HSE Backs Campaign!

Wednesday, 5th October 2005

A recent Health & Safety Executive project (Backs! 2005) has focused on combating the high level of back injuries in the workplace. It is a pertinent issue. Back pain accounts for 20% of injuries suffered at work: a statistic that highlights the organisational and financial pain suffered by organisations nearly as much as it does the physical pain suffered by employees.

Even though the ‘Manual Handling Operations Regulations, 1992’ made training for those at risk of manual handling injury, a statutory requirement, the Health & Safety Executive report that over 23,000 work-related manual handling accidents occur each year. The majority of these accidents occur in the healthcare sector, where each year around 14,000 accidents result from the moving and handling of people. It has been estimated that, annually, around 3,500 nursing staff are forced to retire as a result of manual handling-related injuries.

The HSE’s campaign, which included an education and inspection programme, developed in partnership with Local Authorities and other stakeholders, aimed to encourage imaginative solutions to musculo-skeletal disorder (MSD) issues. HSE Inspectors and Local Authority Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) also gathered detailed information on MSDs and incidence of back pain in the workplace.

HSE Inspectors and EHOs completed a two part Inspection Report Form (IRF) during each site visit. The form aimed to gather information in a range of areas including; the nature of manual handling tasks undertaken, the level of risk involved, accident monitoring and whether risk assessments were already in place.

Since 1998, EDGE Services have been one of the leading training providers helping employer’s to meet their legal obligations under the ‘Manual Handling Operations Regulations, 1992 (as amended)’ as well as related Codes of Practice such as the ‘Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER), 1998’ and ‘Provision and Use of Work Equipment regulations (PUWER), 1998.’ Which enable employees to undertake manual handling tasks as safely as possible.

For more details regarding EDGE Services manual handling courses, please visit our Course Index here on the website or call us direct on 01904 677853.