No matter what industry you are involved in or how many staff you employ, the chances are that at some stage lifting, carrying, pushing and pulling loads will be required by either yourself or a member of staff. If you run your business on a shoestring or struggle to keep productivity as high as it needs to be, the last thing you need is someone going off sick because of injury caused by heavy lifting or a work related accident – especially as it could also leave you open to an expensive claim.
As an employer you are legally required to assess the risks that workers may face when in the workplace. As soon as possible, look into manual handling assessment courses as a matter of urgency.
In-House Risk Assessment for Manual Handling
If you have certain members of staff who undertake most of the heavy lifting in the workplace or work in hazardous areas, place them on a one-day manual handling assessment course. These courses will train them on how to assess the dangers of each job and what the risks are to those performing the duties. They will learn how to:
- Identify hazards in the workplace and how best they are avoided.
- Identify the actual risks and consider the types of potential injury if performed by untrained staff
- Implement precautions before any lifting or moving takes place
- Review and revise existing measures and safety precautions.
By having someone in-house who knows how to perform an HSE manual handling risk assessment, you will not have to bring someone in to assess your risks throughout the year, saving money in the long term.
Regular Reviews
Business needs change at an alarming rate and you may experience growth quicker than you expected. Your business may even end up changing direction and stocking other goods or moving offices. Whatever the situation, manual handling assessment risks must be constantly monitored and updated on an ongoing basis.
By having an in-house staff member who can conduct a risk assessment for manual handling operations, your business will be able to remain on top of all changes and facilitate cost effective improvements. Would you rather have this, or have to shell out hundreds of pounds each time you employ a new member of staff, the law changes or new potential hazards emerge?
As a business, you must have practical steps on how you can reduce accidents at work in place. Your best option is to send staff members on an in-house HSE manual handling risk assessment course to ensure total compliance.