Manual handling is any task where you lift, lower, push, pull, carry, hold or restrain something. The approved Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021 says that musculoskeletal disorders, which include sprains and strains, are the most common workplace injuries across Australia. In Queensland, the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 calls the risky ones “hazardous manual tasks” and requires a business to manage the risk of the injuries they cause (section 60). This guide covers what the law says, how to run a manual handling risk assessment, and safe handling practices that help prevent injury.
What is manual handling, and what is a hazardous manual task?
Manual handling is any activity that requires you to lift, lower, push, pull or carry an object. It can also include activities such as turning, twisting, holding or reaching. Manual handling is a common cause of workplace injuries, such as strains and sprains.
The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) (the WHS Regulation) defines a hazardous manual task as a task that requires a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or otherwise move, hold or restrain any person, animal or thing, and that involves one or more of the following:
- repetitive or sustained force
- high or sudden force
- repetitive movement
- sustained or awkward posture
- exposure to vibration.
That is why a light item can still be hazardous. Carrying a small box once is not a problem. Handling hundreds of them a shift, with a twist at the end of each lift, can be.
What Queensland law says about hazardous manual tasks
- Section 60 of the WHS Regulation. A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must manage the risks to health and safety relating to a musculoskeletal disorder associated with a hazardous manual task (a musculoskeletal disorder is an injury to, or disease of, the musculoskeletal system, whether it happens suddenly or over time), using the risk management steps in Part 3.1 of the Regulation. When choosing controls, the PCBU must have regard to all relevant matters, including postures, movements, forces and vibration; how long and how often the task is done; workplace conditions; the design of the work area; the layout of the workplace; the systems of work; and the nature, size, weight or number of persons, animals or things involved.
- Section 61 of the WHS Regulation. Designers and manufacturers of plant or structures must eliminate, or where that is not reasonably practicable minimise, the need for hazardous manual tasks in connection with that plant or structure, and give information about the features that do so. Importers and suppliers must take all reasonable steps to obtain that information and pass it on. That is one reason buying equipment with lifting aids built in helps you manage the risk.
Is there a legal weight limit? Neither section sets a maximum weight in kilograms. The Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021, an approved code of practice in Queensland, says there is no safe weight set for all workers in all circumstances, because many factors contribute to the risk and not just the weight of the item. So the question to ask is whether the whole task is safe for the people doing it, not whether a load is under a number.
The code of practice is not law in itself, but a PCBU must comply with an approved code or manage the risk in a way that gives an equivalent or higher standard of health and safety, and a court can have regard to an approved code as evidence of what is known about a hazard and how to control it (sections 26A, 274 and 275 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)).
How to do a manual handling risk assessment
Here is a short walk-through that follows the risk management steps in sections 34 to 38 of the WHS Regulation and the approved code of practice. You can record it on our Risk Assessment for Manual Tasks Template.
- Identify the hazardous manual tasks. Walk the site and ask the people who do the work. Look for forced or awkward postures, repetitive movements, heavy or bulky loads, sudden effort and vibrating tools. Consult your workers and health and safety representative, since they know where the aches and near misses are.
- Assess the risk. Describe the task and where it is done, then break it into stages (collecting, carrying, placing, unpacking) and ask which postures, movements and forces create the risk and why. The code gives general guidelines: a movement or force is “repetitive” if it is done more than twice a minute, a posture or force is “sustained” if it is held for more than 30 seconds at a time, and a task is “long duration” if it is done for more than 2 hours in total over a shift or for more than 30 minutes at a time. The sources of risk to look at are the work area design and layout, the nature, size, weight or number of things handled, the systems of work, and the work environment.
- Control the risk. Eliminate the manual task if you can, for example by delivering materials to where they are used. If not, section 36 requires you to minimise the risk, so far as is reasonably practicable, by substituting, isolating the hazard or using engineering controls (trolleys, hoists, mechanical aids, redesigned work areas), then administrative controls (job rotation, extra people, training), and then personal protective equipment last.
- Review. Check the controls are working, and revise them when they are not effective, before a change that may create a new risk, when a new hazard is identified, when consultation shows they need review, or when a health and safety representative asks (section 38).
Our guides on how to identify hazards and the hierarchy of controls go into the first and third steps.
How to prevent injuries in manual handling
Good technique helps, but it sits low in the hierarchy of controls. Use it alongside a trolley, a lifting aid or a smaller load, not instead of them.
- Use your legs, not your back, to lift
- Keep the load close to your body
- Avoid twisting your body while lifting or carrying
- Use appropriate equipment, such as trolleys or dollies, when available
If you are lifting a heavy object, it is important to get help from another person. If you are lifting an object by yourself, be sure to use proper technique. For example, when lifting a heavy box from the ground, you should:
- Squat down and bring your hips close to the object
- Grip the object tightly with both hands
- Use your legs to stand up, keeping the load close to your body
- Avoid twisting or turning your body while lifting
For more on this topic, read our guide to preventing back injuries in the workplace.
What to do if you are injured at work
If you are injured as a result of manual handling, be sure to tell a manager and fill in an incident report. Sometimes an injury can seem minor but turn into a bigger problem later where you need time off or treatment but have no proof that the incident occurred at work.
For serious injuries, seek medical attention right away. Some workplace injuries may require time off work to recover, so it is important to have a plan in place in case this happens.
More information on reporting workplace injuries
The best way to track and record workplace injuries to ensure that they are correctly reported and followed up in your workplace, is to use an internal Incident Report Form and Incident Register.
Templates for manual handling
If you need the paperwork, our Manual Handling SWMS, Manual Handling Policy and Procedure Template and Risk Assessment for Manual Tasks Template are Word or Excel documents you can adapt to your own work. A safe work method statement is required by law for high risk construction work (section 299 of the WHS Regulation). Any manual handling hazards that come with that work should be covered in the SWMS. For other work, a risk assessment and a written procedure are a sensible way to record your controls. For a quick team briefing, try the Back Injuries toolbox meeting template.
For more WHS templates visit our WHS Templates Safety Store!
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the current law or talk to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland for your situation.
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Templates for this job
Ready-to-edit Word and Excel templates for Queensland workplaces.
