The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992

The Manual Handling Operational Regulations set specific legal requirements to ensure that employees undertaking manual handling operations at work avoid the risk of injury. The regulations place a specific duty of care on the part on both employers and employees.

Under the regulations manual handling is regarded as any transporting or supporting of a load, including lifting, sitting down, pulling or pushing, carrying or moving, by hand or bodily force

Injury is defined as injury to any part of the body and is not just limited to the back.

The regulations apply to all work that involves carrying or holding loads such as lifting boxes, packing goods, or pushing or pulling trolleys. They specify all factors employers must consider if they employ manual workers. These include whether manual tasks involve awkward movements, moving loads over long distances, holding goods that are difficult to grasp and the capabilities of the worker.

Employers are required to provide adequate training to staff on safe handling and lifting techniques relevant to the task.