Edition 49, September 2007

National standard and code of practice for manual tasks declared

The National Standard for Manual Tasks (2007) and the National Code of Practice for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders from Performing Manual Tasks at Work (2007) were declared by the Australian Safety and Compensation Council on 22 August 2007.

The aim of the revised standard and code of practice is to prevent injuries that may be caused by performing manual tasks at work by setting out ways to identify and manage risks.

While a manual task can be any physical activity requiring a person to use part of their body to perform their work, the standard and code of practice focus on identifying and managing hazardous manual tasks which have a greater likelihood of causing an injury.

Hazardous manual tasks can include:

  • repetitive or sustained awkward posture
  • sustained movement or application of force
  • the application of high force (such as hitting something with a hammer)
  • exposure to sustained vibration (such as using a drill for an extended period)
  • working with people or animals
  • handling unstable or unbalanced loads
  • handling loads which are difficult to grasp or hold.

The national standard and code of practice will be adopted by all states and territories as soon as possible.  It will apply to workers in almost every industry and ensure that all workers performing manual tasks at work will have the same protection across Australia.

For more information and copies of the standard and code of practice, visit www.ascc.gov.au (Select 'Health and safety topics' > 'Hazards and safety issues')

This page was generated on 18 February, 2010

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