Aches, pains and strains in construction campaign launched

Aches, pains and strains in construction campaign launched
 
Over the next few weeks, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be targeting construction sites across Great Britain as part of an initiative to raise awareness of health issues in relation to moving and handling materials. 
 
During 2021, 40,000 construction workers suffered work-related injuries to muscles, bones, joints and nerves – commonly referred to as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).  Common MSDs include upper limbs and back injuries that can be caused or made worse by:

- Heavy lifting

- Working in awkward positions

- Prolonged repetitive work

- Bending

- Sustained or excessive force

Workers should not accept MSDs as an inevitable part of construction work, and employers have a legal duty to protect workers from ill health.  Risks associated with moving and handling should be considered at the design stage; if these tasks are managed properly, a physical job should not result in injuries which have the potential to affect workers’ lives. 
 
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 outline a hierarchy of measures for dealing with risk from manual handling which may cause harm.  These are:
 
- avoid hazardous manual handling operations so far as reasonably practicable
- assess any manual handling operations that cannot be avoided
- reduce the risk of injury to as low as reasonably practicable

To help employers assess the most common risk factors associated with manual handling, the HSE has produced a range of free guidance documents.  These include: 

Manual Handling: A brief guide

Manual Handling: What you need to know as a busy builder

Manual Handling Assessment Charts