Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, UK wide
Manual Handling Assessments
Musculoskeletal disorders remain one of the largest causes of lost working time in Britain, with 511,000 work-related cases reported in 2024/25. AL23 Safety assesses the handling tasks that cause them, applies the avoid, assess and reduce hierarchy in the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 and produces changes people will actually adopt, for clients UK wide.
What is a manual handling assessment?
An assessment of the task, not a weighing of the box
Regulation 4 of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 sets a three-step hierarchy. Avoid hazardous manual handling so far as is reasonably practicable. Assess what cannot be avoided. Reduce the risk of injury to the lowest level reasonably practicable. Most poor assessments skip straight to step three and buy a back brace.
The law sets no maximum weight. There is no legal limit of 25 kg, whatever your induction pack says. HSE publishes guideline filter weights instead, which are a screening device to tell you which tasks need a full assessment rather than a threshold that makes a lift safe.
The HSE guideline filter weights
Those figures assume a two-handed easy grasp, reasonable working conditions, a stable body position and no twisting. They halve as the load moves away from the trunk. They should be reduced further for repetitive handling. Treat them as a filter. A 12 kg box lifted 300 times a shift is a bigger problem than a 24 kg box lifted once.
Knuckle height, close to the body
25 kg for men. 15 kg for women.
Elbow height
20 kg for men. 10 kg for women.
Shoulder height
10 kg for men. 5 kg for women.
Mid-lower-leg height
10 kg for men. 5 kg for women.
Who needs one
Any operation where loads are lifted, carried, pushed or pulled by people
A full assessment is triggered where any of the following apply.
- Hands work outside the guideline zones, above shoulder height or below mid-lower-leg height
- Weights exceed the guideline filter figures for the zone the hands are working in
- The torso twists, stoops or reaches sideways during the lift
- The task is repeated more frequently than one lift every two minutes
- Two or more people handle the load together
- Loads are unstable, bulky, sharp, hot or hard to grasp
- Individuals are at significant risk, including pregnant workers, young workers and anyone returning from injury
Handling risk rarely sits alone. In distribution and storage operations it usually travels with vehicle movement and racking, which is why we often run it alongside our wider warehouse health and safety support.
The regulations that apply
Your legal framework, in plain terms
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 sit beneath the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and work with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which requires the general risk assessment that identifies handling as an issue in the first place.
Regulation 4(1)(a)
Avoid hazardous manual handling operations so far as is reasonably practicable.
Regulation 4(1)(b)(i)
Make a suitable and sufficient assessment of any hazardous operation that cannot be avoided.
Regulation 4(1)(b)(ii)
Reduce the risk of injury to the lowest level reasonably practicable.
Regulation 4(1)(b)(iii)
Give employees information on the weight of each load and on the heaviest side of any load whose centre of gravity is not positioned centrally, where that is reasonably practicable.
Regulation 5
Employees must make full and proper use of any system of work provided for their safety.
What we assess
The four TILE factors and the HSE tools
We work through the four factors the regulations require, known in practice as TILE.
- Task. Holding distance, twisting, stooping, reaching, carrying distance, pushing and pulling forces, lifting frequency, rest and recovery and whether the pace is set by a machine or a target
- Individual. Strength and stature, capability, health conditions, pregnancy, age, training received and whether any worker is unusually exposed by the rota
- Load. Weight, size, stability, rigidity, grip points, temperature, contents shift and whether weight information is marked on it
- Environment. Floor condition, gradients, steps, confined space, lighting, temperature, obstructions and the distance between pick and place
- Handling aids provided, including whether they are available, maintained, suitable and actually used
- Work organisation, covering shift length, picking sequences, delivery methods and peak periods
- Injury and absence patterns, including near misses and reported discomfort
- Whether suppliers deliver loads in a size and packaging your people can safely handle
The HSE tools we use
MAC
, the Manual handling Assessment Charts, for lifting, carrying and team handling tasks
RAPP
, the Risk Assessment of Pushing and Pulling tool, for cages, trolleys, pallet trucks and wheeled loads
ART
, the Assessment of Repetitive Tasks tool, for repetitive upper limb work such as packing and assembly
Our process
Avoid first, then assess what remains
- 01
Task mapping
We identify every handling operation in scope, separating routine tasks from the occasional ones that cause the worst injuries.
- 02
Avoidance review
Before assessing anything, we look for handling that can be designed out through delivery changes, layout or mechanisation.
- 03
Assessment on site
We assess the remaining tasks using TILE and score them with MAC, RAPP or ART as the task type demands.
- 04
Reduction plan
We set out the changes in order, from elimination through mechanical aids and layout changes to technique and training.
- 05
Report, brief and review
We issue task-based assessments, brief supervisors on how to use them and set the triggers for review.
What you get
Assessments written for the people doing the work
- Task-based manual handling assessments written for the people doing the work
- MAC, RAPP or ART scoring sheets showing which factors drove the risk rating
- A prioritised reduction plan following avoid, assess and reduce, with owners and target dates
- A handling aid specification where mechanical assistance is the answer
- Recommendations on load marking and supplier packaging where the load itself is the problem
- A training recommendation naming who needs instruction and what it must cover
What we need from you
A task list and a look at normal work
- A list of handling tasks by department, including deliveries, waste and maintenance
- Load weights where known, with product or packaging specifications
- Injury, absence and near-miss records relating to handling
- Access to observe normal work at a normal pace
- Details of handling aids already in use and their maintenance records
Why AL23 Safety
Scored with HSE tools and defensible every time
Accountable
Where a task cannot be made safe by technique, we say so and press for the aid or the layout change rather than recommending more training.
Evidence based
We score with the HSE tools. The reasoning behind every rating stays visible and can be defended.
Practical, not just compliant
A reduction plan that ignores your picking rates will be abandoned. We assess the work as it is actually paced.
UK wide
We assess manual handling risk for clients across the UK from our Manchester base, in warehouses, factories, care settings and offices.
Talk to us about manual handling
A clear view of which tasks are actually hurting people
Tell us where your handling injuries come from and we will tell you what a proper assessment would look at. No obligation and no pressure.
Common questions
Answers, up front
Cannot see your question? Get in touch and we will answer it directly.
Contact usCost follows the number of distinct handling tasks rather than headcount. A warehouse pick operation with four task types is a small piece of work. A hospital, a care group or a multi-line factory with dozens of task types is not. Give us a task list by department and we will scope it rather than quote per assessment.
No. The regulations set no maximum weight at all. 25 kg is the HSE guideline filter weight for a man lifting at knuckle height, close to the body, in good conditions with no twisting. The figure halves as the load moves away from the trunk and drops to 10 kg at shoulder height. It is a screening figure, never a permission.
A single site with a handful of task types is usually one visit with assessments to follow. Larger operations take longer because each task type must be observed at a normal pace. We agree the task list and delivery date before we start.
MAC covers lifting, carrying and team handling. RAPP covers pushing and pulling, which matters wherever cages, trolleys and pallet trucks are in use. ART covers repetitive upper limb tasks such as packing and assembly. Many operations need more than one. Part of the assessment is deciding which lens fits each task.
Training helps and it does not substitute for reducing the risk. Regulation 4 puts avoidance and reduction ahead of technique. An assessment recommending only training has usually skipped the first two steps. Where training is the right answer we specify what it must cover and deliver it through our health and safety training provision.
The regulations set no fixed interval. Review when the task, load, layout, equipment or workforce changes and when injury or discomfort reports point at a task. Handling risk also shifts with volume, which is why seasonal peaks deserve their own look. Where office-based work is in scope, seated posture is covered separately through DSE assessments.
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