The Dangerous Cost Of Manual Handling
Health and Safety Executives worldwide tear their hair out at finding ways to improve safety and reduce the process of manually moving heavy loads. From the pharmaceutical industry to the retail environment any element of manual handling can cause risks. The main point to focus on is how they can reduce the risk posed by these instances where loads are moved manually. Could the load be moved in a different way to completely eliminate the manual element of handling?
In many cases, employees are expected to manually lift, push or pull heavy loads regularly. Injuries to the back, neck and shoulders account for around two thirds of all manual material handling claims. 55% were attributed to lifting goods, 17% to holding, turning or wielding and 14% to pushing and pulling.
14% of manual handling claims involve pushing/pulling heavy goods
Where it takes 2-3 members of staff to push and manoeuvre a heavy load, the introduction of a pedestrian operated electric tug could reduce this down to a single operator, this means efficiency can be improved allowing additional staff to be engaged in more productive activities.
In these instances where employees are required to manually push, pull or turn heavy loads, why not invest in a MasterMover tug to eliminate the risk of injury or overexertion? When compared with the cost of compensation claims, the small capital investment of a MasterMover tug is priceless.
Please get in touch if you would like free advice on implementing a safe handling solution into your operations.
Lucy Cresswell
www.mastermover.com