European Union Occupational Safety and Health Research

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Occupational Health and Safety Requirements for Manual Handling of loads¹

Regulation No 26 of the Ministry of Social Affairs

of 27 February 2001

This Regulation is established on the basis of subsection 4 of § 9 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (RT I 1999, 60, 616; 2000, 55, 362; 2001, 17, 78).

§ 1. Scope of application

(1) The regulation applies to manual handling of loads with the weight of 5 kg and more (hereinafter handling work) at workplace, with the aim to reduce the risk of overload of bone and muscular structure and back injury of workers.

(2) The handling of loads includes lifting, putting down, holding in hand, carrying or pulling-pushing of loads by one or several workers at the same time.

§ 2. General requirements

(1) The employer should take appropriate organisational and technical measures into use to avoid the handling works involving health risk.

(2) Where the handling work could not be avoided, the employer should take measures into use to reduce the health risk involved in the manual handling of loads.

(3) In case the worker finds that regardless of the correct following of the instructions given by the employer the handling work proves to be physically too burdensome for him, he can refuse of the work by informing the employer of his decision.

§ 3. Employer’s obligations

(1) The employer should organise and adapt the workplaces related to handling of loads in such a way to make such handling as safe as possible for the worker. For that purpose he should:

1) assess the risk to the health of the worker, considering the risk factors listed in § 5;

2) in case of risk to apply the measures for avoiding or reducing the risk.

(2) In selecting and applying the measures the employer should consult the work environment representative and occupational health doctor, if needed.

(3) The employer should inform the workers of all risks related to handling work, including the weight of a load and the centre of gravity of the heaviest side when a package is eccentrically loaded.

(4) The employer should ensure that the workers will be instructed before allowing the worker to work, where his tasks involve the handling of loads, of the appropriate use of technical devices and avoidance of risks related to handling, considering the risk factors listed in § 5 and that they could receive training on use of appropriate working procedures.

(5) The worker whose everyday tasks involve no handling work should be relevantly instructed.

(6) The instruction and training of employees could be carried out only by the competent person appointed by the employer.

(7) The employer should organise health surveillance for the workers whose health risk rate according to the instructions provided in the appendix of the current regulation exceeds 10 according to set regulations.

(8) By using female workers in handling work the employer should observe that the loads to be handled would not exceed their expected physical abilities.

(9) In case the handling is the dominant work, the worker could be engaged in such work from 18 years of age. The handling work by a pregnant woman, woman after three months of giving birth and under 16 years of age is prohibited.

§ 4. Measures for reduction of health risk

The employer should apply the following measures to reduce the health risk of the worker:

1) to provide the worker with appropriate technical devices;

2) to reduce the weight of a load to be handled if possible;

3) to ensure appropriate internal atmosphere and sufficient ventilation and lighting for handling work;

4) to ensure sufficient free space for safe handling work both at workplace and in roads;

5) to shorten the load carrying distance;
6) to shorten the duration of handling work, including the provision of appropriate breaks;

7) to organise the work so that the worker could alternate handling works with the fulfilment of physically not demanding tasks;

8) to provide the worker with the personal protective equipment, if the risk of injury by handling work is involved.

§ 5. Factors causing potential health risk

(1) The load could present a health risk, if it is:
1) too heavy or too large;

2) unwieldy or difficult for grabbing;

3) unstable or has contents likely to shift;

4) likely, because of its contours or consistency, to result in injury to workers, particularly in the event of a collision.

(2) The handling work could present a health risk, if it is:

1) physically too strenuous;

2) only achieved by a twisting movement of the trunk;

3) likely to result in a sudden movement of the load;

4) made with the body in an unstable or uncomfortable posture.

(3) Working conditions could present a health risk, if:

1) there is not enough room, in particular vertically, to carry out the activity;

2) the floor is uneven or slippery, causing the falling hazards;

3) the handling works should be carried out in different levels of floor or working surfaces;

4) the footing is unstable;

5) the temperature or humidity is unsuitable for handling work or the necessary ventilation is missing.

(4) the organisation of handling work could present a health risk, if:

1) handling work is over-frequent or over-prolonged, causing heavy load in particular for the spine;

2) handling works are carried out in the sitting position;

3) time for rest or recovery is too short;

4) the lifting-lowering of a load is carried out in the uncomfortable height, e.g. above the shoulder girdle or below the height of knees, or in uncomfortable distance, e.g. away from the body;

5) the load could not be held against the body or if the carrying distance is excessive;

6) a rate of work imposed by a process cannot be altered by the worker due to technical reasons;

7) the worker is wearing unsuitable clothing, footwear or other personal effects.

(5) The characteristics of the worker could present a health risk, if:

1) he is physically unsuited to carry out the task in question;

2) he does not have adequate training for safe handling work.

§ 6. Enactment of the regulation

The current regulation will be entered into force on 1 June 2001.
¹ The Directive of the Council of the European Communities 90/269/EEC (OJ L 156, 21 June 1990, pg. 9) has been taken into account in the regulation.

Appendix to the Regulation No. 26 “Occupational health and safety requirements for manual handling of weights” of the Minister of Social Affairs of 27 February 2001

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH RISK IN MANUAL HANDLING OF LOADS

Workplace/position: ..............................................................................................................

1. Assessment on the duration of handling work

Regularly repeated handling of loads	Summary time for holding or carrying the loads	Time assessment (points)
< 10 times in shift	< 30 min	1
10–40 times in shift	30 min – 1 hour	2
40–200 times in shift	1 hour – 3 hours	4
200–500 times in shift	3 hours – 5 hours	6
≥ 500 times in shift	≥ 5 hours	8

2. Assessment on the weight of the load to be handled

Weight of the load to be handled (men)	Weight of the load to be handled (women)	Assessment on weight (points)
< 10 kg	< 5 kg	1
10–20 kg	5–10 kg	2
20–30 kg	10–15 kg	4
30–40 kg	15–25 kg	7
≥ 40 kg	≥ 25 kg	10

3. Assessment on posture

Illustrative figure	Posture	Assessment on posture (points)
	– standing posture, the upper body is neither turned nor bent – the load is held against the body – standing posture or few steps are made	1
	– upper body is bent front upto 30° or turned – the load is held against the body – sitting, standing or longer walking	2
	– upper body is bent front upto 30° or bowed posture – the load could not be held against the body or it will be lifted above the shoulders – sitting or standing	4
	– turned upper body bowed far front – the load could not be held against the body – standing on the unstable footing, kneeling or crouching	8

4. Assessment on work environment conditions

Ergonomic conditions of work environment	Assessment on conditions (points)
– sufficient space for work – the floor is even and not slippery – good lighting	0
– insufficient space for work: work space less than 1.5 m², low ceiling etc. – unstable posture; slippery, uneven or slanting floor	1

5. Calculation

The relevant assessments are entered to the tables in points and the calculation will be made.

(assessment on weight) + (assessment on posture) + (assessment on conditions) = (sum) x (time assessment) = (risk rate)

6. Determination of risk level

The risk level and the relevant further activities are determined based on the risk rate.¹

Risk rate	Risk level	Description of health risk and necessary action
< 10	1	Minor burden, minor health risk
10–25	2	– moderate burden – certain category of workers might be overburdened, whereas their work should be reorganised and the workplace ergonomically rearranged
25–50	3	– major burden – occurrence of potential physical overburden of also physically fit worker – changes in work organisation and ergonomic rearrangement of workplace needed³
≥ 50	4	– excessive burden – obvious physical overburden – changes in work organisation and ergonomic rearrangement of workplace needed – to complete the work upto making rearrangements

¹ In general case the risk of overburden of bone and muscular structure with risk rate increases. At the same time the clear border between the risk levels is missing, as it depends on the individual handling technique, training and physical abilities of the worker.

² The employees older than 40 years or younger than 21 years, workers with health disorder and so called “new” workers.
³ See § 4 of the current regulation.

Date of assessment: ...................................................................................................

Name and surname of the conductor of the assessment .................................................................
and position: .................................................................................................................