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Manual handling assessment charts predict work-related low back pain [UK]
- #HSE
Health & Safety in the workplace : LBP
HSE has published the report of their study which validates the HSE manual handling assessment charts as predictors of work-related low back pain (RR1026). The research analysed whether HSE’s ‘Manual handling Assessment Charts’ (MAC tool) could be used to predict workers losing time from work due to low back pain (LBP).HSE Report findings
The report found that :- the risk of lost time from work due to LBP increased as the ‘Hand distance from the lower back’ in manual handling increased.
- “For each 10 cm increase, the rate of lost time increased by approximately 20%. No evidence of relationships between other risk factors in the MAC and lost time was found. There was no evidence that the rate of lost time due to LBP increased with either increasing total MAC lifting score or total MAC carrying score.”
- The report concludes that no adjustments will be made to the boundaries for the individual MAC risk factors and that duty holders should be confident in using the tool.