People Moving & Handling Case Study

ACME Corporation – Brentwood, Essex

Issues reported to OFI:

• Three ‘serious’ manual handling injuries had occurred in the previous 3 months.
• High level of absenteeism due to reported ‘work related’ injuries.
• Poor moral amongst shop-floor staff.

About ACME Corporation:

• Leading producer of high-quality bespoke floor tiles for export to Asia and the Middle East.
• Business expanding due to high demand from China. Hope to increase production by 50% in the next 18 months.
• Employs 70 people, 35 of which are based in roles which require ‘Manual Handling’ work to be undertaken on a regular basis.

OFI initial consultation and on-site evaluation:

• Majority of shop-floor employees (those undertaking regular Manual Handling activities) are aged between 40 and 50. The work is highly specialised and many of these staff members have been with the company for over 20 years.
• Working practices have not changed much in the last 30 years. Investment in training and equipment has been limited.