Work requiring lifting and carrying in excess of 45 kilograms is generally defined as Very Heavy Work. Lifting requires raising or lowering an object or equipment and carrying involves manually transporting an object from one place to another.
The National Code of Practice for Manual Handling (2005) recommends no person lift or carry in excess of 55 kilograms without the assistance of mechanical aids or team lifting.
The National Code of Practice for Manual Handling also states:
"As weight increases from 16 kilograms up to 55 kilograms, the percentage of healthy adults who can safely lift, lower or carry the weight, decreases. Therefore, more care is required for weights above 16 kilograms and up to 55 kilograms in the assessment process. Mechanical assistance and/or team lifting arrangements should be provided to reduce the risk of injury associated with these heavier weights."
Workplace solutions and adjustments
For people who have difficulty lifting and moving objects in excess of 45 kilograms there are a range of strategies that can assist including:
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Elimination: consider completely removing or eliminating the worker’s requirement to lift by job re-design
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Substitution: consider breaking down the load into lighter components or replace lifting a load with pushing a load through use of a trolley
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Minimisation: decrease the frequency of lifting during the day where possible
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Engineering: re-design of equipment to minimise need for manual handling
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Administration: modification of work systems and practices, e.g. job rotation, good housekeeping and location of products being lifted
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Training and supervision: ensuring workers operate equipment safely and properly to minimise manual handling along with provision of manual handling training to encourage safe work practices for lifting and lowering
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Personal protective equipment: for example provision of gloves, footwear, protective clothing or back braces which may be recommended with useage guidelines.
There are also a range of products, aids and supports to assist with lifting up to 45 kilograms:
For lifting and moving in an office environment there are aids such as:
Cleaning based equipment which assists to minimise lifting or moving include:
For lifting and moving in industrial, mechanical and construction work there are aids such as:
For people who work in the healthcare field, there are:
To assist people to complete activities of daily living for example shopping, cleaning and laundry tasks there are aids such as:
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luggage on wheels
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trolleys—shopping/ laundry/ tray mobiles
References
Independent Living Centres Australia Inc. 2007, Review of Products, Independent Living Centres Australia Inc, Sydney, viewed 4 March 2010, <http://www.ilcaustralia.org>.
National Occupational Health and Safety Council 2005, National Code of Practice for Manual Handling, Safe Work Australia 2009, Canberra, viewed 4 March 2010, <http://safeworkaustralia.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/D7B58BF8-1C27-430B-922E-427CE310EB53/0/manualhandling_cop2005_1990.pdf>.
United States Department of Labor and United States Employment and Training Administration 1991, Revised Handbook for Analyzing Jobs, United States Department of Labor, Washington.
WorkCover New South Wales 2010, Manual Handling-Hierarchy of Controls, New South Wales Government, Sydney, viewed 4 March 2010, http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/formspublications
/publications/Documents/hierarchy_of_controls_5620.pdf>.
Workers Health Centre 2004, Manual Handling Factsheet, Workers Health Centre, Lidcombe, viewed 4 March 2010, http://www.workershealth.com.au/facts034.html.