Carrying

When carrying, the load should be as small as possible. Large loads make handling awkward and cause great amounts of stress on the spine. Carry objects close to your body. If the load is asymmetrical, the heaviest end should be carried closest to the body. If you start leaning forward, this puts immense pressure on the lower back, and therefore you should lower the load in a safe manner and rest.

Control of Manual Material Handling Injuries:

1. Eliminate the need for manual material handling

a. Use mechanical aids
b. Use automatic equipment

2. Decrease the manual material handling demands

a. Decrease the weight of the load

When using a hand trolley or barrow

The same principles of safe lifting still apply. Your arms should be extended and by your sides with your back straight. After having examined all the steps necessary for safe lifting, when carrying or when using a mechanical lifting device you must have adequate sight-lines. Obscured vision can easily lead to injury, for both the person carrying or moving the load and also other people and the load itself.

The following three factors should be taken into account to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries:

• The nature of the load;
• The working conditions; and
• The personal limitations of the individuals performing the task.

The nature of the load

A load may be difficult to handle safely if it is too awkward, is too soft to control, is unbalanced, unstable or has contents which are liable to shift, contains moving parts, is difficult to grip or is poorly positioned.

Working conditions

1. The layout of the work area should take into account the distance over which typical loads have to be moved and the height of shelves and tables.
   
   
2. Gangways and work areas should be significantly spacious to allow easy portability.
   
   
3. Floors and other walking surfaces should be level and firm. Slippery, greasy or wet surfaces are particularly dangerous.
   
   
4. Adequate illumination of the work area is important and care should be taken where extreme temperatures exist.
   
   
5. High temperatures can result in fatigue and loss of handling efficiency and low temperatures can lead to numbness of the hands and loss of manual dexterity.

Personal limitations

Lifting, carrying and moving loads consume muscular energy. People vary enormously in their capacity to produce such energy and full account should be taken of an individual’s limitations.

The individual’s capacity is largely determined by:

• Age
• Strength and degree of body development
• General state of health
• Degree of skill and experience, and
• Susceptibility of fatigue.