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Employer responsibilities

Manual Handling Guidelines

Employers have legal duties to protect their employees from the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders or any other injury. This responsibility extends to permanent and casual staff and any contractors.

Employers are required to:

identify the risks in the workplace that involve any hazard including manual handling.

assess the risk of musculoskeletal disorders associated with these tasks.

eliminate the risk of musculoskeletal disorders or, if this is not practicable, reduce the risk.

Consult with the Health and Safety Representatives when undertaking hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control.

Seek assistance and advice on ergonomics, manual handling, risk assessments and legislative obligations from the OH&S unit within Holmesglen Institute..

If someone else is carrying out tasks on your behalf, you have a responsibility to ensure that the person has the appropriate training, supervision and experience to carry them out correctly. These guidelines are an essential component of every new employee’s training.

Be proactive with OH&S issues. There are many benefits in having a strong OH&S policy and ensuring, as far as practical, that OH&S is the number one priority.