Manual Handling

Policy

This policy outlines how potentially hazardous manual handling tasks in schools are identified, assessed, controlled, monitored and reviewed.

Summary

• The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act 2004 (Vic) requires the department to provide or maintain, systems of work that are, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risk to health.
• The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic) require the department, so far as is reasonably practicable, to identify any hazardous manual handling undertaken, or to be undertaken, and to control and manage any associated musculoskeletal risks.
• The principal and/or their delegate must, in consultation with employees and health and safety representatives, identify, assess, record and control, so far as is reasonably practicable, risks associated with hazardous manual handling tasks. Some common manual handling risks in schools might be transporting and storage of large boxes and containers, transporting and storage of sporting equipment, stage set-up and display of artwork.
• Under the OHS Act 2004, employees while at work must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and the safety of others who may be affected by their actions or omissions.
• Central and regional offices provide a range of supports and services to assist principals and employees to be safe and well, including access to the Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Service and local regional officers who can provide free advice on managing risks related to manual handling.
• The Manual Handling Procedure (in the Procedure tab) must be followed, and sets out the practical step-by-step instructions for implementing this policy.
• This policy forms part of the department’s Occupational Health and Safety Management System, refer to OHS Management System (OHSMS) Overview for further information.

Details

The principal and/or their delegate, in consultation with employees and health and safety representatives (HSR), must ensure:

• manual handling tasks that are potentially hazardous are identified, assessed and added to the ‘Hazard Description’ column of the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Risk Register
• when assessing the level of risk for tasks that have been identified as potentially hazardous, current risk controls implemented and the following risk factors are taken into account:
  • task (for example, undertaken for long periods of time)
  • individual (for example, skills and training level)
  • load (for example, too heavy, too large)
  • environment (for example, stairs to navigate, lack of space)
• that a more detailed task based risk assessment is completed, if after identifying and assessing manual handling tasks in the OHS Risk Register, it is found that:
  • there is a high or extreme level of risk identified or
  • there is uncertainty about the level of risk associated with activities to be undertaken, or
  • there is limited understanding and/or knowledge about individual manual handling tasks to be performed
    then, employees, in consultation with the principal and other relevant employees, may carry out the task based risk assessment using the Risk Assessment Template or its equivalent and develop a Safe Work Procedure to be displayed adjacent to where hazardous manual handling tasks are carried out
• eliminate or reduce the level of risk associated with hazardous manual handling tasks so far as is reasonably practicable, by considering the risk factors in the Manual Handling Procedure
• implement and record additional controls in the OHS Risk Register and, if used, the Risk Assessment Template if:
  • specific hazardous manual handling tasks are not understood
  • individual factors need to be considered, for example, skills and level of training
  • there are issues surrounding the load to be moved (for example, too heavy, too large)
  • there are environmental considerations (for example, layout/design or work area)
  • there has been a near miss, incident or injury reported as result of manual handling task
• ensure all employees, volunteers, visitors and casual relief teachers are informed about the potential hazardous manual handling tasks and risk controls
• ensure that completed training is added to the OHS Training Planner/Register
• review the effectiveness of risk controls in the OHS Risk Register and, if used, the Risk Assessment Template in consultation with the HSR and employees and communicate the outcomes to all employees and HSR.

The Manual Handling Procedure provides further information on the process for meeting the above requirements.

The Manual Handling Guide is an informative resource designed to assist principals or their delegate to implement OHS requirements for manual handling.

Definitions

Hazardous manual handling
Work requiring the use of force exerted by a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or otherwise move, hold or restrain a thing if the work involves one or more of the following:

• sustained awkward position
• repetitive movement
• application of single or repetitive use of unreasonable amount of force
• exposure to vibration
• lifting persons or animals
• unbalanced or unstable loads
• loads that are difficult to grasp or hold.

Musculoskeletal risks
Risks of developing musculoskeletal disorders which constitute any injury, illness or disease that arises in whole or in part from manual handling in the workplace, whether suddenly occurring or over a prolonged period of time, but does not include an injury, illness or disease caused by crushing entrapment or cut resulting primarily from the mechanical operation of plant.

Related policies

• OHS Induction and Training
• OHS Management System (OHSMS) Overview
• OHS Risk Management

Related legislation

• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic)

Manual Handling Procedure

The Manual Handling Procedure must be followed, and sets out the practical step-by-step instructions for implementing this policy.

It contains the following chapters:

1. Identify hazardous manual handling tasks
2. Risk assessment process
3. Record current risk controls
4. Additional controls
5. Information, instruction and training
6. Reviewing risk control measures
7. Legislation, codes of practice, standards and guidance

1 Identify hazardous manual handling tasks

The principal and/or their delegate must identify hazardous manual handling tasks undertaken in the workplace in consultation with employees and health and safety representatives (HSR).

Refer to the Manual Handling Guide for examples of hazardous manual handling tasks in schools.

A summary of these tasks should be included in the ‘Hazard Description’ column of your workplace OHS Risk Register.

2 Risk assessment process

The principal and/or their delegate must assess the level of risk for tasks that have been identified as potentially hazardous, take into account the current risk controls implemented and the following risk factors:

• task (e.g. undertaken for long periods of time)
• individual (e.g. skills and training level)
• load (e.g. too heavy, too large)
• environment (e.g. stairs to navigate, lack of space)

A risk assessment can be completed by any employee in a school, in consultation with the principal and/or their delegate and other relevant employees using the Risk Assessment Template or equivalent when:

• there is a high or extreme level of risk in the OHS Risk Register
• there is uncertainty about the level of risk associated with activities to be undertaken
• there is limited understanding and/or knowledge about individual manual handling tasks to be performed

The assigned level of risk must be recorded in the OHS risk register and/or Risk Assessment Template or equivalent.

Sample risk assessments have been designed as generic guides to assist workplaces in assessing common manual handling risks.

A Safe Work Procedure (SWP) must be developed and displayed adjacent to where the hazardous manually handling task is to be carried out. Employees must be trained in the process as documented in the SWP.

3 Record current risk controls

The principal and/or their delegate must ensure that the level of risk associated with hazardous manual handling tasks is eliminated or reduced so far as is reasonably practicable, by considering and addressing the factors listed under section 2, the ‘Risk assessment process’ in this Guidance.

The principal and/or their delegate must ensure that current risk controls are recorded in the OHS Risk Register. Current risk controls must also be recorded in the Risk Assessment Template or equivalent, where a detailed task based risk assessment was performed.

Refer to the Manual Handling Guide for sample risk controls.

4 Additional controls

There are cases when current risk controls may not be sufficient to effectively manage risks, which would necessitate additional controls if:

• specific hazardous manual handlings tasks are not understood
• individual factors need to be considered, for example, skills and level of training
• there are issues surrounding the load to be moved (e.g. too heavy, too large)
• there are environmental considerations, for example, layout/design or work area
• there has been a near miss, incident or injury reported as result of manual handling task

The principal and/or their delegate must ensure that additional controls are recorded in the OHS Risk Register and Risk Assessment Template or equivalent.

5 Information, instruction and training

The principal and/or their delegate must ensure all employees, volunteers, visitors and casual relief teachers are informed about the potential hazardous manual handling tasks and risk controls, by:

• having all employees complete the Manual Handling eLearning Module (login required)
• presenting the Manual Handling Awareness Training to employees
• providing employees with risk assessments and the opportunity to raise questions and participate in consultative processes
• completing an induction prior to commencing work as mentioned in the OHS Induction and Training Policy
• communicating the process to report manual handling hazards, near misses and incidents

Records of training should be documented in the OHS Training Planner/Register.

6 Reviewing risk control measures

The principal and/or their delegate must review the effectiveness of risk controls in the OHS Risk Register and completed risk assessments, in consultation with the HSR and employees. Once reviewed communicate the outcomes of the review to all employees and HSR.

7 Legislation, codes of practice, standards and guidance

• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic)
• WorkSafe Victoria Compliance code: Hazardous manual handling, Edition 2, December 2019
• WorkSafe Victoria Guidance Sheet: Hazardous Manual Handling: review and revision of risk control measures

Resources

Guides

Manual Handling Guide — a resource designed to assist principals or their delegate to implement occupational health and safety (OHS) requirements for manual handling.

Display material

• S.M.A.R.T Lifting Poster

Example risk assessments for activities involving manual handling

• Display-of-artwork Risk Assessment — Example
• Stage Set-up Risk Assessment — Example
• Transporting and Storage of Heavy and Unstable Books Risk Assessment — Example
• Transporting and Storage of Large Boxes and Containers Risk Assessment — Example
• Transporting and Storage of Sporting Equipment Risk Assessment — Example

Resources for training

• Manual Handling Awareness Training

Other templates relevant to this policy and procedure

• OHS Risk Register — to record manual handling tasks that are potentially hazardous
• Risk Assessment Template — for assessing risks associated with manual handling
• Safe Work Procedure — to be developed and displayed adjacent to where hazardous manual handling tasks are carried out
• OHS Training Planner / Register — to record any completed training in manual handling