Health and Safety Executive

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Musculoskeletal disorders - Stage 1: Arrangements

Decide on your arrangements

How will you and your company deal with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)?

Ask yourself the following questions - the answers should help you decide the arrangements and write a clear, concise plan that will make a difference.

Purpose/aim What will the arrangements achieve? Will they prevent anyone from having to do manual handling or will you have look at some jobs more carefully?
Scope Who do the arrangements affect?
Legal duties What are the legal duties specific to manual handling?
Objective(s) and targets

What are the objectives and how can you measure progress?

Eg to eliminate manual handling as far as possible and to reduce the risks of any remaining manual handling by the use of handling aids and training.

It is important to choose objectives and set sensible targets to measure progress and where relevant, to specify and measure a baseline to assess how much progress has been made.

Risk control measures How can you engage the workforce to work with you to reduce the risks?

How can you avoid hazardous operations and improve risk control by reviewing specifications, materials and systems of work, and working with the supply chain?
Information and training How can you train and encourage your workforce to reduce the risks? Should you provide some incentives, formal training, toolbox talks, and/or on-the-job training?
Monitoring How will you check that the arrangements manage risk effectively? Are there any activities that you particularly need to review and monitor?

How and when will you monitor the health of those who are still exposed to a risk?
Audit and review When and how will you review the arrangements?

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Updated 2012-12-12