks without treatment, provided that you carry on
with your life as normally as possible and remain relatively active.
The key ways to maintaining musculoskeletal health are self awareness, fitness (particularly core
stability), active movement from one posture to another and a balanced diet.
However, if you have any of the following ‘red flag’ symptoms of back pain:
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pain down both legs
numbness or tingling, particularly in the ‘saddle area’ of your pelvis (the bit that you sit on)
incontinence
Then you must seek medical attention immediately.
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If you have a MSK disorder, Occupational Health, or your manager, can refer you to ‘Fit4Work’ at
Oasis, if exercise will be of benefit; or to us to review the manual handling that you undertake at
work.
Remember, also, that applying these principles when you are at home can help protect your MSK
health whilst you are shopping, gardening, lifting young children, loading the washing machine,
using a laptop, undertaking DIY, doing housework, etc.
Manual Handling (Inanimate Loads)
Issue 9 08.05.2013
(Review date: May 2015 unless requirements change)
Page 16 of 19
Principles of Safe Lifting
PLAN
Stop and think
Assess the weight of
the load and where it is
going
PREPARE
Give yourself a stable
base with the feet apart
Have your leading leg
as far forward as is
comfortable
POSITION
Bend your knees, and
take a firm grip of the
load
Try to keep your back
straight and maintain
its natural curves
PERFORM
Using your leg muscles
to aid lifting, come up
to standing keeping the
load as close to the
body as possible
Ensure that when the
load is put down that
the same principles of
safe lifting are applied
Manual Handling (Inanimate Loads)
Issue 9 08.05.2013
(Review date: May 2015 unless requirements change)
Page 17 of 19
Falling/Fallen Persons
Staff members who manage inanimate loads only are unlikely to be responsible for the
management of a falling or fallen person.
However, all staff may find a person (or patient, or colleague) who has fallen and the
following is generic moving and handling advice.
The risk of falling can generally be reduced by preventing the occurrence in the first place and risk
assessment is the key to successful management.
We all have a responsibility to report any obstructions that someone may trip over, or a wet floor
which is unmarked.




If the preventative measures are not sufficient, or if the fall happens unexpectedly to a person, then
the following is general guidance if you are quite near to the person as they fall:
Do not catch and hold the person up. There is good evidence to show that the forces exerted on the
‘catcher’s’ body are very high
You might be able to cushion their head by getting your hand between their head and the floor; or you
might be able to quickly move an obstacle out of the way so that there is no impact with it
Once the person is on the floor, or you find them there having not witnessed it, then your
responsibility, from a moving and handling perspective, is to call for help
If you have a clinical role, or you are a nominated first-aider, then you may have additional
responsibilities.
For further information and advice please contact us:
Moving & Handling Advisory Team
(7700) 3642
023 92 283642
Rosie Lake (Lead Back Care Advisor)
Pam Phipps (Back Care Advisor)
Sue Hanson (Back Care Advisor)
Email addresses:
Rosemarie.Lake@porthosp.nhs.uk
Pamela.Phipps@porthosp.nhs.uk
Susan.Hanson@porthosp.nhs.uk
Address: Moving & Handling Advisory Team
Occupational Health Building
Queen Alexandra Hospital
PO6 3LY
Manual Handling (Inanimate Loads)
Issue 9 08.05.2013
(Review date: May 2015 unless requirements change)
Page 18 of 19
Manual Handling (Inanimate Loads)
Issue 9 08.05.2013
(Review date: May 2015 unless requirements change)
Page 19 of 19