Adding liquid ingredients

This guidance can help employers control risks from high forces, awkward postures and back bending when employees fill, lift and tip buckets to add liquid ingredients.

Shape

Use solutions with the least risk

Adding liquid ingredients often involves the filling, lifting and tipping of buckets. This can involve high force, awkward postures and back bending. Thick and sticky residue on the bottom of buckets from spills can also create unexpectedly high forces when attempting to lift buckets off surfaces.

The following solutions can help employers control risks to employees adding liquid ingredients. These solutions may eliminate or reduce the risk of employees developing a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD).

Solutions are listed in order, from those considered most effective to those considered less effective.

Employers should make sure employees use the handling solutions with the least risk, so far as reasonably practicable.

Solutions with reduced risks are an alternative only if least-risk methods are not reasonably practicable.

Employers should start implementing risk controls for the heaviest or highest-volume products first.

The following guidance also describes high-risk actions that can cause an MSD. Employers have a duty to eliminate or reduce the risk of MSDs so far as is reasonably practicable, and should make sure employees do not perform high-risk actions, if practicable.

Consultation

So far as reasonably practicable, employers must consult with employees and any health and safety representatives (HSRs) when identifying hazards and providing risk control measures.  Consultation should include discussions about how employees will add liquid ingredients, making sure that risk control measures do not create new hazards. WorkSafe has guidance on consultation, including consultation with HSRs.

Controlling risks from the weight of the container and its contents

High-risk actions that can cause an MSD

  • Exerting force while in an awkward posture:
    • more than twice per minute or
    • more than 30 seconds at a time

    for more than 30 minutes continuously or more than 2 hours over the whole shift. These actions may occur in the situations listed or in combination with other work activities.

  • Using high force lifting heavy loads.

Potential source of risk

  • Weight of container and contents. Thin bucket handles and poor grips can increase the risk of an MSD.

Handling solutions

Preferred solutions with the least risk

  • Install an automated dispensing system for bulk liquid ingredients.
  • Use drop-in or other types of suction pumps to transfer liquid ingredients.
  • Use intermediate bulk containers and pumps on tilt mechanisms.
  • Increase weight and size of bucket and use mechanical aids such as forklifts and forklift attachments for tipping.
an installed automated dispensing system mounted to a wall
An automated dispensing system.
worker inspecting a large orange vat/tub and pipes
Glucose is pumped via heated pipes.
intermediate bulk container on a tilter with pump attachment at the bottom of the container.
An intermediate bulk container on a tilter with pump attachment.
Forklift tipping a drum into a container
Using a forklift attachment.

Solutions with a reduced risk

  • Use pumps as an alternative to lifting and tipping ingredients.
  • Provide height-adjustable benches or a resting panel to sit containers on during tipping.
  • Place buckets on scissor lifts and fill from intermediate bulk containers.
  • Use smaller containers to reduce weight.
    • Note: Using smaller containers increases the frequency of handling and, depending on circumstances, may not reduce the risk.
worker begining to decanter product into a small tub on a trolly, a blue pump is attached to move the product into a seperate larger tub.
Product is decanted into the smaller tub on a trolley, which is fitted with an automatic pump.
red bucket place in the centre of a scissor trolley that is being filled from a valve pretruding from the intermediate bulk container
A bucket on a scissor trolley filled from an intermediate bulk container.
An employee pushing a scissor trolley with product on it.
A scissor trolley.

Controlling risks from containers filled and lifted from ground level

High-risk actions that can cause an MSD

  • Exerting force while in an awkward posture:
    • more than twice per minute or
    • more than 30 seconds at a time

    for more than 30 minutes continuously or more than 2 hours over the whole shift. These actions may occur in the situations listed or in combination with other work activities.

  • High-force lifting heavy loads.

Potential source of risk

  • Weight of container and contents filled and lifted from ground level.
    • Note: Thin bucket handles and poor grips can increase the risk of an MSD

Handling solutions

Preferred solutions with the least risk

  • Use an overhead crane.
  • Use a mechanical aid to tip.
  • Install an automated dispensing system for bulk liquid ingredients.
  • Use drop-in or other types of suction pumps to transfer liquid ingredients.
  • Use intermediate bulk containers and pumps on tilt mechanisms.
  • Increase weight and size of bucket and use mechanical aids such as forklifts and forklift attachments to tip.

Solutions with a reduced risk

  • Raise containers by using:
    • Pallet lifters if product on pallets
    • adjustable benches/tables/stands
  • Use pumps as an alternative to lifting and tipping ingredients.
  • Provide height-adjustable benches or a resting panel to sit containers on during tipping.
  • Place buckets on scissor lifts and fill from intermediate bulk containers.
  • Use smaller containers to reduce weight.
    • Note: Using smaller containers increases the frequency of handling and, depending on circumstances, may not reduce the risk.

Controlling risks from tipping heights

High-risk actions that can cause an MSD

  • Exerting force while in an awkward posture:
    • more than twice per minute or
    • more than 30 seconds at a time

    for more than 30 minutes continuously or more than 2 hours over the whole shift. These actions may occur in the situations listed or in combination with other work activities.

  • Using high force lifting heavy loads.

Potential source of risk

  • Height of openings into which contents are tipped is above shoulder height.

Handling solutions

Preferred solutions with the least risk

  • Use an overhead crane.
  • Use a mechanical aid to tip.
  • Install an automated dispensing system for bulk liquid ingredients.
  • Use drop-in or other types of suction pumps to transfer liquid ingredients.
  • Use intermediate bulk containers and pumps on tilt mechanisms.
  • Increase weight and size of bucket and use mechanical aids such as forklifts and forklift attachments to tip containers.
2 workers supervising the pouring of a product from the mixer to a smaller bowl bellow. Bowl is attached to an overhead crane via a metal cable.
Transferring contents from the mixer to a bowl, which is then transferred by overhead crane.
employee using a mechanical aid that is helping to lift and tilt a large and heavy bucket to pour product into a large metal vat/tub.
Using a mechanical aid to tip.

Solutions with a reduced risk

  • Provide a stand or platform to support containers while being tipped.
  • Provide a tipping aid.
  • Provide a chute if opening too low.

Controlling risks from carrying buckets over a distance

High-risk actions that can cause an MSD

  • Carrying a bucket in each hand:
    • more than twice per minute or
    • more than 30 seconds at a time

    for more than 30 minutes continuously or more than 2 hours over the whole shift. These actions may occur in the situations listed or in combination with other work activities.

Potential source of risk

  • Buckets carried over a distance.

Handling solutions

Solutions with least risk

  • Use an overhead crane.
  • Use a mechanical aid to tip.
  • Install an automated dispensing system for bulk liquid ingredients.
  • Use drop-in or other types of suction pumps to transfer liquid ingredients.
  • Use intermediate bulk containers and pumps on tilt mechanisms.
  • Increase weight and size of bucket and use mechanical aids such as forklifts and forklift attachments to tip.

Solutions with a reduced risk

  • Store products close to area of use.
  • Use a trolley.
An employee pushing a scissor trolley with product on it.
A scissor trolley.

Controlling risks from sticky residues

High-risk actions that can cause an MSD

  • Using high force.
  • Applying sudden or unexpected forces.

Potential source of risk

  • Sticky residue from bucket spills increasing the force needed to lift.

Handling solutions

Preferred solutions with the least risk

  • Use an overhead crane.
  • Use a mechanical aid to tip.
  • Install an automated dispensing system for bulk liquid ingredients.
  • Use drop-in or other types of suction pumps to transfer liquid ingredients.
  • Use intermediate bulk containers and pumps on tilt mechanisms.
  • Increase weight and size of bucket and use mechanical aids such as forklifts and forklift attachments to tip containers.

Solutions with a reduced risk

  • Implement cleaning regime to eliminate sticky spills.

Your legal duties

Employers

The Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OHS Act) requires employers to provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to health, so far as reasonably practicable. An employer contravenes this duty if they fail to:

  • provide or maintain plant or systems of work that are, so far as reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health
  • make arrangements for ensuring, so far as reasonably practicable, safety and the absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage or transport of plant or substances
  • maintain, so far as is reasonably practicable, each workplace under the employer's management and control in a condition that is safe and without risks to health
  • provide, so far as is reasonably practicable, adequate facilities for the welfare of employees at any workplace under the management and control of the employer
  • provide information, instruction, training or supervision to employees of the employer as is necessary to enable those employees to perform their work in a way that is safe and without risks to health

Employers also have an obligation to consult, so far as is reasonably practicable, with employees and any HSRs on matters related to health and safety that directly affect them, or that are likely to directly affect them. This duty to consult also extends to independent contractors, including employees of the independent contractor, engaged by the employer in relation to matters over which the employer has control.

Employees

While at work, employees also have duties under the OHS Act to take reasonable care for their own health and safety and the health and safety of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions in the workplace. Employees must also co-operate with their employer's actions to make the workplace safe and comply with the OHS Act and Regulations.

The WorkSafe website has guidance about the occupational health and safety (OHS) responsibilities of employers and employees.

Related pages

This information is from 'Manual handling in the food manufacturing industry: A guide for employers'. The complete guide is available in two formats.

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