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A manual handling risk assessment looks at a lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling task under four headings (the task, the individual, the load and the environment) and records what you will change to make it safer. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 require one wherever hazardous manual handling cannot reasonably be avoided.
What the law requires
Regulation 4 of the regulations sets a clear order:
- Avoid hazardous manual handling so far as is reasonably practicable, for example by redesigning the job or using mechanical aids.
- Assess any hazardous handling that cannot be avoided, making a suitable and sufficient assessment.
- Reduce the risk of injury to the lowest level reasonably practicable.
Employers must also give people information on the weight of loads (and the heaviest side, where the weight is off centre), and review the assessment when there is reason to think it is no longer valid or the work changes significantly. Technique training comes last, not first. If you employ five or more people, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 also require you to record the significant findings. HSE’s guidance on the regulations, L23, explains each duty in detail.
TILE: the four things to look at
| Factor | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Task | Holding loads away from the body, twisting, stooping, reaching up, long carrying distances, repetition, too little rest |
| Individual | Strength and fitness, health conditions, pregnancy, young or new workers, training and experience |
| Load | Heavy, bulky, unstable, sharp, hot, hard to grip, contents that shift |
| Environment | Space, floors, steps and slopes, temperature, lighting, strong air movement or wind |
Some people use TILEO, adding an O for other factors. Schedule 1 of the regulations itself asks whether personal protective equipment or clothing hinders movement or posture, and HSE’s guidance also points to how the work is organised, such as pace, breaks and job rotation.
A worked example: unloading paint deliveries
| Step | Finding |
|---|---|
| Task | Staff carry 25-litre paint tubs (well over 25 kg each when full) from the van to a basement store: about 30 metres, down 12 steps, 40 tubs a delivery |
| Main risks | Heavy load held away from the body on stairs; repetition; poor grip on handles; dim stairwell |
| Can it be avoided? | Partly: deliveries can go to a ground floor store, with only daily stock taken down |
| Reduce the rest | Sack truck for the level route; smaller containers ordered; stair lighting improved; two-person carry for anything over the agreed weight; rotation of tasks |
| Who and when | Store manager to move the delivery point and fit lighting within 2 weeks; purchasing to change container size at the next order |
Notice that the biggest gains come from avoiding the stairs and changing the load, not from telling people to bend their knees.
The HSE filter figures
HSE’s guidance gives guideline filter figures for lifting and lowering. For a load held close to the body between knuckle and elbow height (roughly waist height), they are 25 kg for men and 16 kg for women, falling as the hands move further from the body or higher and lower. They are a screening tool, not safe limits and not legal limits: HSE says they mark the point below which the risk is likely to be low for most people. A task within the filter can still be risky for a particular person, and one outside it, or done more often than about once every two minutes, needs a fuller assessment.
Free HSE tools that help
- MAC (Manual handling Assessment Charts) for lifting, carrying and team handling
- V-MAC (Variable Manual handling Assessment Chart), used alongside the MAC where load weights vary, such as order picking or parcel sorting
- RAPP (Risk Assessment of Pushing and Pulling) for pushing and pulling, including trolleys and pallet trucks
- ART (Assessment of Repetitive Tasks) for repetitive upper limb work
Each uses a simple colour-coded score, so you can show which part of the task to fix first. None of them covers everything (the MAC, for example, does not assess the individual), so use them to support your TILE assessment rather than replace it.
Mistakes to avoid
- Treating training in lifting technique as the main control
- Assessing the load only and ignoring the route and the person
- Never watching the task being done, or never asking the people who do it
- Never reviewing after a change of stock, layout or staff
Training that supports it
Our Manual Handling Awareness course is half a day and covers the avoid, assess and reduce order and TILE assessment before technique. It runs at our centres in Stoke-on-Trent, Derby, Manchester and Liverpool, or onsite with your own loads. For a short online refresher there is Manual Handling eLearning, and for organisations that want to train their own people there is Manual Handling Train the Trainer. For the wider method, see our guide to the 5 steps to risk assessment.
Frequently asked questions
Is a manual handling risk assessment a legal requirement?
Yes. Under regulation 4 of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, employers must assess any manual handling that involves a risk of injury and cannot reasonably be avoided. If you employ five or more people, the significant findings must be recorded.
What does TILE stand for?
Task, Individual, Load and Environment: the four areas a manual handling assessment looks at. TILEO adds Other factors, such as protective clothing that restricts movement.
What is the maximum weight a person can lift at work?
There is no legal maximum. HSE’s filter figures (25 kg for men and 16 kg for women, close to the body at around waist height) are a screening guide, not a safe or legal limit, and they fall as the hands move away from the body or higher and lower.
Who should carry out the assessment?
A competent person who understands the task and the regulations, ideally with input from the people who do the work.
Read the source
Sources: the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended) on legislation.gov.uk, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, HSE guidance L23 and HSE’s simple manual handling risk filters, HSE’s MAC, V-MAC, RAPP and ART tools, and Acadame’s Manual Handling Awareness course page. Facts checked on 6 November 2026.
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