What Manual Handling Is and Why It Matters

Manual handling means moving or supporting a load using your body. It includes lifting, lowering, carrying, pushing, pulling, holding and throwing. The load can be a box, a tool, a valve, a drum, a bag of cement or even a person who needs help to move.

Almost every job includes some manual handling. A warehouse worker lifts cartons. A technician carries a toolbag up a ladder. A receptionist moves boxes of paper. A cook lifts heavy pots. Because it is so common, people stop seeing it as a risk.

Why it matters

Manual handling is one of the most common causes of injury at work in many countries. The usual harm is a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD): an injury or illness of the muscles, tendons, joints, nerves or spinal discs. Back pain is the best known. Neck, shoulder, wrist and knee problems are also common.

These injuries often build up slowly. They can mean weeks off work, pain that returns again and again, and sometimes a change of job. For the employer, they mean lost time, lost skills and lower morale.