Development of the MAC Tool

• Development of an inspection tool for manual handling risk assessments
  This report outlines the development of the MAC tool and includes information relating to the risk factors that are included in the MAC. It comprehensively describes the entire process from the MAC's initial development, through its conceptualisation and up to its formal release.

• Testing and improving the usability of the Manual Handling Assessment Charts
  This report details the results of a study that aimed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of preliminary versions of the MAC. It details all the recommendations made to improve preliminary versions of the MAC prior to its publication.

• Reliability of Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC) developed for Health and Safety Inspectors in the UK
  This report details the findings of research that was performed to assess the reliability of assessments made when using a draft version of the MAC. The levels of agreement for all samples indicated a strong to good association and there were few statistically significant differences in scoring between any of the sample groups.

• Benchmarking of the Manual Handling Assessment Charts
  This report details the findings of research that benchmarked the MAC against existing tools used for the assessment of manual handling operations. The Quick Exposure Check (QEC), Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), Ovako Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS) and the 1991 NIOSH Lifting Equation were all used.

• Reliability and usability evaluation of the Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC) for use by non-regulatory specialists
  This report details the findings of research that investigated the reliability and usability of the MAC when used by the general public. The report details the necessary amendments that were required, and made, to the MAC before public use.