Planning a push / pull risk assessment
The
questions below are an example of what you should be asking as part of your
risk assessment (see MHOR and INDG143 [PDF 388kb] for further information and guidance).
Try to consider all the questions below before undertaking a pushing and
pulling activity and complete a suitable and sufficient risk assessment.
Questions on the task
- Is the route as short as possible?
- Is the task known to be demanding for employees? That is, do they dislike
a particular job or task?
- Is the route clear of obstacles?
- Does the task involve negotiating kerbs, steps or slopes?
- Are there maintenance procedures in place?
- Does the task need a lot of effort to get the load moving and kept moving?
- Are there sudden movements to start or stop the load?
- Are there any one handed operations?
- Is there movement at high speed or over long distances?
- Is there repetitive pushing/pulling?
Questions on the load
- How heavy is the laden trolley and how much force is exerted?
- Is the load stable and secure?
- Is the load too bulky for the route or trolley?
- Can you see over the load?
- Are there good handholds?
Questions on the environment
- Does the task take place in a very hot or cold environment? (Repetitive pushing and pulling activities within hot and humid temperatures can lead to the early onset of fatigue).
- Does the task take place in windy locations where the load may become
unstable?
- Is the lighting adequate – not too dim and not too bright?
- Are there constraints on body posture/positioning?
- Are there confined spaces/narrow doorways?
- Are there surfaces or edges to cause cuts/abrasions/burns to hands or
body?
- Any rutted/damaged/slippery floors?
- Any trapping or tripping hazards?
Questions on individual capabilities
- Does the worker have a musculoskeletal injury (ache or pain), which
might be aggravated?
- Does the worker have any loose clothing that may get entangled in the
device?
- Does the worker adopt the correct upright posture for the operation?
- Does the task require unusual capabilities?
- Does it cause a hazard to those with a health problem or those who are
pregnant?
- Is there a need for special information/training?
Questions on the equipment
- Is your device fit for purpose – is the device the correct type
for the operation?
- Is it well maintained and do the wheels and castors rotate freely?
- Are the wheels on the device suited to the floor surface? E.g. are the
wheels large enough to minimise rolling resistance?
- Is the handle height on your device between your waist and your shoulder
height?
- Are there any brakes? If so, are they effective?
- Are the handle grips in good order and comfortable?
- Is movement or posture hindered by clothing or personal protective equipment?
- Is there an absence of the correct/suitable PPE being worn?
- If on wheels/castors – are they
- unsuitable for the type of load?
- unsuitable for the floor surface/work environment?
- difficult to
steer?
- easily damaged or defective?
- without brakes or difficult to stop?
- with brakes, but the brakes are poor/ ineffective?
Questions on work organisation and psychosocial factors
- Do workers feel that there has been a lack of consideration given to
the planning and scheduling of tasks/rest breaks?
- Do workers feel that there is poor communication between management
and employees (eg they’re not involved in risk assessments or when
purchasing equipment)?
- Are there sudden changes in workload, or seasonal changes in volume
without mechanisms for dealing with the change?
- Do workers feel they have been given insufficient training and information
in order to carry out the task successfully?
