Manual Handling Laws/Rules etc

Unicorn

Unicorn

Unicorn

Soldato
Joined
24 Dec 2011
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4,735
So quick question for anyone who's brushed up on manual handling rules or anyone who's a safety advisor

Im currently working on a construction site which isn't all too bad but i feel the safety of workers and the attitude to safety and my wellbeing isn't really cared about.

First things first im an apprentice (not asking for special treatment) but i shouldn't be made to do anything i am not comfortable with for a start or suitably trained in. The objects in question i am required to carry firstly across the site and then up to the 23m level (a lot of stairs) is 6m lengths of Steel Unistrut and two at a time on my shoulder (approx 35kg and a very awkward load)

Come to tuesday its destroyed my back iv been laid up for two days and i fear its caused some quite bad damage personally im off to the doctors tomorrow if it isn't okay to get some stronger painkillers or see what can be done.

What is my course of action here really on what iv been required to do and what i have done. I just want to make it so i don't have to injure myself to do the task ( Iv asked for a mechanical lifting aid and got told no, I had some help but its rare i ever get it as i get made to do it on my own )
 
Why not take one at a time if you are struggling with 2?

Also, get a gym membership and strengthen that back up :)

seriously, just tell your boss/site manager what you have told us and go from there.
 
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Done that and people moan about me taking too long, Even with one i struggle at times my lifting capability isn't that great definitely not for 6m lengths either
 
Short answer is that there are no limits for carrying, only guidelines. The guideline weights are currently 20Kg for men and 16kg for women. However, as these are guidelines and individual capability varies you may or may not carry more, or less, depending on your physical ability. Given the physical properties of the items in question I would be reluctant to carry one by myself, much less two and you shouldnt be carrying them on your shoulder at all.
In regards to manual handling, this is covered under the Health and Safety at work Act 1974 and its amendments and subsequent smaller acts. This states that it is the employers responsibility to, as far as is reasonably practicable, ensure the health, safety and well being of employees. This is done in a variety of ways, the key ones in this instance would be performing risk assessments and providing training. As I see it there is no way what you describe would be considered safe in a properly conducted risk assessment. Such a risk assessment, properly performed, would identify the risk and make provision for mechanical aids (telehandler?) or at the very least team lifting.
Now, what you do about this is up to you. You could quite legitimately refuse to do it any more and insist that proper handling aids or assistance is employed to reduce the risk of injury. However the fall out from that could be anywhere from helpful to gtfo.
 
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The short answer is your only suppose to lift what you are comfortable lifting. As said above that could be more or less than someone else on site, but they can't make you lift anything you don't want too. That being said you won't last very long if you kick up too much of a fuss and the only thing that usually changes somthing on site like this is an LTI and even then it's normally just a basic manual handling course for everyone.
 
This is the way that is seen to be done and if i get help im told to put in on my shoulder which really does hurt my shoulder. I don't agree with it at all but i guess being an apprentice you don't want to mess up or slow progress really. I don't work directly for this company im subbed out from the primary contractor who i can go to with any issues, There aware why im off work and its because of this issue so i plan on addressing it tomorrow and getting something sorted out so i don't have to risk injury to carry out my work. On other things anyhow i shouldn't even be doing this i should be learning something not just being used as a dogs body but that may be the solution to get me doing something else if im lucky.
 
Generally for anything over 20Kg it should be 2 man handling (they will get slapped hard if anything happens) but most companies ignore it to a certain extent and tbh theres not much you can really do about it unless management are sympathetic.

Dunno how long you've been at it but a couple of weeks and you will find it massively easier.

Its something that companies should start taking more seriously however as the liability laws have changed and/or are changing and if something happens to an employee managers can actually be looking at jail time now in situations in the past they'd get away with. (For instance if your one of those people who give staff a hard time about getting in during bad weather, etc. you might want to relook at your legal position and/or how your going about it as with recent changes if something serious happened to them on the way to work depending on your handling of the situation you could be looking at much more serious charges as an employer now).
 
Are you new to it? If so painkiller up and work through the pain, after a few weeks you'll be fined.

Assuming it's just sore, rather than damaged.

Going back to warehouse jobs always destroyed me for the first 2-3 weeks. Go to work, come home, drop painkillers and lie down on back. Muscles soon grow though.

As said it's generally what you feel comfortable with.
 
Carrying an object that weight and size / shape single handed across a site then up stairs is not only putting you at risk, but others too.

Sounds like your employer is not very serious about H&S and the welfare of their employees.
 
Few weeks at it, Not finding it no easier but with me being off sick now in a lot of pain has miffed me off a lot to the point id want to sort something out. My manager may sort it but its how to word it to get something done. I don't want to go in all guns blazing demanding them change stuff but i want to get them to alter things for the benefit of me not getting injured so no downtime.

As to they get slapped hard if something happens.. I guess it has happened i have not been to work in two days because of an injury caused by manual handling.

As to your comment Glaucus i agree with that much but its not just sore as i wish it was. I have been doing that previously for afew weeks getting on with it painkillers and a lay down but now with what id deem as an actual injury i don't want to have another injury especially not on my back
 
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Tbh H&S doesn't really apply in the real world, even at big name companies, if the job needs doing it needs doing and cant afford extra labour or wait for equipment etc just get it done type of attitude.

Employers have the attitude that your lucky to have a job and if you wont do it then they will get a pole to do it who will work longer hours for less money and no complaining.

Mentioning the law & H&S is a sure way of getting in their bad books.

As an apprentice you wont spend 100% of the time learning, it will be a bit like the army where they give you poor treatment and the worst jobs to instill a certain attitude/discipline before letting you move onto the better jobs, if its an ok company, bad companies will not teach you anything and just treat you a slave with nothing to show for it at the end.
 
The company i work for do take it seriously, the subcontractor doesn't. But then u play the game of getting someone else into a mess and they will make ur life hell. This is what i don't want to do at all
 
{SAS}TB said:
Sorry but yes, it does.
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Completely agree, we take it seriously enough to be allowed to self regulate - as do at least 2 of the big construction companies

Times are / have changed and employers really need to move with them. Subbie passing it down to you is no excuse, its the prime contractors site and things will ultimately fall on them ( no pun intended) if a serious accident happens
 
{SAS}TB said:
Sorry but yes, it does.
Click to expand...

Well i agree it should, but until companies and managers are held directly responsible for breaches / accidents as another poster mentioned then money will always win.

Even companies seen from outside to be H&S conscious or even going above and beyond the legal requirements with good reputations, its generally all for show, lots of meetings, H&S briefings, Branded memos/briefs all 100% legally correct and compliant, but the reality is they then unofficially instruct employees to break H&S all day everyday and if the poo hits the fan they will just blame the employee for the breach and make them out to be rogue and point to all the official H&S material they have produced.
 
Absolutely not the case anymore. It is rife in construction though

Companies, managers and other individuals can all be held responsible
 
Unicorn said:
The company i work for do take it seriously, the subcontractor doesn't. But then u play the game of getting someone else into a mess and they will make ur life hell. This is what i don't want to do at all
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Chartered Safety advisor here :cool:

The principle contractor has a duty to manage the subcontractor, including their employees. This is detailed in law, as well as the requirement to assess and manage the risk. There are specific regs that deal with manual handling but I'd be focusing on the management of the task.

The fact of the matter is, there should be some form of object handling risk assessment on the task, which explains the risks and the control measures in place to reduce them. This will take in to account the Task, Individual, Load, Environment and Other factors (TILEO).

1) have you been shown this? Possibly as part of a site induction or toolbox talk?
2) are there no alternatives to carrying 2 at a time? I can't believe this is a condoned working practice given the carry distances.
3) have you raised you concerns to your employer? What have they said?

Keeping active is the best thing for back pain, but you will want to challenge this, before you do serious damage to your back.

If they let you go because you're "a trouble maker", I'd consider it a blessing as you don't want to be working for someone that would flaunt their legal duties and mock the welfare of their staff.
 
Until managers/companies get to the point where they wouldn't dream of allowing an unsafe act because the fines are so high, say 10% of profits/turnover and very high detection rates.

Think if work has stopped and company is losing £xxx per hour/day and it could all be sorted by letting someone perform an unsafe act then they will be tempted to turn a blind eye if not directly instruct someone to do it etc
 
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