Mechanical handling

Manual handling injuries are among the most commonly sustained by people at work, and mechanical
handling aids are often used to help prevent such injuries. Numerous types of equipment are
available to help with the task of handling goods, and whenever reasonably practicable, mechanical
handling systems should be used in preference to manual handling by people.
In addition, mechanical handling equipment is extensively used on construction sites (excavators,
dumpers, loaders etc), and in public buildings for moving people about (eg, escalators, passenger
travelators etc).
The main types of mechanical handling are:
conveyorised systems
elevators (escalators, lifts and moving walkways)
internal workplace transport
goods vehicles
other mechanical handling products.
This Guide addresses the requirements for the safe use of conveying equipment and mobile handling
equipment of various types, but does not address lifting equipment and operations (see our Guide on
that topic).

The law relating to mechanical handling

The following legislation applies to mechanical handling operations:
Health and safety at work etc act 1974 this deals with the general duties of employers and
employees, and designers etc of equipment and installations (sections 2-9)
Provision and use of work equipment regulations 1998 the main legislation relating to mechanical
handling equipment
Supply of machinery (safety) regulations 1992, as amended in 1994 place specific duties on
manufacturers and importers of work machinery (as opposed to end-users) to produce machinery that
meet minimum safety standards (regulation 12). These safety standards are often (but not
exclusively) found in British Standards. Note that the regulations apply where end-users design and
manufacture their own work machinery (see regulation 11)
Lifting operations and lifting equipment regulations 1998 (see our Guide).
Construction (health, safety and welfare) regulations 1996 contain provisions about plant and traffic
movement on site
Workplace health, safety and welfare regulations 1992 this covers protection from falling objects
(regulation 13), the organisation and condition of traffic routes (regulation 17), and escalators and
moving walkways (regulation 19)
Management of health and safety at work regulations 1999 employers must make a suitable and
sufficient assessment of work-related risks (regulation 3), protection of danger areas (regulation 8)
and provide information and training for their employees (regulation 10).
General work equipment requirements
The provision and use of work equipment regulations 1998, familiarly known as PUWER, contain
these provisions relating to mechanical handling equipment:

 work equipment is defined as any machinery, appliance, apparatus, tool or installation for use at
work
employers must ensure that equipment is suitable for use, and that it is maintained in an efficient
state, efficient working order and is kept in good repair, with an up-to-date maintenance record
(regulations 4 and 5).
employers must ensure that equipment is installed correctly and is safe to operate. If work equipment
is liable to be exposed to conditions that may cause deterioration resulting in dangerous conditions,
the employer must ensure that the equipment is inspected at suitable intervals (regulation 6)
users and supervisors of equipment must be provided with adequate information, instruction and
training (regulations 8 and 9)
the equipment should, where appropriate, have identifiable start, stop and emergency stop controls,
which are readily accessible (regulations 14-18)
Mobile equipment
These requirements apply to lift trucks, as well as mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), dumper
trucks and excavators etc. Employees should not ride on mobile work equipment unless it is suitable
for carrying operators and passengers, and incorporates features for reducing safety risks (regulation
25)
Where there is a risk of mobile work equipment rolling over, the employer must ensure there is
suitable roll-over protection and a restraining system (eg, seat belts). The equipment must be
designed to reduce the risk of overturning as low as is reasonably practicable (regulations 26 and 27)
Where moving self-propelled work equipment may involve a safety risk, the employer must ensure:
it can be prevented from starting accidentally, or by unauthorised persons
there is a braking and stopping device
where necessary, emergency braking is operated by readily accessible controls, or there are
automatic systems for braking and stopping
there are appropriate measures for minimising the consequences collisions between rail-mounted
vehicles
where the operators direct field of vision is inadequate, there are devices to improve vision, so far as
is reasonably practicable (regulation 28)
Where remote-controlled self-propelled work equipment involves a safety risk while it is in motion, the
employer must ensure that it stops automatically once it leaves its control range, and the risk of
crushing or impact is minimised so far as reasonably practicable (regulation 29)
Construction plant
The Construction (health, safety and welfare) regulations 1996 deal to some extent with mechanical
handling on construction sites, and additional guidance can be found in the ACoP HSG 150, Health
and safety in construction.
traffic routes sites must be organised so that pedestrians and vehicles can move about safely. They
should be suitable (size, number and locations) for the persons/vehicles using them (regulation 15)
vehicles suitable and sufficient steps should be taken to prevent the unintended movement of any
vehicle (regulation 17)
excavations adequate steps must be taken to prevent any person, vehicles or materials from falling
into an excavation, and no person, material or vehicle may be placed or moved near any excavation
which is liable to cause a collapse of that excavation (regulation 12).

General good practice points

Mechanical handling activities can and do result in serious harm to people, plant, equipment,
structures and environment. To ensure that mechanical handling operations are undertaken safely,
the following aspects should be considered:
plan the operation
carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment
select the correct equipment for the operation, and for the people who will operate it
ensure the equipment is maintained in a good condition
ensure all operators know what they are doing and are suitably trained.
The most basic forms of mechanical handling aids are pallet handlers, trolleys, barrows, hoists, etc.
These are generally seen as low risk items of equipment, but a risk assessment should still be carried
out prior to use, and employees need to be competent in their use. In particular, training should be
given on loading, pushing and pulling these aids.
Only mechanical handling aids which are marked with their safe working load (SWL) should be used
and annual or six-monthly reports of thorough examinations should be kept, along with declarations of
conformity or test certificates (see our Guide on lifting equipment).

Safe stacking
This is covered by the Workplace (health, safety and welfare) regulations 1992 which require that
materials, goods and articles should be stored or stacked so they are not likely to fall and cause
injury. They should be stacked on a firm, level base and, when needed, properly constructed racks
should be used, secured to the floor or wall if reasonably practicable.
Items should be stored in/on the correct container, pallet or rack and any defective storage equipment
be discarded.
Stacks should be stable, with well-chocked pipes and drums to prevent rolling and collapse of the
stack. Heavy items should be kept at floor level.
The safe load rating of racks, shelves or floors should never be exceeded, and employees should
never climb shelves or stacks to reach upper levels. De-stacking should never be carried out by
throwing down items from the top or pulling out from the bottom. Items should not protrude into aisles
and traffic routes.

Conveyors
There are various types of conveyors, namely:
belt conveyors - these are either flat or troughed and are often used for transporting materials over
long distances. Flat conveyors are usually used to move bulky packages or boxed goods, and loose
items, such as aggregates or solid fuel, by troughed conveyors
roller conveyors - may be either gravity or powered, and are used to move unit loads
chain conveyors - generally used to push or pull materials along a fixed trough, or as power pendant
conveyors for moving clothes etc
screw conveyors - generally used to transfer loose or free-flowing solid materials over short distances,
such as grain from storage silos to processing units
slat conveyors - spaced wooden or metal slats propelled by side chains, which are used for moving
boxed or sacked goods.

Hazards associated with conveyors

The main hazards associated with conveyors are:
traps or nips between moving parts
traps between moving and fixed parts
traps and nips created by the drive mechanism
traps created at transfer points between conveyors
exposed sharp edges, for example, on guide rails or panels, or the edges of belts
materials or objects falling from elevated conveyors onto people below.
Guarding
General guidance on design of guarding can be found in BS EN 953: 1998, Safety of machinery guards - general requirements for the design and construction of fixed and movable guards.
Fixed guards should be used wherever practicable, and must be secured in position when the
conveyor is in motion or liable to be put into motion. It should not be possible to open or remove such
guards without the use of a specialised tool. Fixed guards may be an integral part of the conveyor or
free-standing from the floor and fixed to the floor of the conveyor system.
There should never be any space between the guard and conveyor allowing entrapment.
The need for falling object guards can be minimised by ensuring that (at the design stage) the radii of
bends are maximised to reduce the risk of items jamming or falling from conveyors.
All conveyors require guards to prevent access to the traps and nips. Wherever reasonably
practicable, arrangements should be made for routinely maintaining machines (eg, lubrication) with
the guards in place. It may be necessary to use permit-to-work systems for maintenance on
conveyors operating in hazardous environments (eg, through ovens or baths) or over long distances.
Wherever conveyors rise to more than one metre above floor or walkway level, suitable raise or side
members should be provided to a sufficient height above the conveyor to contain the top item of the
load being conveyed.
Wherever the operator needs frequent access to dangerous parts of the conveyor, interlocked guards
should be provided. Interlocked guards should be connected to the machine controls so that the:
guard remains locked closed until the dangerous movement has stopped
machine cannot operate until the guard is closed again.
Interlocking guards should be fail safe, that is, if the interlock mechanism fails then the conveyor
cannot be operated.
Emergency devices
Emergency stop wires should be provided along the side of the conveyor where they are greater than
20 metres in length. Emergency stop buttons must remain in the off position until reset, and releasing
the button should not allow the equipment to restart.
All emergency stop buttons must be easily identifiable (eg, by the colour-blind), and their number and
position determined by:
the plant layout
operator positions
obstructions such as where conveyors pass through walls or over traffic routes etc.

Escalators and moving walkways

The Workplace (health, safety and welfare) regulations 1992 (and its ACoP L24) set out provisions
for escalators and moving walkways, and additional guidance can also be found in BS 7801: 1995,
Code of practice for safe working on escalators and passenger conveyors in use.
Escalators and travelators must conform with the general requirements for stairways (eg, on treads,
risers, handrails, lighting, fire protection etc) and in addition must:
have an inclination angle not exceeding 30
function safely in regard to in-running nips and traps, especially to prevent trapping of feet etc (eg, a
brush deflector between the moving steps and the balustrade), and plastic triangles inserted where
the balustrade intersects with the ceiling, or an adjacent escalator
be equipped with necessary safety devices to prevent electrical shock and access to dangerous
machinery
be fitted with at least one emergency stop control which is easily identifiable and readily accessible to
those using the escalator or travelator
sufficient circulation space at the entrance and exit of the escalator or walkway.

Elevators
Elevators are conveyors which move goods up or down inclines under power (or gravity). As such
they are also subject to the Lifting equipment and lifting operations regulations 1998. They may be
either fixed or mobile - more information on MEWPs can be seen in our Guide on lifting equipment.
Note that in some parts of the world the term elevator is synonymous with passenger lift, however in
this section we are only concerned with goods conveyors.
Fixed elevators
Fixed elevators may be either the vertical or adjustable-angle types. Vertical elevators are either
bucket elevators for moving loose materials or bar elevators on which items are placed or hung.
The elevator may be enclosed in a fixed shaft or hoistway, and is usually continuous in operation.
Elevating loose materials can be associated with dust explosions, such as in flour mills, and in such
cases elevator shafts must be fitted with explosion relief arrangements and appropriate hazardous
area electrical equipment.
A fixed guard should be fitted at the base of the elevator to prevent direct access to the moving flights
and in-running nips formed between the chain and sprocket, or the screw and adjacent conveyor.
Mobile elevators
Mobile elevators are used for loading bales, sacked goods, luggage etc in and out of aircraft or
vehicles, and in farming operations. Both ends of the elevator should incorporate fixed guards to
prevent trapping.
These elevators can run at variable speeds and if operators are unable to keep up with the speed of
the elevator, hand, arm and shoulder injuries can occur.

Mobile mechanical handling equipment

There are various types of mobile handling equipment for a wide range of operations (eg, fork lift
trucks, diggers and loaders). As with all mechanical handling tasks, the type, weight and shape of the
materials to be moved must be considered, as must the environment, the layout of the system,
storage facilities, and training requirements.
Mobile mechanical handling equipment introduces the following significant hazards into the
workplace:
crushing, striking, or running people over

 throwing the operator from the moving plant or truck.

In order to prevent the such accidents, the following measures should be in place:
traffic routes should be planned to minimise congestion, for example, by use of one-way traffic
systems
routes should be kept free of obstructions and properly maintained
access points should be restricted and clearly marked
appropriate speed limits should be in place
excavator operators must be informed of hazards such as unstable ground, overhead lines, and
underground cables, services, sewers etc.
trenches and excavations should be fenced and shored to prevent collapse.
Loading/unloading
Operators should not remain on vehicles that are being loaded, unless a falling object protection
system (FOPS) or reinforced cab is fitted. Spectators should stand well clear of loading operations.
When unloading or tipping a load, a signaller or banksman should help the operator deal with
obstructions or other moving vehicles or pedestrians, and ensure that the load is properly deposited in
the correct place.
Anyone working on or near such operations should be provided with suitable personal protective
equipment, including high visibility clothing.

Lift trucks
There is extensive published guidance on health and safety issues of lift trucks, most notably the
HSEs HSG 6, Safety in working with lift trucks, and the Road Transport Industry Training Boards
Lift truck operator and training instructor recommendations. Where appropriate, HSG 113, Lift
trucks in potentially flammable atmospheres should be referred to if risk assessment reveals that
hazard may be encountered.
There are several designs of lift truck, such as counter-balanced fork lift trucks, industrial reach
trucks, telescopic materials handlers and side-loading lift trucks.
Counter-balanced fork lift trucks
Fork lift trucks can be powered by battery, petrol, diesel or LP gas. They carry the load in the front of
the vehicle, which is counter-balanced by the weight of the truck over the rear wheels. They can be
either rider or pedestrian controlled.
Pedestrian-operated stacking trucks
There are two types of pedestrian-operated stacking trucks manually and power-operated stackers.
Manually operated stackers are normally used to move pallets and heavy machinery, as they are
unable to pick up directly from the floor. Power operated stackers can be pedestrian or rider
controlled and can work both vertically and horizontally, and they are able to pick up pallets directly
from the floor.
Reach trucks
Reach trucks enable the load to be retracted within the wheel base, thereby minimising the overall
working length to enable greater manoeuvrability and (for example) reduced aisle widths. They are
rider operated.

Narrow aisle trucks

These trucks are rider-operated and can operate in reduced aisle widths, but they differ from reach
trucks in that the base of the truck does not turn within the working aisle.
There are two types side loaders and counterbalance rotating load turret trucks. Side loaders are
good for long runs down narrow aisles, but they can only stack down one side of the aisle at a time.
The counterbalance rotating load turret truck has telescopic sections, and the top can rotates through
180, enabling both sides of an aisle to be worked at the same time.
Order pickers
Order pickers incorporate a protected working platform above the lift forks and can be used in narrow
aisles. This enables the operator to select goods (pick) from racking above floor level or place them
onto racks. They can also deposit the picked items on the lift truck, leading to the additional hazard
from falling goods as the picker moves along.

Safety procedures
Only trained and authorised people should be able to operate powered mechanical handling
equipment. When unattended, rider trucks should have the forks lowered and be immobilised by
leaving the controls in the neutral position, turning off the power, applying the brakes and removing
the key or connector plug. The truck keys should be kept in a secure place and only be issued to
authorised individuals.
Passengers must never be carried unless the lift truck has been constructed to do so and
appropriate training given to the operators.
The maximum load capacity must never be exceeded.
Lift truck operators
Operators of mobile handling equipment should be responsible persons who are mentally and
physically fit for the job. They should be suitably trained and provided with adequate levels of
supervision. Detailed guidance is given in ACoP L117, Rider-operated lift trucks operator training,
and the Road Transport Industry Training Boards Lift truck operator and training instructor
recommendations.
Only those who have completed basic training and testing, or are undergoing training and under close
supervision should be allowed to operate lift trucks. Additional or refresher training should be provided
when:
there is a significant change in the layout of the operation
when an operator is moved to a different task/area
when new or different equipment is introduced
following an accident/incident, or when operational standards are perceived to have fallen.
Records of training should be kept, along with records of significant risk assessments involving lift
truck operations.
Operators should be provided, free of charge, with safety footwear, a safety helmet, and high visibility
clothing. Where levels of noise meet or are above the statutory levels, hearing protection should be
provided. In additional protective clothing may be required to suit hot/cold conditions.
Maintenance
Based on the manufacturers recommendations, there should be a defined maintenance programme
which should only be carried out by trained personnel. Lift truck equipment should be checked at
regular intervals by a qualified engineer (see our Guide on lifting equipment).
In addition, operators should carry out daily checks on their vehicles, covering issues such as lights,
warning beacons, horns, tyres, brakes, steering, tilting, lifting and manipulation systems, operator

controls, fluid levels, security of the roll-over cage/guard and load backrest, integrity of hydraulic
hoses and pipes, joints and connections.
Weekly checks should cover the steering gear, lifting gear, battery, mast, forks, attachments and any
chains or ropes used in the lifting mechanism.
Batteries should be charged in separate specialist buildings or a designated area with 2hr-fire
resistance. Battery-charging bays should be ventilated to ensure that hydrogen gas cannot
accumulate. Smoking should be prohibited and other sources of ignition should be eliminated from
these areas. Prominent notices prohibiting these activities should be displayed.
Petrol or diesel powered trucks should be refuelled in the open air using dispensing pumps not by
decanting from a drum or other container.
The valves of LPG cylinders should be closed when the truck is not in use, and spare or empty
cylinders stored in accordance with HSE or Fire Protection Association guidance.
Work environment
Floors and roads should be smooth and level, as well as be of adequate load-bearing capacity.
Gradients should not exceed 10%, with aisles of adequate width and overhead clearance to ensure
safe turning and movement.
Lighting should be adequate for all operations, with a minimum illuminance level of 100lux, and
designed so as to minimise glare.
All structures and fixtures that could create an obstacle should have suitable warning notices
displayed on or near them. This is particularly important for structural elements, load-bearing supports
for racking, and fire protection features such as fire doors and compartment walls. Mechanical
protection should be provided to automatic fire detection equipment, sprinkler heads and supply lines
and other fragile service lines.
Where reasonably practicable, pedestrians should be segregated from vehicular traffic. To aid this
segregation there should be clear directional signs, marked barriers, electrically-operated warning
devices and convex mirrors to aid vision around corners. Drivers should restrict their speed when
manoeuvring. Flashing or audible warnings may be useful where trucks are in occasional use. If
members of the public may be present (eg, retail warehouses, garden centres etc) special care must
be taken to separate them from the lift truck operations.
Using a fork lift truck as a working platform
Where a mobile working platform is required, the truck should ideally be designed for this purpose.
However, in many cases working platforms are fitted to the forks of lift trucks.
When using working platforms on fork lift trucks, the weight of the platform and the load thereon
should not exceed half of the truck manufacturers rated capacity at the rated load centre distance
and the truck at maximum lift height. You should consult the lift truck manufacturer about the technical
requirements of the working platform you intend to attach to the truck.
The platform should be securely attached to the forks, and the edges protected with either guard rails
(top and intermediate rails and toe board) or a steel mesh enclosure. No more than two people should
use the platform, and they should take care not to lean out beyond the platform.
To ensure that the mast remains vertical, a locking device should be fitted, and where controls are
fitted on the platform they should only activate when held/pressed continuously. It is also
recommended that there be emergency controls fitted at floor level, which may be used to lower the
platform in an emergency or breakdown. All trapping points should be adequately screened or
guarded.
No-one should remain in the elevated working position when the truck is moved from one position to
another, and the truck should only be used on well-maintained and level floors.