Potential Injuries & Ill Health From Incorrect Manual Handling
Regularly lifting, carrying or handling materials and items can cause serious injuries and ill health and the table below highlights. Remember you should not accept these injuries as an inevitable part of your work.
Potential Manual Handling Injuries
| Injury / Ill Health | Cause |
|---|---|
| Spinal Injury | The lower back or LUMBAR SPINE is the weakest part of your spine as it carries the weight of the upper body, and therefore most likely to be damaged when maul handling something which is too heavy |
| Repetitive Strain | Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is caused by repeated use of a body part, such as your shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist or hand |
| Musculo-skeletal & connective tissue damage such as sprains | Connective tissue can be torn as a result of lifting too much and fractures and beaks can also occur. |
| Cuts, bruises & abrasions | Lifting something with sharp edges or which is abrasive without the correct PPE (gloves, protective footwear) |
| Hernia | A hernia occurs when an internal part of the body pushes through a weakness in the muscle or surrounding tissue wall following lifting something which is too heavy / incorrectly. |
| Burns | Lifting something hot such as a petrol driven tool |
| Stress, anxiety & depression | Brought about as a side effect of dealing with long-term pain |