Every year in the NSW transport and storage industry more than 1300 people are seriously injured or suffer from illness related to manual handling. This represents about 36 per cent of all injuries from this industry.
This costs NSW transport and storage workplaces about $26 million a year in direct costs.
Generally manual handling in the transport and storage industry affects the back, shoulder, knees, abdomen and pelvic region. The most common injuries include sprains and strains, damage to muscles and tendons and hernia problems.
Black spots
Manual handling injuries in the transport and storage industry are often caused when lifting or carrying heavy cartons.
Occupations that are black spots for manual handling injuries include:
- transport workers
- production workers
- labourers.
Sectors within the transport and storage industry that are prone to manual handling injuries include: - road and rail freight transport
- warehouse operations
- waste disposal services.
WorkCover has a number of resources to help you address manual handling problems in the transport and storage industries. |