In 2024/25, injuries while handling, lifting or carrying made up 17% of the non-fatal injuries to employees reported by employers in Great Britain, the second most common kind after slips, trips and falls (30%), according to HSE's Kind of accident statistics published in November 2025. They were 22% of injuries causing more than seven days off work. HSE also names manual handling as one of the main causes of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, which affected an estimated 511,000 workers in 2024/25. The Lift College Manual Handling Training course covers how to reduce these risks.
Reported injuries
Employers must report certain workplace injuries under RIDDOR. HSE's figures for 2024/25 show:
- 17% of employer-reported non-fatal injuries to employees happened while handling, lifting or carrying
- 30% were slips, trips or falls on the same level, the most common kind
- together, these two kinds made up around half of all reported non-fatal injuries
- handling, lifting or carrying was 22% of over-7-day injuries but only 5% of specified (more serious) injuries
HSE says the Labour Force Survey, which covers self-employed workers too, shows the same two kinds as the most common.
Musculoskeletal disorders
HSE's statistics on work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in Great Britain for 2024/25 show:
- an estimated 511,000 workers with a work-related MSD, new or long-standing
- an estimated 7.1 million working days lost
- MSDs were 27% of all work-related ill health and 20% of working days lost to it
- 43% of cases affected the back, 41% the upper limbs or neck and 15% the lower limbs
- back conditions cost an estimated 13.2 working days per case
HSE says the main work factors cited as causing MSDs were manual handling, working in awkward or tiring positions, and keyboard or repetitive work. GP data points to heavy lifting as the main factor.
How to prevent manual handling injuries
The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 set the order employers must follow:
- Avoid hazardous manual handling where reasonably practicable, for example by redesigning the task or using conveyors, hoists or pallet trucks.
- Assess what cannot be avoided, looking at the task, the load, the environment and the individual.
- Reduce the risk: mechanical aids, smaller or lighter loads, shorter carries, better space, flooring and lighting, sensible work rates, and training.
Our TILE guide explains the assessment.
What these figures do not show
RIDDOR counts only injuries employers must report, and HSE says some work-related injuries are not reportable. The MSD figures come from what workers report in the Labour Force Survey, so they are estimates with confidence ranges.
Training
Lift College Manual Handling Training is 3 hours in 5 modules, with a CPD Standards Office accredited certificate the same day you pass. Care staff can take Moving and Handling of People Training.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of workplace injuries are caused by manual handling?
What is the most common workplace injury in the UK?
How many workers have musculoskeletal disorders caused by work?
What part of the body is most affected by manual handling?
How can manual handling injuries be prevented?
Where do manual handling injury statistics come from?
Sources checked
- HSE: Kind of accident statistics in Great Britain, 2025 (checked 13 November 2026)
- HSE: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders statistics in Great Britain, 2025 (checked 13 November 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk: Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, regulation 4 (checked 13 November 2026)
- HSE: Avoid hazardous manual handling (checked 13 November 2026)
- HSE: Reduce the risk of injury (checked 13 November 2026)
- Lift College: Manual Handling Training (checked 13 November 2026)