Guidance and research

This page provides useful information on where to find out more about MSDs and how to prevent them.

Guidance and regulations

All HSE's guidance can be downloaded for free from the website. Hard copies can also be obtained but there may be a charge for these.

Manual Handling

• Manual Handling: Guidance on the Regulations
• Manual handling: solutions you can handle
• Handling home care
• Manual handling in the health services
• Caring for cleaners
• Moving food and drinks : manual handling solutions for the food and drinks industries
• Reducing manual handling risks in carpet retail (INDG439)
• Are you making the best use of lifting and handling aids (INDG398)
• Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC) (INDG383)
• Manual handling at work: A brief guide (INDG143)
• Roll cages and wheeled racks
• Online tutorial on how to use the Manual handling assessment chart (MAC) tool

DSE/ VDU use

• The law on VDUs: an easy guide
• Work with display screen equipment: guidance on regulations
• Working with VDUs (INDG36)

Upper Limb Disorders

• Upper Limb Disorders in the Workplace
• Aching Arms (or RSI) in small businesses (INDG171)

Back Pain

• The Back Book (2nd edition)
• Get Back Active (video)
• Occupational Health Guidelines for the Management of Low Back Pain at Work: Evidence Review and Recommendations

MSDs

• Picking up the pieces: Prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in the ceramics industry
• Checkouts and Musculoskeletal Disorders (INDG269)

General guidance

• Management of Health and Safety at Work
• Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare

Statistics on Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders can be found on the Statistics - Musculoskeletal disorders page

Relevant research

HSE has published a large amount of research material related to MSDs which can be found listed under the following headings.

• Research Agenda
• Research Report 228 – Review of the risks associated with pushing and pulling heavy loads

Search for research on:

• Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
• Upper limb disorders (ULDs)
• Work related upper limb disorders (WRULDs)
• Display screen equipment (DSE)
• Visual display units (VDUs)
• Back pain research
• Manual handling research

Further sources of information

• Prosecutions database
• Notices database
• Information contained in Local Authority Circulars
• WRULD - A database of Court Judgements