Manual Handling Legislation

Manual handling is regulated by legislation:

Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA)

This is the cornerstone of safe working practices, healthy environments and avoidance of accidents in the workplace, and has sections relevant to manual handling.

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 reinforces the 1974 act.

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Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (MHOR) (as amended 2002)

Specific regulations concerning moving and handling.

They include duties for employers, who are required to:

■ avoid manual handling, wherever possible

■ assess the risks of any handling tasks that can’t be avoided

■ reduce the risk of injury as far as possible

Employees also have responsibilities. They should:

■ follow safe working guidance provided

■ use equipment correctly

■ inform the employer of any handling risks they identify

■ take care not to put others at risk through their activities

■ cooperate with their employer on health and safety

 
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Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER)

This law governs the use of lifting equipment specifically.

LOLER regulations state that any lifting operations which involve the use of equipment must be properly planned by someone competent to do so; supervised appropriately; carried out safely.

Any equipment used for lifting has to be fit for purpose, appropriate for the task and suitably marked. Maintenance records must be kept, and any defects reported.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) requires regular, thorough examination of lifting equipment. For equipment and accessories used for transferring people, the interval is six months.

Transfer equipment should also be inspected when it is first commissioned or installed; if it is out of use for an extended period of time; if it is modified in any way; or if it is involved in an incident or failure to function correctly.

In the event of a defect being identified in the course of LOLER testing, which is (or could become) a danger to people, the person carrying out the test must notify the equipment owner/operator immediately.

They are then responsible for ensuring the lifting equipment is not used until the defect has been remedied.

The LOLER report must include written notification of all defects, even if they are remedied immediately, for example by destruction of a sling.

The person making the report must also notify the relevant enforcing authority, such as the HSE, with a copy of the report.

If a defect is identified which is not serious enough to require that the equipment is not used until it is rectified, a time period should be specified in the report by which it must be put right.

 
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Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)

PUWER regulations cover all equipment provided for work and used by employees in the course of their duties.

In health and social care environments, this can include equipment used to care for patients, such as hoists, electric profiling beds and medical equipment.

Essentially the Regulations require that work equipment is:

■ right for the job
■ used safely by people who have been trained in its use
■ maintained so that it remains safe

Generally, any equipment, used by an employee at work, attracts the requirements of PUWER.
 

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Further reading and resources

October 2025: The HSE is reviewing LOLER regulations to ensure they are still fit for purpose

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