Why is it important to lift correctly?

Incorrect manual handling is one of the most common causes of work-related musculoskeletal injuries at work. In 2022/23 musculoskeletal disorders accounted for 27% of work related illnesses that were reported to the Health and Safety Executive HSE stats . It is a common misconception that younger people are not as easily injured by lifting items incorrectly, however age makes no difference and everyone must take care. The majority of manual handling injuries are to the back and damage to back, neck or spine can lead to extreme pain, temporary incapacity or permanent injury. Injuries to the hands, arms, legs and feet can also occur such as strains, trapped fingers and cuts from sharp objects, hence it is important that every business assesses all manual handling risks ensuring that employees are not only trained, but following the correct procedures.

Lifting tasks within the pharmacy could involve a range of activities, such as bringing in a delivery of medicines or OTC products manually or on a trolley, lifting items onto or from shelves, delivering items to customers or general housekeeping activities such as emptying the bins.

We are born knowing how to lift correctly and as a toddler our skeletons have not fully formed so cannot support lifting weights by bending the back and not the knees, however over our lifetime we can ‘learn’ bad habits when lifting. Therefore reminding ourselves how to implement safe lifting techniques is important to reduce the risk of any potential injuries, remember that just one wrong move can cause an injury.