Manual Handling Risk Assessment

Manual handling covers a wide range of activities including lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, throwing and carrying. It includes repetitive tasks such as packing, typing, assembling…

Manual handling covers a wide range of activities including lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, throwing and carrying. It includes repetitive tasks such as packing, typing, assembling, cleaning and sorting, using hand-tools, and operating machinery and equipment. Because most jobs involve some form of it, most workers are at risk of injuries as a result of this type of labour. injury. Of course, not all tasks of this nature are hazardous. But it is significant that around a quarter of all workplace injuries are caused by physical tasks.

What kind of injuries can result from manual handling?

Unsafe physical tasks may cause a variety of injuries and conditions including:

1. Muscle sprains and strains
2. Injuries to muscles, ligaments, intervertebral disks and other structures in the back
3. Injuries to soft tissues such as nerves, ligaments and tendons in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck or legs
4. Abdominal hernias
5. Chronic pain

Some of these conditions are known as repetitive strain injury (RSI), occupational overuse syndrome (OOS), cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) and work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WRMSD). In the Manual Handling Regulations, all of these conditions are referred to as musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). The Regulations define MSD as an injury, illness or disease that arises in whole or in part from manual handling in the workplace, whether occurring suddenly or over a prolonged period of time.

You should consider this service if you are:

1. An employer, because it will help you work out which manual handling tasks in your workplace could cause MSD, and show you how to control the risk.
2. A designer, manufacturer, importer or supplier of plant for use in workplaces because it will help you ensure that users of your product are not exposed to the risk of MSD.

3.      Australian Risk Services has conducted extensive Manual Handling Risk Assessments for; Fast Moving Consumer Goods Manufacturing, Loading & Unloading of Containers, Warehouse Activities, Plastics Manufacturing, Crate Washing, Cheese Manufacturing, Yoghurt Manufacturing, Clothes and Curtain Manufacturing, Manual Handling of Nursing Activities and Patient Handling, Waste Collection and Hard Rubbish Collection, Mailing Centre Sorting, Mechanical Workshop Activities, Document Destruction and retrieval, Laboratory Manual Handling Tasks & Ergonomic Assessment, Office Based Ergonomic Assessment, Retail Furniture Handling, Book Stores,

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Confined Spaces Assessments | Risk Management Training

We offer safety systems that identify and seek to remedy safety, environment, and health risks in the workplace. Security Risk Management, Enterprise Risk Management, Risk

Dangerous Goods Assessments

Australian Risk Services can help manufacturers and suppliers of dangerous goods, as well as businesses storing and handling these items, to meet the requirement of the WHS Regulations 2011 and provide safe storage and handling of hazardous materials.

The incorrect storage of dangerous and hazardous goods can lead to toxic leaks, fires, and explosions. These in turn can injure or kill your staff members or cause significant damage to your property. To protect your staff and property, it pays to invest in excellent advice.

You should consider this service if you are:

1. Manufacturer or supplier of dangerous goods
2. Supplier of these materials
3. Occupiers of premises where dangerous goods are stored and handled
4. Health and safety representatives, employees and anyone else who has an interest in the risks to people or property posed by these types of substances

We work closely with our clients to ensure that staff is adequately involved in dangerous goods training and that they understand the process and requirements of law when conducting risk assessments. We also provide hazardous identification training that ensures the safety of your staff.

• Confined spaces risk assessment
• Dangerous goods
• Hazardous substances
• Manual handling
• Plant
• Working at heights

Hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods

Under the Model WHS Legislation 2012 the requirements for Dangerous Goods and Workplace Hazardous Substances are amalgamated and termed “Hazardous Chemicals”, applying the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals which is being introduced world-wide.

Under the WHS Regulations 2012, a hazardous chemical is any substance, mixture or article that satisfies the criteria of one or more Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) hazard classes, including a classification in Schedule 6 of the WHS Regulations.
The States and Territories also have legislative responsibility for the road and rail transport of Dangerous Goods. As of October 2010, the 7th edition of the Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG 7) has been implemented in all jurisdictions in Australia (except for the Northern Territory).

Legislation in all states and territories mandates that all personnel involved in any way with the storage, handling or transport of dangerous materials must be trained to a level that ensures they are able to ensure compliance.

Most substances and mixtures that are classified under the ADG 7 Code are hazardous chemicals, except those that have only radioactive hazards (class 7), infectious substances (division 6.2) and most class 9 (miscellaneous).

What are the risks?

Dangerous goods and hazardous substances can cause significant damage if they are stored or handled incorrectly or transported in an unsafe way. Incidents involving these materials often result in explosions or fires, causing death and serious injury as well as large-scale damage to property and the surrounding environment. Unsafe use of these substances can also cause poisoning, chemical burns and other serious health problems.

Who has the duty to manage the risks?

Under the WHS Act, a person conducting a business or undertaking has the primary duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the health and safety of workers and other persons are not put at risk from work carried out as part of the conduct of the business or undertaking. This includes ensuring the safe use, handling and storage of dangerous goods and hazardous substances. The WHS Regulations include specific duties for a person conducting a business or undertaking to manage the risks to health and safety associated with using, handling, generating and storing hazardous substances and dangerous goods at a workplace.

New transport requirements

Victorian law is now consistent with an updated national framework for transporting dangerous goods by road or rail. The framework, which is the responsibility of the National Transport Commission (NTC), closely aligns with international standards for the safe transport and storage of these substances.

How can Australian Risk Services Help?

ARS can help identify any sources of hazardous substances or dangerous goods in your workplace. We do this by considering the following:

• the inherent hazards of the materials, including their form and their chemical and physical properties;
• manufacturing and transport processes;
• how the goods are used, including any equipment involved;
• potential chemical or physical reaction between these materials and other substances or objects;
• the types of incidents that have occurred or could occur.

The identified risks are measured, existing controls evaluated and a set of recommendations provided. This approach helps us ensure that your company is fully compliant with the process of handling and transportation of hazardous chemicals.

We can also provide a monitoring and advisory service for the transport, packing and handling of these substances. We will issue you the statutory report as required by law.

The following are the type of services offered by our ARS:

• Hazardous substances and dangerous goods policies, procedures and SOPs
• Hazardous substances and dangerous goods training and induction
• Hazardous substances and dangerous goods risk assessments
• Work Permits – Hot, cold & confined space
• Compliance auditing in accordance with latest Australian Standards and Regulations, including WHS Regulations and ADG 7 Code
• Drafting facilities for site layout and detail design drawings
• Decommissioning of old Dangerous Goods Storage and Handling Facilities.

Confined Spaces Assessment

Duties of Employers under WHS Regulations 2011

Australian Risk Services assists companies in performing confined spaces risk assessments.

The regulations and the code of practice provides employers with guidance on hazard identification, assessment and risk control measures, consultation and the provision of training, information and instruction to employees. In addition to the general duty to control risk, employers are required to implement measures to control specific risks.

What do the regulations require of employers?

If you are a person conducting a business or undertaking, the regulations require you to manage and control risks that have been identified in an assessment in the workplace.

Hazard identification

First, you must properly identify confined spaces by applying the definition. Then, in consultation with a health and safety representative or external risk management provider, you must identify the hazards that are associated with entering and working in such spaces.

Risk assessment and control

Next, you must assess the risks to workers who might have to enter the space. This means you need to determine whether there is any risk, i.e., injury or illness, associated with each of the hazards identified. What is more, you must record and retain the any assessments of your confined spaces. Risk control measures must be implement for any significant risk identified during the risk assessment.

We work closely with our clients to ensure that staff is adequately involved in confined spaces risk assessment and that they understand the process and requirements of law when conducting assessments. We also provide confined spaces training that can ensure the safety of your staff.

Additional service provided by Australian Risk Services

Tag:- Risk Management Plan, Security Risk Management, Enterprise Risk Management, Risk Management Courses

Safety Risk Assessments

Various Acts and Regulations require employers to establish systems of work that minimise, as far as is reasonably practicable, the risk to health from exposure to workplace hazards.

Various Acts and Regulations require employers to establish systems of work that minimise, as far as is reasonably practicable, the risk to health from exposure to workplace hazards.

What is Risk Analysis?

Good risk management requires hazards to be identified and controlled in a systematic pro-active way. Risk analysis can be a pro-active way of preventing an accident or incident occurring and can be useful in preventing an incident/accident reoccurring. Under the OHS legislation everybody at the workplace has an OHS role and responsibility to minimise hazards.

Australian Risk Services has extensive history of providing Health and Safety related risk assessments.

Some of the areas of specialisation are :

• Confined spaces
• Dangerous goods
• Hazardous substances
• Manual handling
• Plant risk
• Working at heights

Click on the links above for details of risk services that we offer.
Safety Risk Assessment
Safety Management Plan
Safety Management System