[Name of Organization] 

Hazardous Manual Tasks Policy and Procedures 

 

  1. Introduction 

 

A hazardous manual task is any task that requires a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or otherwise move, hold or restrain any person, animal or thing involving one or more factors or characteristics of a hazardous manual task given below: 

 

• repetitive or sustained force 

• high or sudden force 

• repetitive movement 

• sustained or awkward posture 

• exposure to vibration  

 

  1. Purpose/ Objective 

 

The following outlines [YOUR COMPANY NAME]’s policy and procedures for identifying hazards, assessing the risks, implementation of controls and reviewing the control measure related to hazardous manual task. 

  

  1. Application 

 

This hazardous manual task policy applies to all employees of [YOUR COMPANY NAME] who are assosiated with hazardous manual tasks. 

 

  1. Procedures 

 

The procedure for handling hazardous manual task includes identifying the hazardous manual task, assessing the risk of the hazardous manual task, control the risk and reviewing the risk control measures. 

 

  1. Identify the Hazardous Manual Task 

 

Hazardous manual tasks can be identified by: 

 

  • Inspecting the workplace which includes physical work environment, Equipment, materials and substances used, Work tasks and how they are performed and Work design and management. 

  • Making a list of all hazards that you can find, including the ones you have already dealt with. 

  • Consulting with your workers and asking them about their discomforts and potential hazards. 

  • Review all information related to injuries and incidents, inspection reports and workers compensation claims to identify the cause. 

 

  1. Assess the Risk of the Hazards 

 

Once the risk is identified, a risk assessment should be conducted. A risk assessment helps to understand which postures, movements and forces of the task cause a risk, where during the task they produce a risk, why the risks are occurring and what needs to be fixed. 

 

To assess the risk factors, the following questions can be asked: 

 

  1. Does the task involve any repititive movement, sustained or awkward postures or repititive or sustained forces 

  1. Is the task time consuming? 

  1. Does the task involve vibration? 

  1. Does the task involve high or sudden force? 

 

  1. Control the Risk 

 

The hierarchy of controlling the risks are ranked from the highest level of protection to the lowest. The most effective control is to eliminate the hazard as soon as possible. 

 

The hierarchy of controlling the risk is given below. 

 

  1. Elimination 

- Try to automate the manual task by using remote controls 

- Try  to deliver goods directly to the point of use to avoid multiple handling 

  1. Substitution 

- Try to replace the hand tools with power tools so that the required level of force can be reduced. 

- Try to replace heavy items with lighter, smaller and easy to handle items. 

  1. Isolation 

- Try to isolate the vaibrating machineries from the users.  

  1. Engineering 

- Try to use mechanical lifting aids 

  1. Administrative 

- Try to swap workers between different tasks. 

- Try to train your workers to use implemented control measures while carrying out the assigned works.  

  1. Personal Protective Equipment  

- Try to wear personal pretective equipments like heat resistant gloves for handling hot items 

 

  1. Review Risk Control 

 

The implemented control measures must be reviewd at a certain interval. Control measures should be reviewed when 

 

> the existing control measure is no longer effective 

> a new hazard is identified 

> there is a change that can create a new or different risk 

> a consultaion that indicates a review 

> a health and safety parsonnel requests a review 

 

  1. Responsibilities 

 

It is a shared responsibility of the management, supervisor and the worker to identify the hazardous manual task, assess the risk and controlling the risk at the workplace. 

 

Responsibilities of the Management/Supervisor  

 

  1. The supervisor should work together with the workers to ensure that they follow [YOUR COMPANY NAME]’s Hazardous Manual Tasks policy and Procedures. 

  1. Ensure that all worker who are working under their spervion or management are well trained and well informed about hazards associated with manual tasks and teh risk control measures. 

  1. Responsible for reviewing and monitoring the safety of manual task work procedure and maintenance. 

 

Responsibilities of the Workers 

 

  1.  Responsible for implementing [YOUR COMPANY NAME]’s Hazardous Manual Tasks policy and Procedures in the workplace. 

  1. Take care for the safety of their own and other workers. 

  1. Responsible for reporting the occurance of any manual task hazards and issues in the workplace. 

 

  1. Implementation and Review 

 

[YOUR COMPANY NAME] will review and can make changes to this policy and 

procedures as needed at a regular interval. 

 

Date: