WorkRight Construction: Your health. Your future - workers

HOW TO STAY SAFE FROM THE RISK OF MOVING AND HANDLING AS A BUSY BUILDER

Free resources

We have created these campaign pages and assets to help make sure you consider all the risks and act now to protect you and your colleagues.

Download our free manual handling resources below, share them with those on site and discuss together how to keep everyone safe.

Download manual handling - What you need to know as a busy builder

Download a brief guide to manual handling at work

IT’S TIME TO SHOUT ABOUT PROTECTING YOUR HEALTH

In this short video, HSE’s Principal Ergonomist, Matt Birtles, discusses the steps that you should be taking to assess and control the risks to prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

REDUCING THE RISKS TO YOUR HEALTH WHEN MOVING AND HANDLING MATERIALS

Construction work, by its very nature, involves lifting, carrying and handling activities that can cause serious injuries if not managed effectively. Injury, aches and pain in the muscles and joints are referred to as musculoskeletal disorder (MSDs). Do not accept these injuries as an inevitable part of your work.

These injuries can lead to immediate, reoccurring or long-term pain or discomfort that can negatively impact:

Your ability to do tasks at work and in some cases you ability to continue working and earning a living
Your quality of life
Your home life and ability to do activities that you want to such as lifting your children or hobbies
Your sleep, mental health and wellbeing.

There is a legal duty for employers to prevent or adequately control worker exposure to the risk of ill health, this includes MSDs. Your employer should reduce the risks of moving and handling materials by good design and planning. Where this is not entirely possible, sensible measures to control the risks, such as lifting aids and equipment, should be put in place by your employer .

Your employer should involve you in managing the risks

The Manual Handling Regulations set out a clear hierarchy of measures your employer must follow to prevent and manage the risks from hazardous manual handling:
■ avoid hazardous manual handling operations
■ assess the risk of injury to workers from any hazardous manual handling that can’t be avoided
■ reduce the risk of injury to workers from hazardous manual handling, for example, using lifting aids and equipment.

Workers have a role to play too

Your employer has a legal responsibility to protect your health but you have duties too. You should:

■ follow systems of work put in place for your health and safety;
■ use any equipment provided for your health and safety properly;
■ cooperate with your employer on health and safety issues;
■ inform your employer if things change or you identify hazardous handling activities;
■ take care to make sure your activities do not put others at risk.

Ask your employer about the measures in place to protect you from the risk of moving and handling materials on a small, medium or large building site. Remember, your employer has a legal responsibility to protect you from harm.

Contact Details

Corporate Communications
2.2 Redgrave Court
Merton Rd
Bootle
L20 7HS

campaigns@hse.gov.uk