Handling Injuries

8/10/2019 Handling Injuries

1/9

Health and SafetyExecutive

Handling injuries in Great Britain, 2013

Contents

Summary 2

Handling 3

Handling inju ries by industry (2012/13 provi sional) 3

Handling injuries by occupation 4

Enforcement action on handling risks 5 Ill health 6

Links to data sources and tables 8

This document is available from www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/ Page 1 of 9


2/9


SummaryThe information in this document relates to Health and Safety Statistics for 2012/13. The document can be foundat: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/handling-injuries.pdf . In 2012/13, the RIDDOR reporting system changed.This may have had effects on data quality and the definition of injury kinds 1 .(www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#riddor provides further explanation).

This document gives an overview of handling injuries to employees that were reported to all RIDDOR enforcingauthorities in 2012/13p.

Handling is a broad category of work-related injury. It accounts for more than one in five of all workplace injuries.Handling injuries include: injuries due to lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling loads; strains; sprains; trapped fingersand cuts from sharp objects.

In 2012/13p:

Seven percent of major and more than a quarter of over seven day injuries to employees involved handling(1 418 major, 16 051 over seven day.) There was one fatal injury. (RIDDOR)

Over 90% of the 17 470 handling injuries were over seven day injuries. (RIDDOR)

Handling caused a lower proportion of reported injuries (22%) than the previous five years average (31%).Self-reported injury rates were significantly lower than in 2007/08 to 2009/10, suggesting there may havebeen a real reduction, rather than merely an effect of the new RIDDOR system. (RIDDOR, LFS)

The latest 3 year averaged estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) showed an estimated 55 000reportable handling injuries resulted in more than three days absence from work. This was a handling injuryrate of 190 per 100 000 workers. (LFS)

An estimated 1.6 million working days were lost due to handling injuries. The estimated average number ofdays lost for each handling injury was 10.8 days. (LFS)

Figure 1 Estimated working days lost, by kind of injury, 2012/13 (LFS: INJKIND2 2 )

1 Main sources of coding discontinuities:

2011/12 Mid year change in RIDDOR reporting system. Injury definitions now reflect reportersinterpretation of Kind codes more directly than was the case when ICC applied data quality checks.

2012/13 Change in RIDDOR reporting requirements for lost time injuries from over three days to overseven days.

2 Based on a three year pooled average 2010/11 to 2012/13. www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/injkind2.xls
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/handling-injuries.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#riddorhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/injkind2.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/injkind2.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#riddorhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/handling-injuries.pdf


3/9

HandlingManual handling injuries include: strains; sprains; lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling loads; trapped fingers andcuts from sharp objects.

Since the introduction of a new RIDDOR coding system (2011/12) and a change in the definition of lost timeinjuries (2012/13), injury numbers and rates cannot be directly compared with earlier years. The main impacts ofthe new system on handling statistics were:

handling was formerly the most common kind of lost time injury reported. In 2012/13, this is no longer thecase, due to the reduction in numbers of lost time injuries with the change to over seven day reporting;

a lower proportion of injuries were classed as handling and a greater proportion classed as Unknown orOther. However, LFS estimates also show significantly lower handling injury rates than in 2007/08 - 2009/10,suggesting there may have been a real reduction in injuries (RIDDOR, LFS); and

the loss of handling sub-category information. Before 2011/12, handling was subdivided into more detailedkinds, such as lifting or putting down loads.

Table 1 Handling , lif ting and carrying injuries, 2012/13p (RIDDOR)

Injury Employee Self-employed WorkersMembers of the

public

Fatal 1 - 1 -

Major 1 418 54 1 472

Over seven day 16 051 115 16 166

722

Total 17 470 169 17 639 722

Handling injuries by industry (2012/13 provisional) Health & social care, manufacturing and transportation & storage together accounted for more than half of

reported employee handling injury numbers, but less than a third of employees. (RIDDOR)

Health & social care had the highest number of reported handling injuries in 2012/13p (3 539).

Figure 2 Industr ies wit h highest rates of handling injury t o employees, 2012/13p (RIDDOR)

Total handling i njuries

Standard IndustrialClassif ication (2007)

SectionHandling inju ry rate per 100 000employees

732 Water supply; waste 354.33038 Transport & storage 2573135 Manufacturing 120

3539 Health & social care 97.885 Mining, quarrying 84.5

1029 Construction 83.9110 Agriculture 70.2

2414 Wholesale & retail 68

The highest rate of injury was in water & waste (water supply, sewerage, waste management & remediation)despite relatively low numbers of injuries.

Transportation & storage had the next highest rate. In the five years from 2006/07 to 2010/11, it had thehighest rate, followed by water & waste.

Injury rates in both these industries were more than double the rate in manufacturing, the sector with the thirdhighest rate.



4/9

Handling injuries by occupationIn 2012/13p:

Elementary storage occupations had the highest numbers of handling injuries, (2 000) more than the next twooccupations: retail assistants (709) and care workers (700) combined. The rate of handling injury inelementary storage occupations was also high, at 525.5 per 100 000 employees.

Nurses and care and nursing assistants, taken together, accounted for 11% of the total (1 887). The combinedrate of injuries for these occupations was 124.5 per 100 000 employees.

This is much lower than the rates of handling injury to ambulance staff (1 767.7) and paramedics (1 726.9).

Table 2 Known occupations with most reported handling injuries 2012/13p (RIDDOR)

SOC2010 4-digit occupations MajorOver-7-

dayTotal

% ofhandlingmajors

% ofhandlingover-7-

day

% ofhandling

Total

9260 - Elementary storage occupations 153 1 847 2 000 11% 12% 11%

7111 - Sales & retail assistants 97 612 709 7% 4% 4%

6141 - Nursing auxiliaries & assistants 21 679 700 1% 4% 4%

6145 - Care workers & home carers 29 584 613 2% 4% 4%

2231 - Nurses 11 563 574 1% 4% 3%

9235 - Refuse & salvage occs 32 466 498 2% 3% 3%

8211 - Large goods vehicle drivers 36 450 486 3% 3% 3%

8239 - Other drivers & transportoperatives nec

22 458 480 2% 3% 3%

8111 - Food, drink & tobacco processoperatives

22 406 428 2% 3% 2%

5223 - Metal working production &maintenance fitters

58 367 425 4% 2% 2%

7219 - Customer service occs nec 43 376 419 3% 2% 2%

3213 - Paramedics 12 360 372 1% 2% 2%

8212 - Van drivers 31 336 367 2% 2% 2%

9272 - Kitchen & catering assistants 34 300 334 2% 2% 2%

9233 - Cleaners & domestics 19 312 331 1% 2% 2%

6142 - Ambulance staff (excl paramedics) 4 283 287 0% 2% 2%

9211 - Postal workers, mail sorters,messengers & couriers 9 249 258 1% 2% 1%

8149 - Construction operatives nec 33 199 232 2% 1% 1%

8117 - Metal making & treating processoperatives

21 200 221 1% 1% 1%

3239 - Welfare & housing assocprofessionals nec

9 204 213 1% 1% 1%

8119 - Process operatives nec 18 185 203 1% 1% 1%

All other occupations


5/9


Enforcement action on handling r isks The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (MHO) require employers and employees to reduce the

risks of injury from manual handling as far as reasonably practicable. In 2012/13 there were no completedcases under MHO.

Table 3 Enforcement cases instituted 3 under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations(2006/07 - 2012/13p)

CasesCases with a

conviction fo r 1 ormore off ences

Conviction %rate for cases

heard

Aver age f ine perconviction (case

level)

2007/08 1 1 100% 3 000

2008/09 3 3 100% 2 833

2009/10 - - - -

2010/11 1 1 100% 1 500

2011/12 1 1 100% 3 000

2012/13p - - - -

Table 4 Prosecutions instituted under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations at an offence level(2007/08 - 2012/13p)

Offences Number o foffences Conviction % rate Aver age f ine per

conviction (offencelevel)

2007/08 1 1 100% 3 000

2008/09 4 4 100% 2 125

2009/10 - - - -

2010/11 1 1 100% 1 500

2011/12 1 1 100% 3 000

2012/13p - - - -

Table 4 shows that there were about a third as many notices issued under MHO in 2012/13p as the averagenumber for the previous five years.

Table 5 Number of enforcement notice with requirements quoting the Manual Handling OperationsRegulat ions (2007/08 - 2012/13p)

Improvement DeferredprohibitionImmediateprohibition Total notices

2007/08 133 - 23 156

2008/09 87 - 17 104

2009/10 79 - 25 104

2010/11 62 1 8 71

2011/12 43 - 12 55

Average2007/08 2011/12

81 - 17 98

2012/13p 26 6 32

3 Prosecutions heard in the relevant year, and where a result has been secured, i.e. the prosecution has beencompleted.


6/9

Ill healthHandling is particularly associated with work-related Ill health due to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Thelatest LFS 3 year averaged estimates (2009/10 to 2011/12) show:

more than a third of MSDs were caused by handling (LFS MSDMHW1_3YR);

an estimated 222 000 total cases of work related MSDs were caused by manual handling (LFS);

an estimated total case rate of 740 per 100 000 workers (LFS).

Figure 3 Estimated total cases of self-reported musculoskeletal di sorders caused or made worse bywork, 3 year average 2009/10 to 2011/12 (LFS)

About half of the estimated 210 000 total cases of MSDs mainly affecting the back were caused by handling.Handling caused an estimated 112 000 total cases of MSDs mainly affecting the back.(LFS, BACKMHW1_3YR)

Figure 4 Estimated total cases of self-reported musculoskeletal di sorders mainly affecting the back,caused or made worse by work, 3 year average 2009/10 to 2011/12) (LFS)



7/9

Nearly a third of the estimated total cases of MSDs mainly affecting the upper limbs or neck, were caused byhandling. That is an estimated 80 000 out of 202 000 total cases (LFS ULNMHW1_3YR)

Figure 5 Estimated total cases of self-reported musculoskeletal disorders mainly affecting the upperlimbs o r neck , caused or made worse by work, averaged 2009/10 to 2011/12 (LFS)



8/9


Links to data sources and tables.

Data Sources Web Address (URL)

Labour Force Survey(LFS) www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#lfs

Voluntary reporting ofoccupational diseases byspecialist doctors (THOR) www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#thor

Voluntary reporting ofoccupational diseases byGeneral Practitioners(THOR GP) www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#odin

RIDDOR (The ReportingOf Injuries, Diseases andDangerous OccurrencesRegulations 1995) www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#riddor

Tables Web Address (URL)

RIDKIND1 www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/ridkind1.xls

RIDKIND2 - www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/ridkind2.xls

RIDKIND3- www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/ridkind3.xls

INJKIND1 www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/injkind1.xls

INJKIND1_3YR www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/injkind1_3yr.xls

INJKIND2 www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/injkind2.xls

MSDIND4_3YR www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/msdind4_3yr.xls

MSDMHW1_3YR www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/msdmhw_3yr.xls

ULNMHW1_3YR www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/msdmhw1_3yr.xls

ULNIND2_3YR www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/ulnind2_3yr.xls

www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/kinds-of-accident.htm Kinds of injury

www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/kinds-of-accident.pdf

Slips trips and falls www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/slips-trips-and-falls.pdf

Vehicle injuries www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/moving-vehicles.pdf

Handling injuries www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/handling-injuries.pdf

Handling injuries (finalisedfor 2010/11)

www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/handlinginjuries-2006-07to2010-11.pdf

Workplace transportinjuries (finalised for2010/11) www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/workplace-transport.pdf

Other tables www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/index.htm
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#lfshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#lfshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#lfshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#thorhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#thorhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#thorhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#thorhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#odinhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#odinhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#odinhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#odinhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#odinhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#riddorhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#riddorhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/ridkind1.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/ridkind2.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/ridkind3.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/injkind1.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/injkind1_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/injkind2.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/msdind4_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/msdind4_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/msdmhw_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/msdmhw_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/msdmhw1_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/ulnind2_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/ulnind2_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/kinds-of-accident.htmhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/kinds-of-accident.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/slips-trips-and-falls.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/moving-vehicles.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/handling-injuries.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/handling-injuries.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/handlinginjuries-2006-07to2010-11.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/handlinginjuries-2006-07to2010-11.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/workplace-transport.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/index.htmhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/index.htmhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/index.htmhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/index.htmhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/workplace-transport.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/handlinginjuries-2006-07to2010-11.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/handlinginjuries-2006-07to2010-11.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/handling-injuries.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/moving-vehicles.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/slips-trips-and-falls.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/kinds-of-accident.pdfhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/kinds-of-accident.htmhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/ulnind2_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/ulnind2_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/msdmhw1_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/msdmhw_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/msdind4_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/msdind4_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/injkind2.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/injkind1_3yr.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/lfs/injkind1.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/ridkind3.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/ridkind2.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/ridkind1.xlshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#riddorhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#odinhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#odinhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#odinhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#odinhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#odinhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#thorhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#thorhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#thorhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#thorhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#lfshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#lfshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm#lfs


9/9

Crown copyright If you wish to reuse this information visit www.hse.gov.uk/copyright.htm for details.First published 10/13.

Published by the Health and Safety Executive V1 10/13

National Statistic s

The RIDDOR and LFS figures in this report are National Statistics.

National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code ofPractice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. Theyare produced free from any political interference.

An account of how the figures are used for statistical purposes can be found atwww.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm .

For information regarding the quality guidelines used for statistics within HSE seewww.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/quality-guidelines.htm

A revisions policy and log can be seen at www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/revisions/

Additional data tables can be found at www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/ .

Statistician: Stephen Wright

Contact: [email protected]

Last Update: October 2013

Next Update: October 2014
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htmhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/quality-guidelines.htmhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/quality-guidelines.htmhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/revisions/http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/revisions/http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/about/quality-guidelines.htmhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/sources.htm

Handling Injuries

Documents

Transcript of Handling Injuries