Posted By louise boyd
question everyone on manual handling!

I work in a shop that involves carrying a single case of coke etc that weights 12 litres across a distance of about 12 feet from the store to the fridge.
now my concern is that someone is going to get a manual handling injury there are young workers in this shop i.e under 18 also nearly all the workers are female and this is quite a heavy weight to be carrying this distance several times a day.
I raised this issue with my manager and requested that they buy a small trolley as it would be more efficent and and would reduce the risk of injury and they said NO!!
I informed my manger that they might be in breach of the manual handling regs which basically tell you
AVOID
ASSESS
REDUCE
seeing as it is reasonably practical to aviod the need to carry these heavy cases for these distances by providing a simple trolley that could be purchased for under £100.
I also dont think that that there risk assessment is suitable and suificent to allow this activity to be carried out.
My manger laughed at me and said they are not in breach of the manal regalations because the cases are not heavy enough to warrant a trolley and are within guidline limits.
I thought the guideline limits of what you can lift for a male and female at shoulder height etc were just guidelines not set in stone law that you must exceed these weights before doing anything about manual handling issues seeing as every indivual is different and has different capabilities in what they can lift.

anyones thoughts on this would be appreciated

Posted By Glyn Atkinson
You have of course read all of your employer's written manual handling assessments that the owner has complied, put in place, and trained all of the staff as to their contents - as well as the Young Person's manual handling assessment with special care not to injure a young person with the continued potential for ongoing growing bones that could be injured?

In common sense terms, if the load can be split and moved in smaller loads, then it makes sense to do so. If the owner insists on the full case being moved each time, then you have a load with repetitive actions that needs to be properly assessed.

£100 for a trolley seems way over the top, by the way especially for this type of intermittent task.

Several national machine tools and equipment suppliers can let you have a foldable two wheel sack-barrow that would handle such a load for under £30 - useful for all sorts of shop loads to save on manual handling - could also be hung on the back of a door when not in use.

Posted By Jane Blunt
This is only about 12 kg.

Jane

Posted By Seamus O Sullivan
Hi,
Wonder what will be management's response if one of the employees announces she is pregnant, can she still do the task?
I have a client whom did just that and now management no longer has work for her, I just am throwing this out as there is some manual handling involved.

regards

seamus

Posted By Mike Craven
Louise

My initial thought was this wasn’t an issue and your manager’s response was quite understandable. After all, we seemed to be talking about an occasional task where people carry a standard, not particularly heavy (12kg) item a very short distance (12 feet?) in a shop.

However, to be a bit more constructive, I would offer the following advice.

Carry out a manual handling risk assessment, using the acronym “TILE” (Task, Individual, Load, Environment)

Task

Is it repetitive? (How much coke do you sell? – I assume we are talking about soft drinks, by the way!! The OP says that the task is carried out “several times a day” – what do you mean by several?) How far do you have to carry the load? Do you have to carry up or down stairs? Is the load lifted from ground level or from a shelf? Do you have to reach up or bend down/stoop when taking the load from the store or when putting it in the fridge?

Individual

How many people carry out this task? Is any training or instruction required? Is anyone pregnant? Does anyone have an existing back complaint, condition or disability that may affect their ability to perform this task? Is everyone fit enough to handle the load? Do young or inexperienced staff need supervision?

Load

How heavy is it? Can it be split into smaller/lighter loads before being moved? Is it bulky or awkward to carry? (Are you taking about cases of cans of coke? Small bottles? Large bottles?)

Environment

Flooring (uneven? tripping hazards? slippery?) Lighting? Travel route obstructed? Hot, cold, humid working conditions? Do working conditions (including long-working hours) cause people to get tired and become less able to cope with manual handling tasks, and become more liable to have accidents, towards the end of the working day/shift?

You should then know for sure – and have evidence to support your claim – whether or not your suggestion about purchasing a mechanical aid is appropriate. (If so, you would the, of course, have to consider the suitability of the mechanical aid.)

Hope this helps

Mike

Posted By louise boyd
thanks everyone for your response
but I should have made it more claer in original post that:

THESE CASES OF COLA ARE BEING LIFTED FROM GROUND LEVEL!!!

ALSO WE HAVE TO CARRY THE WHOLE CASE AT ONE TIME NOT ALLOWED TO SPLIT UP PRESSURE TO GET THE SHELVES STACKED!!

AND IT IS LABOUR INTESIVE ONE STAFF MEMBER MIGHT LIFT UP 30 CASES OF THIS COLA AND OTHER SOFT DRINKS OF SAME WEIGHT CONTINUISLY UNTIL THE FRIDGE IS RESTOCKED. AND CARRY THEM OVER 12 FEET EVERY CASE.

THEN YOU HAVE TO HOLD THE CASE IN ONE HAND TO HAVE THE OTHER HAND FREE TO RESTOCK AND WHEN THE CASE IS SPLIT IT BECOMES UNSTEADY OR ALTERNATIVELY SET IT ON THE FLOOR THEN YOU ARE CONSTANTLY BENDING.

AND WITH RESPECT I AM GOING HOME EVERYDAY WITH BAVK PAIN SO I THINK I HAVE A RIGHT TO COMPLAIN TO MY EMPLOYER.

Posted By Ron Hunter
Louise, your clarification and expanded detail confirms you have a potential problem.
Shelf stacking and stock replenishing is a task carried out by hundreds of people across the land, usually with the benefit of handling aids,training,and sufficient time to do the job.
I am particularly concerned that you are under time pressure.
So, how to resolve?
In smaller workplaces, where there is no intermediary such as a Trades Union Representative or a health and safety manager/adviser, or even the opportunity to take the issue up to Head Office, you are faced with few choices.
First is to arrange suitable intervention by the Local Authority Enforcement Officer without an obvious link to you - always difficult, and could still result in punitive action by your employer if he twigs that the game is afoot.
The second choice is to leave.
Sorry I can't be more helpful Louise, but that is a "real world" answer. There are (and there will continue to be) some uncaring employers out there.
I wouldn't want you to end up with a serious back injury. Actually getting compensation monies out of an employer can be a difficult task - and it won't make your back better.
I know - it isn't right, and it isn't fair.