Still Room For Handling Improvement Despite Fall In Accidents And Injuries Says Penny Hydraulics

Nov. 29, 2011 - PRLog -- Companies can do more to prevent accidents and injuries related to manual handling, claimed load handling equipment manufacturer Penny Hydraulics after the latest official statistics were released by the Health & Safety Executive earlier this month. The latest figures, for the year ending April 2011, showed that more than 36,000 workers suffered a reportable injury while manual handling. Almost 28 per cent of these injuries were directly linked to lifting or putting down items while a further 19 per cent could be linked to unspecified handling, lifting or carrying. The figures, which include all injuries classed as serious or which led to more than three days off work, also showed that there has been a steady downward trend over the last ten years.

“It’s good that the number of people being injured is continuing to decrease but these figures suggest that employers could still do more to reduce or remove the risks associated with manual handling in the workplace,” says Richard Short, Sales Director at Penny Hydraulics which supplies a wide range of load handling equipment. “The best solution is to remove the need for manual handling but if this is not possible a suitable mechanical lifting aid is often the next best option.”

During the year to April 2011 there were 36,244 accidents related to manual handling reported to the HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Of these, 10,063 were attributed to lifting or putting down, 6,128 to pulling, 1,544 to carrying and 7,221 to unspecified handling, lifting or carrying.

Manual handling continues to be the single biggest cause of all reported injuries in the workplace (36,244 out of 117,640 or 30.8 per cent). The HSE also reports that there were around 158,000 new cases of musculoskeletal disorders, which includes those caused by manual handling, based on official statistics collated from a variety of sources. The average time off work through each injury was 7.2 days.

The figures show that accidents leading to death, serious injury or a work absence of more than three days fell from 52,198 in the year ending April 2002 to 36,224 in the year ending April 2011. This represents a reduction of 30.6 per cent over the same period.

““It is the employer’s duty to simplify their handling processes or provide employees with the tools and equipment to do their work more safely, efficiently and productively,” says Richard Short. “There is a good choice of simple and inexpensive equipment such as cranes and tail lifts for commercial vehicles and goods lifts and similar devices for the workplace that is readily available from suppliers like us.”


Note to Editors:
Figures quoted in this release are based on the provisional 2010/11 RIDDOR statistics issued on 2 November 2011, drawn from the following sources:

handson.hse.gov.uk - HSE’s interactive online statistics tool
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh1011.pdf - HSE’s Annual Statistics Report, 2010/11

Penny Hydraulics designs, manufactures and services lifting and load handling equipment for use in a wide range of applications. Products include the Swing Lift range of medium duty cranes for use on pick-ups, drop-sides and flat-beds and the Step Lift, Load Lift and Tail Lift lifting platform ranges for use on pick-ups, drop-sides and vans. The company also manufactures the Cellar Lift for handling loads between ground floor and cellar and specialist equipment for handling wheels, tyres and barrels in vehicles and at customers’ premises. All products are designed and manufactured by the company in the UK.

For further press information please contact:

Richard Short
Sales Director
Penny Hydraulics
T: 01246 811475
W: www.pennyhydraulicsgoodslifts.com   
Keith Wootton
Public Relations Consultant
T: 01327 830675/F: 0871 750 1406
E: penny@keithwootton.co.uk
W: www.keithwootton.co.uk

Penny Hydraulics Limited - Registered Office: Station Road, Clowne, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S43 4AB - Registered No: 1380206

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Penny Hydraulics has been manufacturing bespoke lifting solutions for over 30 years. We design, manufacture, install and service a wide range of goods lift solutions including custom design and custom built lifting equipment for a wide range of different applications.

Our range of reliable and cost effective lifting products include heavy duty and light duty mezzanine floor lifts, bay lifts, scissor lifts, cellar lifts and lifts for the tyre industry.
In-house design and manufacturing capabilities allow quick and easy production of custom designed and built lifting equipment in the case of specialist requirements.
Our commercial goods lift customer base ranges from high street retailers including Arcadia Group and Boots, to tyre suppliers such as ATS Euromaster and breweries and pub chains including JD Wethersoon, Young’s and Fullers.