Manual handling campaign launched
May 1st 2008 Speedy Hire, the leading tool and equipment hire company, has launched a UKwide
awareness campaign to help combat the rising number of back injuries
resulting from manual handling
According to official statistics,
400,000 people suffer from back
pain caused or made worse by
their work, leading to 4 million lost days
each year and costing industry more than
£5billion. Almost two thirds (63%) of back
injuries in the construction industry are
caused by manual handling.
Speedy's 'Make Light Work of It'
campaign, part of its award-winning
Safety From the Ground Up initiative,
includes free 'toolbox talks' on customer
construction sites to demonstrate better
handling techniques to site operatives
and the range of handling aids available
to site managers. A communications
pack, including information pocket
guides, CDs, booklets and site posters,
has also been developed to promote
awareness.
The campaign, which launched in April,
follows independent research
commissioned by Speedy which found
the majority (70%) of site operatives were
unaware of any legislation or guidelines
on the movement of heavy or awkward
objects. Forty per cent said they would
use lifting or handling aids more if they
were available on site.
Employers have a legal responsibility
to risk assess any tasks where manual
handling may be required and include
details in a method statement. While the
HSE has developed Manual Handling
Assessment Charts to help site managers
and safety representatives identify highrisk
activities, it is the employer's
responsibility to provide and maintain
appropriate equipment, ensure proper
procedures are followed and provide the
necessary information, training and
supervision of employees.
Some of the most common causes of
back injury include:
Lifting loads such as manhole covers
incorrectly
Lowering kerb stones and paving slabs
Carrying cement bags
Pushing loads of aggregate
Pulling blocks and slabs
Twisting while handling plasterboard
Holding heavy loads while fixing into
position
Mark Turnbull, safety, health,
environment and quality director at
Speedy Hire, said: "In an ideal scenario,
architects and process engineers should
consider manual handling issues in the
planning phase in order to design out as
much risk as possible.
"On site, however, many situations
where manual handling is required are
unavoidable. Here, the real challenge for
employers is to prevent exposure by
promoting the use of lifting and handling
aids and supervising site working
practices. With the implementation of
best practice, companies can not only
help reduce the number of injuries, but
also increase workplace efficiency."
Speedy's top 10 tools for safe handling
include:
Jumbo BV vacuum layers for laying
kerb stones
Skip loaders for lifting waste and rubble
All terrain pallet trucks for moving
palletised loads such as aggregates,
cememt, roof tiles etc
Brick and block carts
Board trolleys for moving plasterboard
Powered stair climbers for
manoeuvring heavy and awkward
objects such as boilers and air
conditioning units
4x4 powered mini dumpers for
transporting waste and rubble
Mobile conveyor system for moving
rubble or excavation waste
Mini flat bed trucks for transporting
rubble or waste objects from site to site
Lightweight lifts for lifting and lowering
objects such as lintels
Dr McKiernan, chairman of national
charity BackCare, added: "Construction
workers are at particularly high risk of
back injury due to the sheer number of
hazards on site. Looked after, your back
should and can last you a lifetime, but
employers and employees needs to take
responsibility for this. It's vital to get into
the habit of moving, lifting, sitting,
standing and carrying in ways that don't
put too much strain on your back."
For more information, enquire below to
book a tool box talk. |
