The Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessels (Manual Handling Operations) Regulations 1998

Duties of employers

5.—(1) The employer shall, so far as is reasonably practicable, take appropriate measures or provide means (including mechanical equipment) to avoid the need for manual handling of loads which involve a risk of workers being injured.

(2) Where it is not reasonably practicable to avoid the need for any manual handling operation which involves a risk of injury then the employer shall–

(a) either separately or as an addition to the assessment made under regulation 7 of the General Duties Regulations, carry out an assessment of all such manual handling operations, having regard to the factors which are specified in column 1 of the Schedule to these Regulations and considering the questions which are specified in the corresponding entry in column 2 of that Schedule; and

(b) take appropriate steps to reduce the risk of injury to workers arising out of their undertaking any such manual handling operations to the lowest level that is reasonably practicable; and

(c) take appropriate steps to provide any worker who is undertaking any such manual handling operations with general indications and, where it is reasonably practicable to do so, precise information on–

(i) the weight of each load, and

(ii) the heaviest side of any load which has a centre of gravity which is not positioned centrally; and

(d) provide workers who will be required to undertake any such manual handling operation with proper training and information on how to handle loads correctly and the risks to their health and safety from incorrect handling.