Table 1 Making an assessment (continued) Manual Handling at Work – A brief guide Problems to look for when making an assessment Ways of reducing the risk of injury The working environment, are there: restrictions on posture? bumpy, obstructed or slippery floors? variations in floor levels? hot/cold/humid conditions? gusts of wind or other strong air movements? poor lighting conditions? restrictions on movements from clothes or personal protective equipment (PPE)? Can you: remove obstructions to free movement? provide better flooring? avoid steps and steep ramps? prevent extremes of hot and cold? improve lighting? provide protective clothing or PPE that is less restrictive? ensure your employees’ clothing and footwear is suitable for their work? Individual capacity, does the job: require unusual capability, eg above average strength or agility? endanger those with a health problem or learning/ physical disability? endanger pregnant women? call for special information or training? Can you: pay particular attention to those who have a physical weakness? take extra care of pregnant workers? give your employees more information, eg about the range of tasks they are likely to face? provide more training (see ‘What about training?’) get advice from an occupational health advisor if you need to? Handling aids and equipment: is the device the correct type for the job? is it well maintained? are the wheels on the device suited to the floor surface? do the wheels run freely? is the handle height between the waist and shoulders? are the handle grips in good condition and comfortable? are there any brakes? If so, do they work? Can you: adjust the work rate? provide equipment that is more suitable for the task? carry out planned preventive maintenance to prevent problems? change the wheels, tyres and/or flooring so that equipment moves easily? provide better handles and handle grips? make the brakes easier to use, reliable and effective? Work organisation factors: is the work repetitive or boring? is work machine or system-paced? do workers feel the demands of the work are excessive? have workers little control of the work and working methods? is there poor communication between managers and employees? Can you: change tasks to reduce the monotony? make more use of workers’ skills? make workloads and deadlines more achievable? encourage good communication and teamwork? involve workers in decisions? provide better training and information?