Health & Safety and the main benefits of Manual Handling Trolleys. How can trolleys lower the risks of slips, trips and falls.

How can Manual Handling Trolleys lower the risk of slips, trips and falls.

Health and safety
Slips and trips are the most common types of injury at work(HSE). Health &Safety Legislation set by the HSE is made to reduce and prevent injuries in the workplace and is a requirement for all employers.

The HSE is the government department that set all health and safety laws and legislation in the UK.

Manual handling is the leading cause of injury within the workplace. Employers must manage health and safety risks and have a legal duty to prevent injury and ill health in the workplace. Employers must train all workers in manual handling and manual handling equipment and comply with all legislation and requirements

The HSE states that blocked walkways are the main cause of trips and slips can happen for many reasons. 

Carrying items can block vision or force awkward walking. Dropped or fallen goods can lead to blocked walkways, spillages and contamination. Transporting or storing items at height can lead to falls.

The use of Manual handling trolleys makes manual handling safer, helping to reduce and prevent slips, trips and falls at work.Trolleys can securely move or store multiple, large, heavy, awkward or hazardous goods. Trolleys can transport flammable products and gases. Specific trolleys can be transported at height by a crane.

The Law
All employers must comply with the manual handling legislation set by the HSE and train all workers in manual handling and manual handling equipment.

• Manual Handling Operations Regulations (MHOR)
• Work place Health and Safety Guildlines
• COSHH - The control of substances Hazardous to Health
• Lifting Operations & Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER)

Slip Potential model
HSE uses the Slip potential mode to help the workplace identify and take action to prevent slips. the following factors may contribute to a slip accident and must be considered to keep the workplace safe.

• Contamination
• Cleaning
• People
• Flooring
• Environment
• Footwear

Contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence.

A risk assessment for each area will identify any risk factors. Flooring must be suitable and safe, clear walkway and access maintained at all times, workers fully trained with correct footwear, the workplace organised with secure storage and transportation of items. All spillages,  blockages and fallen items cleared immediately will help to prevent slips, trips and falls.
Identify the environment the work place, is it busy, fast paced? The fast paced workplace must keep moving safely and comply with all legislation. Risk assessing, planning, identifying and maintaining areas of risk helps to keep workers safe from harm and increase productivity. 

Trip potencial triangle
The HSE states these 3 key areas make up the trip potential triangle. Using a risk assessment all areas must be planned, organised and maintained with no obstructions and made secure. (HSE)

• Walkways
  Check for suitable walkways. Are they in the right place, are they being used, are they available for use? What tasks are taking place on the walkway, is the task preventing the employee from seeing where he is going for example?.
• Design and maintenance
  The walkway must be maintained. It must be kept clear, no trailing wires, no obstructions. Employees and cleaners need to have 'a see it, sort it' attitude to ensure these and other work areas are kept clear. Is the cleaning regime effective? Are there enough bins, storage facilities etc?
• Housekeeping
  is the floor suitable for the environment, fitted correctly and properly maintained. Are the walkways wide enough & level. Are stairs suitable, are risers consistent, are nosings highlighted where necessary, are usable handrails available. Environmental factors also fall into this category, is the lighting good enough for employees to see hazards, what about distractions that might prevent them from seeing where they are going.

Contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence.

Manual Handling Trolleys:

Trolleys are strong, easy to use wheeled platforms designed in many different configurations and sizes. Trolleys safely transport multiple, large, heavy, awkward or hazardous products around the workplace. Trolleys can transport and store flammable liquids and gases.

Trolleys are designed to push & pull a load. Trolleys allow pushing instead of lifting, encourage natural posture, reduced bending, twisting and over reaching. The trolley allows the worker to keep the correct walking position and posture and helps to  prevent awkward walking and tripping. Trolleys move the strain from the worker to wheels.

Manual handling trolleys have a flat surface, customised with shelving, baskets, step ladders or spillage in lays allowing items to be stored and transported securely preventing fallen items or spillages that could lead to slips, trips or falls. Trolleys give clear visibility of the route ahead and can be easily stopped leaving the hands free. Trolleys keep the workplace flowing effectively and improve product activity. Trolleys help the workplace to comply and meet legislation.

• Keeps hands free
• Keeps load secure
• Ensures clearer visibility
• Reduces awkward walking

Visibility.
Transporting goods by hand can block the workers vision. low visibility can result in slips, trips or falls. The worker must be able to see hazards in front of them them to prevent injury. When a worker is carrying an item it may cover the face, trolleys are designed to transport goods while providing full visibility.

Stable loads
Trolleys are designed to fit the goods and the task. Trolleys are designed to push and pull while keeping the goods stable and promote good walk position and posture preventing tripping, slipping and falling. Hazardous goods and flammable products can be transported and stored on trolleys designed to keep them stable and upright to meet COSHH legislation. All goods including Heavy, awkward and hazardous goods need to be transported on the correct trolley to keep the load stable.Trolleys have a weight capacity and can be made to most sizes and configurations suitable for all goods and industries. All trolleys have a flat surface and can be customised with shelves, drawers, spillage inlays and step ladders attached if needed. Fallen items and spills can lead to contamination, slips, trips and falls. Trolleys are designed to take the strain from the worker to wheels, keep the load stable and allow the worker to stop when needed while keeping the load and worker safe from harm. The trolley will keep the goods stable during loading and unloading tasks. All goods must be loaded safely and securely. Specific trolleys can be attached and lifted by a crane, goods can be transported to difficult to reach areas while remaining stable. A LOLER certificate is required for this type of trolley and must be renewed every six months to comply with Health and Safety and LOLER legislation. Workers must be fully trained in all manual handling and manual handling equipment with continuous training throughout employment.

Hands free
It is essential when possible hands are keep free to prevent slips, trips and falls. The use of a trolley allows the worker to stop the transportation of goods when needed and free the hands completely while keeping the load secure and stable. Both hands are used to control the trolley while looking out for hazards. If a hazard is visible the worker can appropriately deal with the hazard immediately while the load is kept secure and stable on the trolley preventing a slip, trip or fall.

Falls
Falls can be prevented by storing and transporting correctly. Correct training , good visibility of hazards and using the correct ladders for the task prevent falls from heights. Trolleys can come complete with step ladders attached enabling safe transportation alongside the trolley at all times to be used when an item needs to be stored high. This allows the worker to permanently have the correct step ladders available when loading, unloading and storing goods at height.

Goods or trolleys should never be manually moved at height over any obstructions, walls or buildings. Transporting goods at height can lead to falls.  When transporting goods at height Specific LOLER certified trolleys should be used to lift goods to out of reach areas. These specific trolleys attach to cranes and must be supplied with a LOLER certificate from the manufacturer in date and to be inspected and re-issued every six months. Trolleys that attach to cranes become part of lifting equipment and must comply with LOLER legislation. It is the legal duty of all employers to ensure the trolley has a LOLER certificate in date from the manufacturer before the trolley is purchased, attached to a crane or used. The employer is also responsible for arranging the six monthly inspection and re certification.

Summary
Manual handling trolleys help employers comply health and safety legislation and keep workers Safe from slips, trips and falls. Trolleys are available in many configurations and have a flat surface to keep the load secure and stable to prevent spills and falls. Trolleys can move multiple, large, heavy and hazardous items while maintaining visibility. Trolley can come complete with step ladders attached to help prevent falls from height. Specific trolleys can be lifted by cranes. 
Trolleys help to

• keep hands free
• keep load secure and stable
• improves visbillity
• comply with legislation

Here at Breg Products we have a wide range of trolleys available.
Trolleys can be ordered from our standard stock on our website or can be custom made using our bespoke custom design and build service to suit your specific needs. We also provide site visits.

We love to talk trolleys!
If you are unsure of the correct trolley for your requirements or would like to discus our bespoke custom design and build service please call or email our sales team for a chat and discuss the best option for your workplace.

telephone: 01484 469944
email:  mail@bregproducts.co.uk

Contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence.