Preloaded UK policy

Manual Handling Policy template

MHO Regulations 1992: avoid, assess and reduce. Risk assessment, training and mechanical aids.

Legal basis
  • Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
  • Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Last reviewed April 2025. Guidance, not legal advice.

What the policy covers

  1. 1. POLICY STATEMENT
    your company will take all reasonably practicable steps to prevent injury caused by manual handling operations.
  2. 2. THE THREE-STEP APPROACH
    1.
  3. 3. RISK ASSESSMENT (TILE FRAMEWORK)
    Task — does the task require twisting, stooping, reaching, large vertical movement, long carrying distances, strenuous pushing/pulling?
  4. 4. MECHANICAL AIDS
    Appropriate mechanical handling equipment (pallet trucks, sack barrows, hoists, telehandlers, forklifts) will be provided where the risk assessment identifies it as necessary.
  5. 5. TRAINING
    All employees who carry out manual handling will receive training in:
  6. 6. REPORTING
    Employees must report any pain, discomfort or injury arising from manual handling to their line manager promptly.
  7. 7. REVIEW
    This policy will be reviewed annually and following any manual handling incident.

Who needs it

Any UK employer whose people can get hurt, handle personal data or spend company money. Inspectors, insurers and principal contractors ask to see these first.

Questions people ask

Is a manual handling policy a legal requirement?

It rests on Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 and Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Some policies must be written down once a business reaches a certain size or does certain work; others are simply how a tribunal, an inspector or a client's auditor expects to see that you have thought about it. A clear, dated, signed policy is the evidence either way. Guidance, not legal advice.

Can I change it to suit how we work?

Yes. Inside Work-Lynx it is a starting point: put your company name in, adjust the arrangements to what you actually do, set the review date and publish it. Staff read and acknowledge it on their phones, and you can see who has not.

Is it up to date?

Last reviewed April 2025. The pack is updated when the law moves, and every policy carries a review date so it does not quietly go stale.

How do I get it?

It is preloaded in Work-Lynx with the other 48 UK policies. Work-Lynx is £2.50 a month plus £1 per employee, 14 days free, no card, and what you see on the pricing page is the bill.

Who is it for?

Any UK employer whose people can get hurt, handle personal data or spend company money. Inspectors, insurers and principal contractors ask to see these first.

All 49 UK policies, £2.50 a month

This policy and 48 others are already in Work-Lynx, alongside GPS clock-in, rotas, timesheets, leave and Employ AI for UK employment law. £2.50 base plus £1 per employee a month. 14 days free, no card, no sales call.

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