Employers

As an employer, you have a general duty to make your workplace safe, as well as specific duties in relation to hazards such as manual handling.

You must identify any tasks that involve hazardous manual handling. If these tasks pose a risk of musculoskeletal disorder, you must eliminate the risk.

If it’s not reasonably practicable to eliminate the risk, you must reduce the risk, as far as reasonably practicable, by:

• changing the workplace layout, the workplace environment or the systems of work
• changing the objects used in the task; or
• using mechanical aids.

If there is still a risk after using these methods, you should control it by providing information, training or instruction.

You must review (and, where necessary, revise) your risk controls if things change, if there is a report of a MSD in the workplace, or at the request of a health and safety representative.

View the regulations

If your worker has a work-related injury or illness, you have duties under the Accident Compensation Act, one of which is to ensure their safe return to work. The employer's obligations include:

• appoint a return to work coordinator,
• develop and implement a return to work plan, and
• support and monitor your worker when they return to work.