This leaflet includes the Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC). MAC is a tool developed to help users identify high-risk workplace manual handling activities. Employers and safety representatives can use the tool to assess the risks posed by lifting, carrying and team manual handling activities. Oct 05, 2005 Posted By benjaminc Hi all, Just wondered how/if anyone is using the HSE MAC Tool? I have been reveiwing our Manual Handling Assessment procedures recently and would like to do this as. The Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC) is a tool aimed at employers, health and safety managers and safety representatives and is used by health and safety inspectors. The tool will help individuals to assess the most common risk factors in lifting (and lowering), carrying and team handling.
Topics:- Manual handling, Making health and safety work for your business
Manual handling relates to the moving of items either by lifting, lowering, carrying, pushing or pulling.
What is the maximum weight that can be lifted?
Where possible manual lifting should be avoided and mechanical lifting devices such as sack trucks or trollies should be used whenever possible.
There is no legal maximum weight that a person can safely lift. Lifting any weight can cause injury and much depends on the object being lifted, the environment, the shape of the object, the physical characteristics of the lifter and well as the distance of the object from the spine.
Manual handling assessment charts (the MAC tool) Page 2 of 20. Using the MAC may not comprise a ‘suitable and sufficient’ risk assessment (see. The Appendix in Manual handling (L23) 4) for more advice on this. You are likely to need to do a full risk assessment when the activities fall outside the boundaries of. Manual handling assessment charts (the MAC tool) This is a web-friendly version of leaflet INDG383(rev1), published 01/14 Note The MAC is not appropriate for some manual handling operations, for example those that involve pushing and pulling. Its use does not comprise a full risk assessment (see Manual handling in ‘Further reading’). Manual Handling Assessment Charts (the MAC tool) January 29, 2017 / in News / by lelia The MAC tool was developed to help the user identify high-risk workplace manual handling activities and can be used to assess the risks posed by lifting, carrying and team manual handling activities.
An employer should provide employees with training in lifting objects. It is best not to lift objects where possible however where necessary lifting aids should be utilised.
For males in good physical condition the Approved Code of Practice on manual handling recommends a maximum weight limit of 25 kg, under optimum conditions that is, lifting up and setting down at waist level, with the object being easy to grasp with good hand holds with its centre of gravity close to the spine. If lifting and setting down objects at ankle level the weight limit reduces to about 5 kg. It is important to remember however that this is only guidance.
An employer must have risk assessments on manual handling as required by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 and have developed a safe system of work for lifting as required by the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978. An employee should be able to ask for the findings of a risk assessment. The risk assessment will define the control measures necessary to protect health and safety.
Should an employer only consider lifting and lowering?
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No, the Manual Handling Operations Regulations also apply to objects being pushed and pulled across a floor.
Is my employer required to provide training for manual handling?
Yes, your employer is required to take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of injury to those employees undertaking manual handling operations.
Also, an employer is required to provide information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to protect a person’s health and safety arising from manual handling tasks.
Controls
The Manual Handling Regulations establishes a clear hierarchy of control measures, the risk assessments must show that these measures have been considered. The hierarchy of control measures are as follows:
- avoid hazardous manual handling operations by addressing the following questions:
- can the movement of loads be eliminated for example can the task be re-designed to avoid moving loads or could delivery be arranged to the point of use?
- can the operations be automated?
- can mechanical devices be used for example trucks, barrows, rollers, handling aids, forklift trucks, sack trucks?
- make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the risk of injury of any hazardous manual handling operations that cannot be avoided
- reduce the risk of injury for operations so far as is reasonably practicable; this can be done by improvements to the task and load (for example reduce the load size and/or distance travelled; consider a team load).
Is there a guide to help employers with manual handling assessments?
Yes. The manual handling assessment charts (the MAC tool) was developed to help the user identify high risk workplace manual handling activities and can be used to assess the risks posed by lifting, carrying and team manual handling activities.
It is designed to help employers understand, interpret and categorise the level of risk of the various known risk factors associated with manual handling activities. It incorporates a numerical and a colour-coding score system to highlight hiugh risk manual handling tasks.
The MAC tool is available from the following link:
Does a two person lift mean twice as much can be lifted?
No. Handling by two or more people may make possible an operation that is beyond the capability of one person or reduce the risk of injury to a single handler.
During a lifting operation the proportion of the load that is borne by each member of the team will inevitably vary to some extent. Such variation is likely to be more pronounced on sloping or uneven ground. Therefore, the load that a team can handle safely is less than the sum of the loads that the individual team members could cope with when working alone.
As an approximate guide the capability of a two person team is two-thirds the sum of their individual capabilities and for a three person team the capability is half the sum of their individual capabilities. Teams of more than four are unlikely to work successfully.
What is the correct lifting technique?
There is no single correct way to lift. The technique for lifting will depend on many things such as the weight and size of the object. For example, it would be easier to pick up something that is boxed and has handholds than something awkwardly shaped or where the weight is unevenly distributed.
The content of any training in good handling technique should be tailored to the particular situation or individual circumstances under which the manual handling takes place. HSE has published guidance which contains illustrations of good handling practice (please see resources).
Resources
Key legislation
Please note that these links are to the original legislation, visitors should verify for themselves whether legislation is in force or whether it has been amended or repealed by subsequent legislation.
The MAC tool was developed to help the user identify high-risk workplace manual handling activities and can be used to assess the risks posed by lifting, carrying and team manual handling activities.
It is designed to help you understand, interpret and categorise the level of risk of the various known risk factors associated with manual handling activities. It incorporates a numerical and a colour-coding score system to highlight high-risk manual handling tasks.
Manual handling
According to the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (MHOR), manual handling is defined as:
‘...any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or bodily force’
The MHOR establish a clear hierarchy of measures for dealing with risks from manual handling:
- avoid hazardous manual handling operations so far as is reasonably practicable;
- assess any hazardous manual handling operations that cannot be avoided; and
- reduce the risk of injury so far as is reasonably practicable.
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A detailed assessment of every manual handling operation could be a major undertaking and might involve wasted effort. Many handling operations, for example the occasional lifting of a small lightweight object, will involve negligible handling risk. To help identify situations where a more detailed risk assessment is necessary, HSE has developed filters to screen out straightforward cases (see Appendix of L23).
Hse Manual Handling Guide
Using the MAC will help to identify high-risk manual handling activities within the workplace. However, the MAC is not appropriate for all manual handing operations, and may not comprise a full risk assessment. Therefore it is unlikely to be acceptable if relied upon alone. To be ‘suitable and sufficient’, a risk assessment will normally need to take account of additional information such as individual capabilities, and should conform to the requirements in the MHOR. People with knowledge and experience of the handling operations, industry specific guidance, and specialist advice may also be helpful. Remember to consult and involve employees and safety representatives.