HSPOL05 Manual Handling Policy v6 by Provide Community

Manual

Handling Policy

Version: V6

Ratified by: Finance and Investment Committee (FIC)

Date ratified: 25/05/2022

Job Title of author:

Health, Safety, Fire and Security Manager –Estates and Facilities

Reviewed by Committee or Expert Group Property Health and Safety Steering Group

Equality Impact Assessed by:

1. Introduction

Provide is committed to improving the health and safety of its employees and reducing the risks of musculoskeletal injury from manual handling.

Employees will receive manual handling information and training relevant to their duties and responsibilities

All manual-handling operations (whether clinical or non-clinical) will be assessed to identify whether there is a potential risk of injury, (as required under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999). If a potential risk is identified then, where reasonably practicable, this task should be avoided, or a detailed risk assessment carried out in order to reduce the risk so faras is reasonably practicable, asrequired by the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.

Where potentially hazardous manual handling tasks cannot be avoided, an assessment should be carried out under headings of task, individual capability, load and environment, and a strategy devised to reduce the risks to the lowest level reasonably practicable. If the risk cannot be reduced to an acceptable level, then further advice must be sought, or the tasks should not be carried out.

Manual handling operations will be regularly reviewed, and further recommendations implemented to reduce the risk of injury so far as is reasonably practicable.

2. Purpose

The aim of this Manual Handling Policy is to outline the principles and strategies of risk assessment and management, so that hazardous manual handling is avoided or made as safe as is reasonably practicable, thereby meeting Provide’s responsibility under current legislation.

Definitions

Assessment

A structured wayof recognising and analysing risksand identifying practical solutions. The aim of the assessment is to use an ergonomics approach involving adapting the task to the worker.

Hazard

The potential to cause harm.

Risk

The likelihood of harm occurring, its potential severity and numbers likely to be affected.

Load

A discrete, moveable object, which may include a person or animal.

Manual Handling

Any transporting or supporting a load (including lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving thereof) by hand or bodily force.

4. Duties

Group Chief Executive

Chief Executive of Provide has overall responsibility for all matters of health and safety of staff and for ensuring mechanisms are in place for the overall implementation, maintenance, monitoring and revision of the policy.

Group Chief Officers

Each Executive Director is responsible for ensuring that the Manual Handling Policy is implemented, with overall responsibility for all matters of health, safety and welfare within their directorate/service.

The responsibilities as outlined in this policy are understood and carried out by all staff within their area of control.

Adequate funds for staff, equipment and environmental alterations for manual handling operations are available within their budget.

Directors/Assistant Director

• Ensure the manual handling policy is observed

• Ensure managers who report to them understand and implement the Manual Handling Policy

• Ensure that managers who report to them develop their own local Code of Practice for manual handling based on that of the organisation

• Ensure that the managers identify lead workers for manual handling within their area of responsibility

• Ensure funds are adequate for staff and equipment to meet safety requirements for manual handling Managers

• Co-operate with improvement requests following environmental manual handling risk assessments and audit, generic and individual manual handling risk assessments

• Ensure that all staff attend training on manual handling appropriate to their duties and responsibilities

• Where appropriate develop their own local Code of Practice for manual handling operations based on that of the organisation

• When responsible for a department, annually complete an environmental risk assessment (including fixtures and fittings) and furniture and equipment audit, arrange any necessary improvements to the environment where reasonably practicable and ensure there is adequate and appropriate equipment which is regularly maintained

• Ensure that there is a clearly marked area for storage of manual handling equipment and clear, available and accessible instructions for its use

• Ensure either an individual or generic handling assessment is completed on all potentially hazardous manual handling tasks regularly carried out by their staff and its regular review

• It is the responsibility of line managers to ensure that the Manual Handling Policy is brought to the attention of all members of staff under their control through team meetings but it is worth noting that staff will also be made aware through MyCompliance

• Ensure that the document audit tool (Appendix 1) is used to locally manage and monitor the embedding of this policy, putting action plans into place where required

• Ensure that staff under their responsibility complete the risk assessment in Appendix 2

• Ensure all new staff are familiar with this policy and related practices

• Ensure that all new staff have attended Provide Induction course in manual handling before taking part in any manual handling tasks

• Ensure that all staff attend updated manual handling training at the required intervals. (Training Matrix)

• Ensure that lead workers are trained to carry out manual handling assessments on the appropriate form

• Ensure the development and review of action plans following risk assessment

• Advise their line manager of any possible changes in the work place, staff or work activities, which would make manual handling safer

• Review and report all accidents occurring within their area of responsibility (via Datix) in line with Provide Incident Reporting and Management Policy

• Promote safer manual handling within the workplace

• Ensure that staff manual handling practice is supervised and monitored in the workplace

• Consult with Occupational Health as to fitness for work, following sick leave for a manual handling injury Employees

• Avoid hazardous manual handling so far as is reasonably practicable

• Alert their manager to any psychological or physical condition that may impair their ability to complete manual handling tasks safely

• Attend manual handling training as required and use current good practice

• Use handling equipment and strategies as recommended in the manual handling assessment, to reduce the risks of musculoskeletal strain

• Wear appropriate clothing (non-restrictive) and low-heeled supportive footwear with toe and heel enclosed

• Report any hazard (including environmental restrictions, damage to equipment, or missing equipment) to their immediate manager or supervisor (in writing where possible)

• Identify and report any changes in circumstances where they are unsure of the correct procedure to follow

• Alert their manager if they identify a un- assessed potentially hazardous manual handling task or one that they believe has unacceptably high risks attached

• Report all accidents and incidents as described in the incident reporting and management policy

• Each time manual handling is required, the employee must also evaluate the situation. They must judge whether the task is within their capabilities, knowledge, skill, experience and responsibility. They must ensure that they have sufficient information concerning the load and that they believe they can complete the task safely

Health, Safety, Fire and Security Manager

• Will ensure that the central records of accidents and injuries due to manual handling are routinely reviewed and ensure that significant findings and recommendations are communicated to appropriate staff

• Conduct a regular analysis of the records and provide reports of significant trends to senior management as well as through the Quality & Safety Committee (Q&S)

• Report as appropriate reportable manual handling injuries to relevant authorities and external bodies

• Will act as an information resource for Provide, ensuring that the relevant persons are notified of developments in relevant research and legislation

• In co-operation with Occupational Health will raise awareness of the importance of safer manual handling

• Provide support and advice to lead workers

• Liaise with Learning & Development to ensure that training is evaluated and monitored and that safer manual handling becomes effective in the workplace

• Provide consultancy to managers where complex needs are identified, for example bariatric patients

Learning & Development

• Will enable all new staff to receive manual handling training as described in the Statutory and Mandatory Training Policy and Corporate and Local Induction Policy. (See Training Matrix)

• Maintain a central record of a programme for manual handling training to ensure safer handling practice

• Ensure a procedure is in place to follow up staff who fail to attend relevant training

Occupational Health

• Check whether staff are fit for the manual handling requirements of their employment prior to appointment

• Screen employees following injury or prolonged illness to review their fitness for manual handling tasks prior to their return to work

• Be available for consultation when an employee is pregnant

• Advice managers of their employees’ fitness for the manual handling tasks required

• Ensure the appropriate communication occurs when a service user is perceived to have handling needs

• Will monitor the effectiveness of the Manual Handling Policy against standards such as musculoskeletal injuries, work-related sick leave, audit, and both paper work and walk-through observation, reporting to the Quality & Safety Committee, who will monitor against the policy standard

• Report any incidents involving the use of equipment, as advised by the MHRA, to the Head of Quality & Safety

• Advise on fitness for work, at commencement of the employment, when requested, or following musculoskeletal problems, accidents or sick leave reported by staff

The Trainers (clinical and non-clinical)

• Will act as an information resource for Provide, ensuring that the relevant persons are notified of developments in relevant research and legislation

• In co-operation with Occupational Health will raise awareness of the importance of safer manual handling

• Develop a clinical training programme for all staff (including volunteers) directly involved in manual handling

• Develop further training for lead workers, to include manual handling risk assessment and problem solving

• Provide support and advice to lead workers

• Ensure with managers and lead workers that training is evaluated and monitored and that safer manual handling becomes effective in the workplace

• Provide consultancy to managers where complex needs are identified, for example bariatric patients

5. Consultation and Communication

Provide is committed to improving the health and safety of its employees and reducing the risks of musculoskeletal injury from manual handling.

All Employees will receive manual handling information and training relevant to their duties and responsibilities

6. Monitoring

Risk assessments will be linked to incidents and claims will be reviewed by the Safety & Resilience Group and signed off by the Quality & Safety Committee to identify any learning and associated actions for sharing across the organisation, as appropriate.

The Learning and Development Department routinely report attendance at mandatory training to the Quality & Safety Committee, in line with the Statutory and Mandatorytraining Policy

The effectiveness of the policy is monitored through the incident reporting process and reviewed by the

7. Patient Safety

Service Users requiring Assistance to Move

Service users requiring assistance to move will:

• Have their needs and rights respected as individuals

• Be required to agree to an assessment of their individual handling needs before commencement of service (Appendix 3)

• Be consulted concerning their manual handling needs to enable them to liaise and participate as relevant

• Be asked to agree to a further risk assessment if the manual handling involving Provide employees is identified as potentially hazardous, and will be given a summary of the assessment and its recommendations

• Be asked to accept changes to reduce the risks of injury to Provide staff and/or themselves; this may involve the use of a hoist or other equipment

• Be advised in writing when the risks of manual handling tasks cannot be reduced sufficiently, and will be offered alternative ways of solving any problems arising from this decision

• Have access to information on the Provide Manual Handling Policy

• Be advised in writing that if they refuse to accept recommendations following a risk assessment and /or refuse alternatives offered they are, in effect, refusing the services of Provide

• Be encouraged, where appropriate, to take responsibility for liaison in advance for their manual handling needs in different environments, for different tasks and with different carers. At times, an advocate may intervene on their behalf

Agency staff and outside contractors working on Provide premises

• It is the responsibility of the individual agency staff/contractor and/or their employer to complete their own manual handling risk assessment if their employee reports a manual handling task as potentially hazardous

• It is the responsibility of the individual agency staff/contractor and/or their employer to ensure they have sufficient knowledge, skills and fitness to complete the manual handling tasks safely and to ensure that suitable equipment is available

• Will be provided with a local induction and will be advised of the Provide Manual Handling Policy and will be expected to comply with it

• Will be provided with information on loads to be handled, and skills and equipment required for the task

Students

• The workplace supervisor of the student will ensure that the student is adequately trained for any manual handling task they are asked to complete.

Visitors/relatives/volunteers/general public

• Visitors, relatives or members of the public must be discouraged from hazardous manual handling tasks. Adequate staff should be available for manual handling operations, which are part of a service provided by Provide

• Where a visitor, relative or a member of the public, having been requested not to perform a manual handling task, insists on continuing, then they must be advised not to do so. They must not be allowed to handle service users when the task is deemed to be hazardous

8. References

• Management of Health & Safety at work regulation 1999

• Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992

• Lifting of Load Equipment Regulation 1998

• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulation 1998

Appendix: 1 Manual Handling Risk Assessment Indicators

Problems to look for when undertaking a risk assessment

Ways of reducing the risk of injury

The tasks: Do they involve Can you

Holding loads away from the trunk? Improve workplace layout to improve efficiency?

Twisting, stooping or reaching upwards? Reduce the amount of twisting and stooping?

Large vertical movements?

Long carrying distances?

Strenuous pushing or pulling?

Avoid lifting from floor level or above shoulder height?

Cut carrying distances?

Avoid repetitive handling?

Unpredictable movement of loads? Vary the work, allowing one set of muscles to rest while another is used?

Repetitive handling?

Insufficient rest or recovery time?

The loads: are they

Heavy bulky or unwieldy?

Can you make the load

Lighter or less bulky?

Difficult to grasp? Easier to grasp?

Unstable or unpredictable? More stable?

Intrinsically harmful, egg sharp or hot? Less damaging to hold?

The working environment: are there Can you

Constraints on posture?

Poor floors?

Variations in levels?

Hot/cold/humid conditions?

Strong air movements?

Poor lighting conditions?

Restrictions on movement or posture from clothes or personal protective equipment?

Remove obstructions to free movement?

Provide better flooring?

Avoid steps and steep ramps?

Prevent extremes of hot and cold?

Improve lighting?

Consider less restrictive clothing or personal protective equipment?

Individual capacity: does the job Can you

Require unusual capability?

Endanger those with a health problem?

Endanger pregnant women?

Call for special information or training?

Take better care of those who have a physical weakness or are pregnant?

Give employees more information, e.g. about the range of tasks they are likely to face?

Provide training?

Appendix 2: Manual Handling Risk Assessment Template

Name of persons doing the task:

Name / Title of assessor:

Department/ Service:

Date of Assessment:

Date of next review:

What has the potential to cause loss or harm?

Describe the task to be undertaken.

-Do they involve holding loads away from the trunk?

-Twisting?

-Stooping?

-Reaching upwards?

-Large vertical movements?

-Long carrying distances?

-Strenuous pushing or pulling?

Unpredictabl e movement of loads? Repetitive handling? Insufficient rest or recovery? About the load

-What is the weight?

What is the risk? (descri be the harm or loss that could occur)

Who is the risk likely to affect ?

What are you alread y doing to manag e the risk?

What is the likelihood (l) consequen ce (c) & risk rating (rr) score? (lxc =rr)

What further action is necessar y?

Risk rating score followi ng further control s

L C RR

Ownershi p

What has the potential to cause loss or harm?

-What is the size?

-Is it easy to grasp?

Bulky/unwield y?

- Unstable?

-Intrinsically harmful (e.g. sharp/hot)? Environment al factors

-Condition of floor surfaces?

-Lighting?

-Route hazards? Person undertaking the task

-Has training done?

-Previous or current health restrictions / conditions.

-Any young persons involved?

-Consider new and expectant mothers?

-Physical limitations?

What is the risk? (descri be the harm or loss that could occur)

Who is the risk likely to affect ?

What are you alread y doing to manag e the risk?

What is the likelihood (l) consequen ce (c) & risk rating (rr) score? (lxc =rr)

What further action is necessar y?

Risk rating score followi ng further control s

L C RR

Ownershi p

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE: Stage 1: ‘Screening’

Name of project/policy/strategy (hereafter referred to as “initiative”):

Manual Handling Policy

Provide a brief summary (bullet points) of the aims of the initiative and main activities:

Ensure that the organisation has a process and procedure in place for manual handling.

Project/Policy Manager: Health, Safety, Fire and Security Manager Date: May 2022

This stage establishes whether a proposed initiative will have an impact from an equality perspective on any particular group of people or community – i.e. on the grounds of race (incl. religion/faith), gender (incl. sexual orientation), age, disability, or whether it is “equality neutral” (i.e. have no effect either positive or negative). In the case of gender, consider whether men and women are affected differently.

Q1. Who will benefit from this initiative? Is there likely to be a positive impact on specific groups/communities (whether or not they are the intended beneficiaries), and if so, how? Or is it clear at this stage that it will be equality “neutral”? i.e. will have no particular effect on any group.

Neutral

Q2. Is there likely to be an adverse impact on one or more minority/under-represented or community groups as a result of this initiative? If so, who may be affected and why? Or is it clear at this stage that it will be equality “neutral”?

Neutral

Q3. Is the impact of the initiative – whether positive or negative - significant enough to warrant a more detailed assessment (Stage 2 – see guidance)? If not, will there be monitoring and review to assess the impact over a period time? Briefly (bullet points) give reasons for your answer and any steps you are taking to addressparticular issues, including any consultation with staff or external groups/agencies.

Neutral

Guidelines: Things to consider

Equality impact assessments at Provide take account of relevant equality legislation and include age, (i.e. young and old,); race and ethnicity, gender, disability, religion and faith, and sexual orientation.

The initiative may have a positive, negative or neutral impact, i.e. have no particular effect on the group/community.

Where a negative (i.e. adverse) impact is identified, it may be appropriate to make a more detailed EIA (see Stage 2), or, as important, take early action to redress this – e.g. by abandoning or modifying the initiative. NB: If the initiative contravenes equality legislation, it must be abandoned or modified.

Where an initiative has a positive impact on groups/community relations, the EIA should make this explicit, to enable the outcomes to be monitored over its lifespan.

Where there is a positive impact on particular groups does this mean there could be an adverse impact on others, and if so can this be justified? - e.g. are there other existing or planned initiatives which redress this?

It may not be possible to provide detailed answers to some of these questions at the start of the initiative. The EIA may identify a lack of relevant data, and that data-gathering is a specific action required to inform the initiative as it develops, and also to form part of a continuing evaluation and review process.

It is envisaged that it will be relatively rare for full impact assessments to be carried out at Provide. Usually, where there are particular problems identified in the screening stage, it is envisaged that the approach will be amended at this stage, and/or setting up a monitoring/evaluation system to review a policy’s impact over time.

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE: Stage 2:

(To be used where the ‘screening phase has identified a substantial problem/concern)

This stage examines the initiative in more detail in order to obtain further information where required about its potential adverse or positive impact from an equality perspective. It will help inform whether any action needs to be taken and may form part of a continuing assessment framework as the initiative develops.

Q1. What data/information is there on the target beneficiary groups/communities? Are any of these groups under- or over-represented? Do they have access to the same resources? What are your sources of data and are there any gaps?

N/A

Q2. Is there a potential for this initiative to have a positive impact, such as tackling discrimination, promoting equality of opportunity and good community relations? If yes, how? Which are the main groups it will have an impact on?

N/A

Q3. Will the initiative have an adverse impact on any particular group or community/community relations? If yes, in what way? Will the impact be different for different groups – e.g. men and women?

N/A

Q4. Has there been consultation/is consultation planned with stakeholders/ beneficiaries/ staff who will be affected by the initiative? Summarise (bullet points) any important issues arising from the consultation.

Q5. Given your answers to the previous questions, how will your plans be revised to reduce/eliminate negative impact or enhance positive impact? Are there specific factors which need to be taken into account?

N/A

Q6. How will the initiative continue to be monitored and evaluated, including its impact on particular groups/ improving community relations? Where appropriate, identify any additional data that will be required.

N/A

Guidelines: Things to consider

An initiative may have a positive impact on some sectors of the community but leave others excluded or feeling they are excluded. Consideration should be given to how this can be tackled or minimised. It is important to ensure that relevant groups/communities are identified who should be consulted. This may require taking positive action to engage with those groups who are traditionally less likely to respond to consultations, and could form a specific part of the initiative. The consultation process should form a meaningful part of the initiative as it develops, and help inform any future action.

If the EIA shows an adverse impact, is this because it contravenes any equality legislation? If so, the initiative must be modified or abandoned. There may be another way to meet the objective(s) of the initiative.

Further information:

Useful Websites www.equalityhumanrights.com Website for new Equality agency www.employers-forum.co.uk – Employers forum on disability www.disabilitynow.org.uk – online disability related newspaper www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk – Gender issues in more depth www.opportunitynow.org.uk - Employer member organisation (gender) www.efa.org.uk – Employers forum on age www.agepositive.gov.uk – Age issues in more depth

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE: Stage One: ‘Screening’