Analyse the Limits of Own Role in Relation to Moving and Positioning in Health and Social Care

This guide is written for health and social care workers on the limits of safe moving and handling equipment in healthcare settings. As a social care worker, lifting equipment and individuals are a part of your job.  But there are limits of one’s role in relation to moving and positioning in healthcare settings. Let’s read about this regulation, limitations, and why they are important, as explored in our Care Certificate answers guide..

What Do We Mean By Moving and Handling?

Moving and Handling is an activity of using physical force, like pushing, carrying, moving, pulling, or lifting, to move people and objects in healthcare settings. Moving and handling tasks are an important area in social care where there is a high risk of injury for the employees and the service users.

Every year, hundreds of incidents are reported as a result of moving and positioning activities, which have a long-term effect on the worker and the patient. These incidents can cause lifelong disability, leaving us in pain for our remaining lives. It is always advisable to comply with legislation regarding moving and handling activities in care settings.

A social worker is required to move and handle the following types of living and non-living items:

• Individuals: Transporting a wheelchair from one place to another.
• Objects: Moving a drawer from one place to another.
• Equipment: Assisting a disabled man to sit on a chair.

Types of Equipment for Moving and Handling

There are different types of equipment used in care setups to ensure safety of physically weak patients. A health and safety executive should use specific equipment according to the handling needs and health conditions of the user. While lifting and moving equipment like hoists, it is important to ensure the safety of the individuals in your care. Different sorts of equipment are utilized in care facilities.

Maximum Allowed Weight Limits

There are no specific guidelines laid by the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 on the maximum allowed weights; however, HSE has explain health and safety laws for employers regarding manual handling operations:

• The workers should avoid manual handling of hazardous materials. 
• Employers should assess and prevent the risk of injury associated with the manual handling of hazardous materials as much as possible.

Read more on the importance of working in partnerships in healthcare settings by reviewing related case studies such as NURS FPX 6111 Assessment 4.

Training and Adherence

As a social and health care worker, there are some tasks you should perform only if you have enough training and keep yourself and others safe. This is relevant when referring to transferring and repositioning individuals and sensitive equipment.

The use of equipment such as hoists or slings for repositioning individuals, as highlighted in NURS FPX 6004 Assessment 2, requires strict adherence to the care plan and risk assessments to ensure the safety and well-being of the workers and the patients.

Manual Handling Policies and Procedures

A comprehensive moving and handling policy in social care settings plays a critical role in safeguarding both staff and individuals. It begins with the recognition of the risks involved in handling people and loads, and a commitment to reducing those risks by implementing safety procedures.

The policy should clearly define the obligations of workers as well as managers. It should also highlight the training of employees on safe moving and positioning methods and the proper use of manual handling equipment that is used in healthcare settings.  It is also important to report the incidents that occur during manual handling operations in a care setting.

The policy also entails that risk assessments are conducted on the usage of mobility support equipment for manual handling operations. Staff must be informed about the importance of proper moving practices and trained to prevent handling accidents during handling tasks. A handling policy promotes accountability and safety of individuals in the working environment of care setups.

Moving and Handling Legislation and Policy in Social and Health Care

Moving and handling procedures are essential for preventing injuries in workers while they perform manual handling operations. They also protect the dignity of vulnerable individuals in care settings.  Here are some work equipment regulations that have to be followed by employees and employers in social care settings:

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 specifies the duties of managers as well as staff members.

Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999  are guidelines for employers to reduce the risks of manual handling tasks.

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992/2002 require employers to avoid hazardous manual handling activities and reduce risks to health and safety in care settings.

Lifting Operations & Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 mandate the safe use of lifting equipment in care settings.

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 ensure that all handling aids are safe and used by trained staff only.

Perform Risk Assessment 

In healthcare, risk assessments have to be carried out for any manual handling activities related to objects and individuals.  Risk assessments are used to ensure safe handling injuries and equipment such as hoists. You should perform risk assessments to identify and report any safety risks, and apply necessary controls for the management of health and safety of individuals. Properly documenting these assessments can be enhanced with support from academic writing services, especially when compiling formal reports or compliance records in professional care environments.

There are in fact two kinds of risk assessments for moving or positioning objects safely in care settings:

• Individual Risk Assessment
• General risk assessments

Individual Risk Assessment

An individual risk assessment in health and social care settings is carried out to identify risk of harm that can happen while moving and positioning a specific service user or patient. This category is different from general risk assessment. Here, we focus on medical needs, health conditions, and mobility levels of the person being transported because they differ from patient to patient.

If you are handling multiple patients at a time, then every patient will have a different personality and physical disability, and you will have to use the appropriate moving and handling techniques for each person.

General risk assessments

A general or manual handling assessment is done to address worker issues related to health and safety at work. These types of assessments are done when a worker has to handle equipment and other objects safely. Manual handling regulations should not violate individuals’ freedom, privacy, care, and respect.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has a policy for lift carrying by workers. This policy is called the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER). According to this document, the employer must carefully plan moving and handling tasks to ensure the safety of lifting operations and the well-being of employees. 

Obligations for Removing Risks in Moving and Handling Practices

Reducing risks is an important part of caring. This cannot be done unless employees and employers follow the obligations laid down for them. Following are some responsibilities for both employees nd employers to follow in their routine annual handling tasks:

Employers must ensure the safety of staff and care service users by :

• Assess the risk associated with manual handling tasks before assigning tasks to the workers.
• Implementing measures for reducing risks related to health and safety in health care settings
• Reduce manual handling tasks that may cause physical injury where possible.

Employees must:

• Follow the appropriate guidelines laid down by the organisation while moving and positioning individuals or equipment.
• Inform their employers about any problems and incidents when using handling equipment in care settings
• Care staff responsibilities also include not taking any action that puts themselves or other individuals at risk.
• The safety workers should also acquire training for moving and handling equipment to ensure a safe working environment care settings. 

Monitoring and Review Of Manual Handling Operations Regulations

Risk assessments should be evaluated on a regular basis to ensure they stay up to date. There must be procedures established to monitor moving and handling operations to verify that the proper techniques are used, as emphasized in NURS FPX 4900 Assessment 2.