Use of helicopter to reduce manual handling of stones

Risks of injury and musculoskeletal disorders from manual handling of heavy stones on steep slopes
An unusual, hi-tech solution proved cost effective as well as reducing the risks.

Boulders were used to build and repair paths on a large country estate. Often this work was on hillsides and the stones had to be moved by hand. Team handling of loads that were very heavy, irregularly shaped and often slippery posed risks of injury and disorders of the back, shoulders and knees. The steep, rough nature of the work sites made it difficult to use wheeled transport or lifting aids to reduce the manual handling.

Team meetings of the whole workforce had been set up to discuss ways of improving health and safety. At one of these, use of a helicopter was suggested to tackle the manual handling risks in moving stone. Unusual or seemingly costly solutions like this can get rejected out of hand, but in this instance, a decision was taken to investigate further.

It was found that a helicopter could be hired that could carry large quantities of stone in sacks, and training was obtained on safe procedures for loading and unloading. Work was reorganised to use the helicopter to move large amounts of stone in several short sessions during the year.

As well as reducing the musculoskeletal risks, it was found the use of the helicopter was cost effective as the amount of work it could do was so much greater. Use of the helicopter cost nearly £124,000 a year but it saved 440 worker-days of manual stone shifting. The payback period was less than 5 months.

For a detailed economic analysis of this case study, see HSE Research Report RR 491