Manual Handling Aids available to download

The HSE has made available two new Manual Handling Aids document, one on Risk Assessment of Pushing and Pulling (RAPP) and a New Edition of L23 Manual Handling, including Guidance on Regulations. The New Risk Assessment of Pushing and Pulling (RAPP) tool will help you identify high-risk manual pushing and pulling operations and check the effectiveness of any risk-reduction measures.

The RAPP Tool  is aimed at those responsible for health and safety in workplaces – employers, managers and safety representatives. It uses colour coding and numerical scoring like the MAC Tool.

There are two types of pulling and pushing operations you can assess using this tool:

•         moving loads on wheeled equipment, such as hand  trolleys, pump trucks, wheelbarrows and carts;

•         moving loads without wheels which might involve actions such as rolling, sliding, churning (pivoting and rolling) and dragging.

The New edition of L23 Manual handling is a revised and updated guidance on the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992  explaining how to avoid, assess and reduce the risk of injury from manual handling and helping employers comply with the regulations.

The publication has been restructured into four colour-coded parts, with the regulations and brief guidance in Part 1 and more detailed guidance to help carry out risk assessments and control risks in Parts 2-4.

The appendix contains advice on three levels of assessment. They are:

•         simple risk filters which help to identify those tasks that do not require a detailed assessment

•         how to use HSE's assessment tools (MAC and RAPP) as part of the risk assessment process

•         full risk assessment

The full risk assessment checklists are now online only and do not appear in the book, please see them here.

If you have any query on H&S or you would like to join SIMPL, please contact Sara Cammarano at [email protected]