Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 Explained

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The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 are the law in Great Britain that controls the risk of injury from moving loads by hand or by bodily force. They require employers to avoid hazardous manual handling so far as reasonably practicable, assess any that cannot be avoided and reduce the risk of injury to the lowest level reasonably practicable. Employees, in turn, must use the safe systems of work their employer provides.

If you need your team to understand the regulations and practise safe handling, see our Manual Handling Awareness and Practice course page. This guide explains what the regulations say in plain English.

What counts as manual handling?

Regulation 2 of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 defines manual handling operations as any transporting or supporting of a load, including lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving it, by hand or by bodily force. A load includes any person and any animal, not just boxes and materials.

On site that covers far more than lifting: pushing a wheelbarrow, pulling a pallet truck and holding a board in place while it is fixed all count.

The regulations have applied since 1 January 1993. Employer duties also apply to certain self-employed people in respect of themselves.

Regulation 4: avoid, assess, reduce

Regulation 4 is the heart of the regulations. It sets a clear order of steps for any manual handling that involves a risk of injury:

Step	What regulation 4 requires	What it looks like in practice
1. Avoid	So far as is reasonably practicable, avoid the need for employees to do manual handling that involves a risk of injury	Redesign the task, deliver materials to the point of use, or use a hoist, conveyor, pallet truck or forklift
2. Assess	Where it cannot be avoided, make a suitable and sufficient assessment, having regard to the factors in Schedule 1	Look at the task, the load, the working environment and the individual, and involve the workers who do the job
3. Reduce	Take appropriate steps to reduce the risk of injury to the lowest level reasonably practicable	Handling aids, smaller or lighter loads, a better layout, a manageable work rate and good handling technique
Inform	Give information on the weight of each load and its heaviest side, precisely where reasonably practicable	Mark the weight and the heavier side on loads

The assessment must be reviewed if there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid, or if there has been a significant change in the handling operations it covers. Any changes needed as a result must be made.

Regulation 4(3), added in 2002, says the employer must also consider the individual: their physical suitability, the clothing and footwear they wear, their knowledge and training, whether they belong to a group identified as especially at risk, and the results of any health surveillance.

What does reasonably practicable mean?

HSE explains that reasonably practicable means balancing the level of risk against the measures needed to control it in terms of money, time or trouble. You do not need to take action if it would be grossly disproportionate to the level of risk.

Schedule 1: what an assessment must cover

Schedule 1 of the regulations lists the factors to consider in an assessment, with questions under each: the tasks, the loads, the working environment, individual capability and other factors such as PPE or clothing that restricts movement. These are often shortened to TILE, or TILEO. We explain each letter in our guide to what TILE stands for in manual handling.

Regulation 5: duties of employees

Regulation 5 says every employee at work must make full and proper use of any system of work provided by their employer to reduce the risk of injury. HSE’s brief guide to manual handling adds that workers should also:

use properly any equipment provided for their health and safety
cooperate with their employer on health and safety matters
tell their employer if things change or if they spot hazardous handling
take care that their activities do not put others at risk

Our guide to what the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 covers explains the wider duties every worker has.

Is there a maximum weight you can lift at work?

No. The regulations do not set any weight limits, and HSE says the weight of a load is important but is only one factor. What HSE does publish is a set of simple risk filters. These are guideline weights that help you spot low-risk lifting and lowering so you can focus your assessment effort on the jobs that need it.

The filter for lifting and lowering divides the space in front of the body into zones. Each zone has a guideline weight for men and for women, which is lower when the load is held with the arms extended:

Zone the hands pass through	Men, close to body	Men, arms extended	Women, close to body	Women, arms extended
Above shoulder height	10 kg	5 kg	7 kg	3 kg
Elbow to shoulder height	20 kg	10 kg	13 kg	7 kg
Knuckle to elbow height	25 kg	15 kg	16 kg	10 kg
Mid lower leg to knuckle height	20 kg	10 kg	13 kg	7 kg
Below mid lower leg height	10 kg	5 kg	7 kg	3 kg

Read these figures carefully. HSE’s INDG143 leaflet sets out the rules for using them:

They are not safe limits. They describe conditions where the risk is low; working outside them is likely to increase it.
They are based on population data, not on what any one person can lift.
They assume good conditions: the load is easy to grasp with both hands, the working conditions are reasonable and the worker is in a stable position.
Use the lowest figure if the hands pass through more than one zone during the lift.
A more detailed assessment is needed if the lift involves twisting, is done more than once every two minutes, is a team lift, or the person may be at significant risk, such as a new or expectant mother, a young worker or someone with a recent injury.

The same figures can be used for carrying a load held against the body for up to about 10 metres without resting, or up to 20 metres if it is carried securely on the shoulder. For seated handling, the filter values are 5 kg for men and 3 kg for women. HSE’s legal guidance on the regulations, L23, warns that operations exceeding the filter values by more than about a factor of two may represent a serious risk of injury even for fit, well-trained people, and should be a high priority for full assessment.

Where a task falls outside the filters, HSE’s MAC and RAPP tools help with a more detailed assessment.

Where does training fit in?

HSE is clear that training on its own cannot make a badly designed task safe, so the first aim is always to avoid or redesign the handling. Once that is done, training is an important way to manage the risk that remains. HSE says it should be specific to the job and include good handling technique and practical work, so the trainer can correct anything unsafe.

Meeting the regulations with Target Zero

Our one-day Manual Handling Awareness and Practice course is designed to help organisations comply with the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992. It covers the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Manual Handling Regulations, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, how the spine and muscular system work, assessing the task, the load, the working environment and individual capabilities, and the responsibilities of employers and employees. Practical exercises in correct handling techniques are built in.

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FAQs

What are the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992?

They are regulations that apply in Great Britain and require employers to avoid hazardous manual handling so far as reasonably practicable, assess the risk from any that cannot be avoided and reduce that risk as far as reasonably practicable.

What is regulation 4 of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations?

Regulation 4 sets out the employer’s duties: avoid hazardous manual handling, make a suitable and sufficient assessment of any that cannot be avoided, reduce the risk of injury to the lowest level reasonably practicable, and give information on the weight of loads and their heaviest side.

What is the maximum weight you can lift at work in the UK?

There is no legal maximum. HSE’s highest guideline filter weights are 25 kg for men and 16 kg for women, for loads held close to the body between knuckle and elbow height. They are not safe limits.

What are employees’ duties under the manual handling regulations?

Under regulation 5, employees must make full and proper use of any system of work their employer provides to reduce the risk of injury. HSE guidance adds using equipment properly, cooperating with the employer and reporting hazards or changes.

How often should a manual handling risk assessment be reviewed?

The regulations do not set a fixed period. An assessment must be reviewed if there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or if there has been a significant change in the handling operations it covers.

To put the regulations into practice on site, see dates and book on our Manual Handling Awareness and Practice course page, or call 0333 444 0018 to talk to our team.