What does aar stand for in manual handling?

AARR is an initialism used to refer to the core concepts of keeping us all safe when lifting heavy objects. Understanding and following these key concepts can allow you to assess common risks and how to avoid harm in completing a manual lifting task.

Many careers involve lifting regularly, such as warehouse operatives or delivery drivers to name a few. In these cases, you will find yourself engaging with the following principles many times during your working day.

As a part of the management team for these services, as well as many others, you will find yourself needing to know these rules and carry out the necessary assessments by law.

Your first assessment of the task should be on whether it needs to be completed in the first place. Think:

You should assess the risks involved with carrying any heavy object that can’t be avoided. It is also considered good practice to make sure that your full workforce is involved with risk assessments as different fields have different viewpoints on assessing risks. These assessments should take the form of:

With this in mind, you should make separate assessments for people who may be more susceptible to the risks of handling objects over time. This further assessment should be considered for, but be not limited to:

As the person carrying out the assessment on behalf of yourself or others, you should take into account the duress you or your coworkers might be under if they are pushed to meet deadlines or timeframes that are ill-fitted to the task at hand. Many injuries are due to people being pushed to work in an unsafe manner.

By following the above guidelines, you will be able to reduce the risks to yourself and the people around you when manually handling objects.

This is, of course, the intended outcome of your assessments, either as a member of the team or as the leader of the team.

Any assessment carried out in the workplace should have a review of the procedures that have taken place to assess issues encountered along the way. If there weren’t any risks to health and safety, then what went right? Thinking further, what could be improved upon next time, ensuring the health and happiness of your co-workers?

The following team members should see the review stage as an opportunity to help them going forward:

It is through careful reviews of workplace procedures that can benefit you as a team leader, improving efficiency and team allocation in future instances of manual lifting. Allow due process for your team members to come to you if they are feeling unsure or uncomfortable with the manual handling they have just carried out. Stresses that occur in manual labour aren’t always visible, and it is sometimes only by listening to your team members that you can fully complete your assessments.

GUIDANCE FOR AFTER ACTION REVIEW (AAR)