Step 2: Assess the risks

A risk assessment involves examining the risk factors of the hazardous manual task in more detail.

You should carry out a risk assessment for any manual tasks that you have identified as being hazardous, unless the risk is well known, and you know how to control it.

A risk assessment can help you determine:which postures, movements and forces of the task pose a risk

  • where during the task they pose a risk
  • why they are occurring
  • what needs to be fixed.

Question 1: What does the task involve?

Does the task involve any of the following:

  • repetitive movement
  • sustained or awkward postures
  • repetitive or sustained forces.

Repetitive means that a movement or force is performed more than twice a minute.

Sustained posture is where part of or the whole body is kept in the same position for a prolonged period – more than 30 seconds at a time.

Awkward posture is where any part of the body is in an uncomfortable or unnatural position, such as:

  • postures that are unbalanced or asymmetrical
  • postures that require extreme joint angles or bending and twisting.

Question 2: Does the task involve high or sudden force?

Force is the amount of muscular effort required to perform a movement. It also involves an attempt to perform, resist, or change a movement.

Forceful muscular exertions can overload muscles, tendons, joints, and discs. These exertions lead to MSDs.

High force is exerted when large loads, relative to the body part doing the activity, are placed on muscles and other tissues.

An indicator of a high force is when a worker:

  • describes a task as physically demanding
  • needs help to do it
  • requires a stronger person or two people to do the task, or
  • requires two hands for a task that is normally one-handed.

Sudden force occurs when there is a rapid increase or decrease in muscular effort. Examples of sudden force include jarring, jerky or unexpected movements.

It is particularly hazardous because the body must suddenly adapt to the changing force. Tasks which include sudden force typically generate high force as well.

Question 3: Does the task involve vibration?

Prolonged exposure to whole body or hand arm vibration increases the risk of MSDs and other health problems.

The degree of risk increases as the duration of exposure increases and when the amplitude of vibration is high.

Examples of tasks involving vibration include the use of hand powered tools or operating mobile plant.

Read more about vibration

Did you answer 'yes' to the previous questions?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the previous questions, the task involves a risk of MSD.

It is important to note that a task may involve more than one risk factor. Where a number of risk factors are present and interact, the risk of an MSD developing increases significantly. The hazardous manual tasks code of practice (PDF, 1499.23 KB) provides further guidance about assessing risks.

Use the interactive risk management worksheet (PDF, 101.05 KB) to record, assess and control the tasks in your workplace that are hazardous.

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