Manual tasks

Manual tasks are those activities that require you to grasp, strike, throw, lift, lower, push, pull, carry or otherwise move or restrain something. Examples of manual task hazards in the meat retail industry include:

pushing and lifting heavy cuts of meat;
using knives and saws;
lifting, stacking and unloading heavy cartons; and
repeated forceful gripping and turning actions, such as trimming around small bones.

Ways to control hazards

Here are some ways to reduce or remove the risks from manual tasks in the meat retail industry.

Use different shackle lengths for different carcass sizes.
Use hand-held hooks for gripping or moving meat.
Ensure cartons of meat and other objects are not too heavy and have grips or handles attached where possible.
Where there are no handles or handholds (for example, cuts of meat) use slings or other aids, such as rollers, hooks and mechanical assisting devices.
Use overhead railings from the shop to the cold room to avoid carrying heavy carcases.
Fold the sides of cartons down before packing to avoid lifting meat over the high sides.
Make sure table surfaces can be sloped towards the worker to reduce neck-bending. Metal pegs at the top edge of the table can hold the meat in place.
Light to moderate work like slicing should be done between elbow height and 20cm below elbow height. Heavy work like boning on a table should be done between a little below elbow height and hip height.
Make sure knives are stored in individual pouches when not in use.
Do not carry unsheathed knives by hand from one place to another.
Keep cutting tools sharp.
Sharpen knives away from your body.
Make sure workers are far enough apart to reduce the risk of cutting one another.
Provide training and refresher sessions on correct cutting techniques, knife-sharpening skills, identification of worn knives and methods for safe disposal.
Do not use knives to transfer meat.
Wear the right protective equipment for the task if you are working close to others.
Wear well-fitting, cut-resistant gloves on the knife hand.
Wear properly fitted guards or aprons that cover you from the chest down to the upper thigh areas.

For more ways to reduce the risks from manual tasks, see our manual tasks web page.

Last updated July 2, 2005

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