General Guideline for Manual and Mechanical Material Handling | Manual Material Handling/Mechanical Handling |

 

Guideline for Manual and mechanical material handling:-

Manual materials handling involves the handling, moving, lifting, and carrying of materials without the use of mechanical equipment. Minimizing injuries that occur from materials handling requires planning about these tasks. Following points must be taken into consideration while doing the manual and mechanical material handling work.

1. Ensure that the workers engaged for manual material handling operation must be trained for manual material handling techniques and should be carried out under experienced supervision.

2. Ensure that the lifting, carrying or moving of material, articles or things does not endanger the safety of nearby and other workers.

3. Before lifting or shifting, size up the load first. If it is too big in size, ask for help of others.

4. Take a round, inspect and look of work / nearest area before lifting and check whether it is slippery, has oil spillage, anything that can cause loss of balance.

5. Provide and ensure use of correct type of hand gloves (Scratch Proof Hand Gloves /Leather Hand Gloves) as per requirement. Also ensure safety shoes, goggles (white glass) and safety helmet with chin strip.

6. Basic tips for manual material handling :-

• Position the feet correctly while lifting the load. Space the legs apart from the hip with
  one foot by the side of load & ahead of other foot in the direction of movement.
• The back needs to keep straight, not necessary vertical. It may at the same time be
  inclined from hip as lifting posture may need.
• Arm should be closed to body. Grip the load correctly using roots of fingers & palm.
• Head should be slightly raised before lifting.
• Raise the body with leg muscles, the movement should not be jerky.
• While keeping load down, follow same procedure.
• While keeping load down, ensure that hand & fingers will not get pinched.

7. Do not allow to stack material at high level, failure to this causes fatigue & serious strain.

Always use platform to stand on it to stack material at high level and ensure that material
should be stack only up to chest height.

8. Do not carry load in such a manner that it obstruct the vision.

9. Do not stand by holding heavy load in hand, if it is not avoidable, put down on the bench /platform of suitable height. If bench is not / platform is not there, put it down on the ground by using right method.

10. While moving load from one table / platform to other, do not twist the body but turn it completely.

11. While carry out material handling by using lifting machine, ensure that all banksman /slingers should be trained.

12. All lifting machine whether it is own or hired from third party, shall be check for its physical condition before use & ensure that testing of same shall be done by authorized competent person. Test certificate must available in the lifting machine with operator.

13. Safe Working Load must be mark on the lifting tackles & lifting Machine with color coding as per the respective company standards.

14. Load should be landed on the suitable sleepers (wooden boards / sleepers) to avoid damage of lifting tackles.

15. Never tie knot to chain sling or nylon sling to shorten them.

16. Tool Box Talk must conduct before start the work.

17. When lifting machine is in operation, do not leave the area unless you have been relieved by a trained signalman.