Manual handling injuries are amongst the most common injuries in the building industry, with one in four construction workers receiving a back injury of some description in any year. Work Safe NZ have identified manual handling as still one of our major causes of lost time injuries, “Lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling heavy loads can put workers at risk of serious injury” as such they have compiled fact sheets on manual handing. ACC receive over 50,000 work-related claims for lifting, carrying and strain injuries each year. The downside effect of manual handling injuries is far more significant than ‘just’ off work time, it is the strain this places on Whanau, families and relationships.

To help you and your workers avoid these unnecessary injuries, we are running a manual handling course and invite you and your workers to attend. The course is designed to raise awareness of manual handling and concepts of reducing risk. The typical topics covered on course are:

Avoiding manual handling injuries

Many work duties require workers to lift, push, pull, or carry objects meaning workers sometimes assume awkward and unbalanced postures, which can lead to soft-tissue damage., Because manual handling is such an everyday activity, it is often overlooked when assessing risks. Try to take a step back and think through the risks before tackling any manual lifting, carrying or moving tasks.

What are the specific hazards associated with manual handling?

• Loads - heavy, bulky, unstable, sharp, or difficult to grasp loads cause injuries.
• Force - is there enough power to do the task?
• Repetition - repetitive actions can tire muscles and hurt soft tissue.
• Bad posture - how we hold our bodies can impact blood flow and muscles.
• Surface/floor - objects in the way create trip hazards.