This document provides health and safety advice for stonemasons regarding manual handling. It summarizes statistics showing that lifting, handling, or carrying accounted for 16.7% of construction injuries in 2008/2009. It outlines employers' responsibilities under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations to avoid hazardous manual handling, assess risks, and reduce risks. It also outlines workers' responsibilities. The document provides guidance on manual handling training, assessing risks by considering the task, load, environment, individual capability and other factors. It provides advice on lifting safely and using mechanical lifting aids.

1. Manual Handling
Health and Safety Advice for Stonemasons
Stonemasonry Department 2011

2. Statistics Statistics
Number of major injuries to employees in construction 2008/2009
Falls from Height
Slips, trips or falls (same
height)
Struck by moving/falling
object
Injured lifting, handling
or carrying
According to statistics for reported major injuries in the construction industry in
2008/2009, lifting, handling or carrying accounted for 16.7% of total injuries.
*Information taken from Construction Intelligence Report, HSE,

3. Legislation
Manual handling operations are
covered by the Manual Handling
Operations Regulations
(MHOR) 1992. A copy of the
manual handling regulations
can be found at the following
website:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/
uksi/1992/2793/contents/made

4. Employers Responsibilities
Avoid Assess Reduce
The regulations require employers to:
Avoid the need for hazardous manual handling, so far as is reasonably
practicable
Assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling that cant be
avoided
Reduce the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling, so far as is
reasonably practicable

5. Your Responsibilities
Make appropriate use of equipment provided for your safety
Co-operate with your employer on health and safety matters
Inform your employer if you identify a hazardous handling activity
Ensure your activities do not put others at risk

6. Training
Before carrying out a manual handling task, operatives should have received manual
handling training. The training should include:
•Manual handling risk factors and how
injuries can occur
•How to carry out safe manual handling
including good handling technique
•Appropriate systems of work for the
individual’s tasks and environment
•Use of mechanical aids
•Practical work to allow the trainer to
identify and put right anything the trainee
is not doing safely

7. Assessing the Risk
Your employer has a duty to assess the risks associated with manual handling. When
carrying out their risk assessment, they should consider the following:
•The task
•The load
•The environment
•Individual capability
•Other factors
The next slides will identify the questions
your employer must answer for each of the
considerations

8. The Task
Your employer has a duty to answer the following questions regarding the lifting task.
Does the task involve:
•Holding or manipulating loads at distance from the
trunk?
•Unsatisfactory bodily movement or posture, especially
twisting the trunk, stooping or reaching upward?
•Excessive movement of loads including excessive lifting
or lowering distances, carrying distances or pushing or
pulling of loads?
•Risk of sudden movement of loads?
•Frequent or prolonged physical effort?
•Insufficient rest or recovery periods?
•A rate of work imposed by a process?

9. The Load
Your employer has a duty to answer the following questions regarding the load of the
object being lifted. Is the load:
•Heavy?
•Bulky or unwieldy?
•Difficult to grasp?
•Unstable, or with contents likely
to shift?
•Sharp, hot or otherwise
potentially damaging?

10. The Environment
Your employer has a duty to answer the following questions regarding the
environment. Are there:
•Space constraints preventing good
posture?
•Uneven, slippery or unstable floors?
•Variations in level of floors or work
surfaces?
•Extremes of temperature or humidity?
•Conditions causing ventilation problems
or gusts of wind?
•Poor lighting conditions?

11. Individual Capability
Your employer has a duty to answer the following questions regarding individual
capability and other factors. Does the job:
•Require unusual strength, height etc?
•Create a hazard to those who might
reasonably be considered to be pregnant or to
have a health problem?
•Require special information or training for its
safe performance?
•Is movement or posture hindered by
personal protective equipment or by clothing?

12. Manual Handling Loads
The MHOC 1992 does not specify what is considered to be a safe working load. The
degree of risk associated with lifting varies according to the nature of the load, the
circumstances in which the lift takes place, how often the lifting is carried out and the
weight of the item being lifted. The diagram above should be considered a guide.

13. Lifting Safely
1. Adopt a stable position with feet apart
and one leg slightly forward to maintain
balance
2. Start in a good posture
3. Keep the head up when handling
4. Put the load down then adjust

14. Lifting Aids

15. Mechanical Lifting Aids

17. References
The information in this presentation has been sourced from:
•Getting to Grips with Manual Handling, A Short Guide: HSE Publications
•Health and Safety in Construction: HSE Publications
•Construction Intelligence Report: HSE Publications
•http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1992/2793/contents/made

18. Developed by The Stonemasonry Department
City of Glasgow College
2011