Manual handling operations are a significant risk factor in the development of Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs is a term used to cover injury, damage or disorder of the joints or other tissue in the upper/lower limbs or back. They account for 41% of all ill health cases, 34% of working days lost and are one of HSE’s focus areas for 2018/2019.
Across our own food and drink clients, manual handling is the second top cause type for the claims we receive. The average cost of claim for our food and drink clients is £5,565 inclusive of costs. In addition to this, there can be a number of hidden costs to your business such as time spent investigating, production delays, overtime working, lost time, and customer impact.
A breach of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations (MHOR) 1992 is no longer actionable in the civil courts since section 69 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 came into force.
However an employee is more able to prove that an employer has been negligent if the employer is unable to show that the risk of the manual handling task has been reduced to the lowest level reasonably practicable.
The Regulations require an employer to manage the risks to their employees by:
There are a number of factors which may impact your defensibility prospects, the most common being;
Reducing the risk of injury is an ongoing process for an employer. Below we set out some practical guidance addressing what you can do to helpn improve your defensibility prospects.
Claire Rowlands
The service you deliver is integral to the success of your business. With the right technology, we can help you to heighten your customer experience, improve underwriting performance, and streamline processes.