Moving and handling in health and social care

These pages are for employers and employees in the health and social care sectors involved in moving and handling, particularly those who assess moving and handling needs and carry out handling activities.

Moving and handling is a key part of the working day for most employees; from moving  equipment, laundry, catering, supplies or waste to assisting residents in moving.

Poor moving and handling practice can lead to:

• back pain and musculoskeletal disorders, which can lead to inability to work
• moving and handling accidents – which can injure both the person being moved and the employee
• discomfort and a lack of dignity for the person being moved

You must take action to prevent or minimise the risk of injury.

What you need to know

As more than 50% of manual handling injuries in health and social care involve the moving and handling of people, these pages concentrate on reducing the risk from people handling. For general information on factors that can lead to injury, visit the musculoskeletal disorder web pages. For further information on risk assessments for inanimate/object handling please see the manual handling web pages.

What the law says

The following legislation may be relevant for assessing moving and handling risks:

• Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA)
• Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (MHOR) (as amended 2002)
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)
• Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER)