Consequences of Poor Manual Handling

Consequences can be split into three main areas: short term and superficial injuries, long term
injuries and mental health issues.

1. Short-term and/or superficial injuries

For example: cuts, bruises, sprains, tears, small fractures, muscle strain, etc. Usually caused by
sudden and small unexpected accidents, e.g. losing grip and dropping a load, lifting an excessively
heavy load at an awkward angle, or falling while carrying a load.

2. Long-term injuries

This mainly involves damage to the musculoskeletal system of the body, including muscles, tendons,
bones, joints, ligaments, nerves, and blood vessels –usually caused by long-term, gradual wear-and-
tear as a result of repetitive strenuous activities. These are known as musculoskeletal disorders.

3. Mental health issues

For example: long-term stress and anxiety, and depression. This is usually a negative side effect of
dealing with long-term injuries that have disabling and difficult-to-manage symptoms.

Physical ailments are more readily recognised than mental health issues related to poor manual
handling, but we must not overlook the fact that long-term injuries can have a serious knock-on
effect: they can lead to poor mental health due to the stress and anxiety triggered by long-term
physical issue