Hazardous manual handling is the greatest cause of workplace injuries in Victoria, according to WorkSafe.
The state’s work safety regulator said it has accepted 48,355 injury claims since 2021, with more than 60 per cent of these injuries musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such as sprains, strains, back injuries, soft tissue injuries, hernias and chronic pain.
To help reduce the harm, WorkSafe is running manual handling workshops to provide practical tools and resources to identify manual handling hazards and reduce risks.
WorkSafe chief health and safety officer Sam Jenkin said hazardous manual handling was a key priority in the regulator’s mission to drive down injuries in high-risk industries.
“When people think of hazardous manual handling, they often picture heavy lifting, but it shows up in countless other ways across all types of workplaces,” Mr Jenkin said.
“Anything that involves awkward postures, repetitive movement or sustained force can place excessive strain on the body and lead to serious injuries which are often debilitating over the long-term.”
Almost 40 per cent of MSDs caused by manual handling in the past five years come from the manufacturing and the healthcare and social assistance industries.
This includes the childcare sector where tasks such as lifting children in and out of cots, playing with children at floor level, or spending long periods at a desk completing administrative tasks can pose risks.
Food manufacturing activities such as lifting and carrying, and repetitive tasks such as labelling products or sealing bottle tops, can lead to injuries if the risks aren’t adequately controlled.
“On average, about 26 workers are injured as a result of hazardous manual handling every single day across Victoria and no sector is immune,” Mr Jenkin said.
“These injuries can be debilitating, but the good news is they are largely preventable with the right systems, equipment and work setups in place – which is exactly what our workshops are designed to help employers achieve.”
The workshops are designed for employers, managers and supervisors with OHS responsibilities in small and medium sized businesses, and registrations are now open.
For more information on the manual handling workshops and to register: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/manual-handling-basics
