Health and Safety

Executive

Risk Assessment for

Pushing and Pulling
RAPP tool
matthew.birtles@hsl.gsi.gov.uk

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
A historical perspective

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
A historical perspective

H&S priorities April 1943

Priority H&S topics included:

• lung disease
• lifting weights
30kg for women,
20kg for girls of 14 yrs
• dermatitis
• machinery
then causing 18% of
accidents, now 8%

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
A historical perspective

H&S priorities April 1943

Other priorities:
• how to camouflage your factory
• employers obligations re:
venereal disease
• employment of police-women in
factories to:

‘ensure girls did not do things

they should not do’

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
Factory policewomen

‘….principally there for moral guidance….’

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
The HSE MSD quick assessment tools

Use MAC &

Use RAPP Use MAC Use ART
V-MAC

All items weigh

All items lifted of The heaviest item less than 2.5 kg
For pushing and carried weigh lifted is at least 2
The task is mostly
pulling about the same kg heavier than upper-limb
the lightest

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
RAPP tool – where it fits in

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
RAPP tool – where it fits in

Push/pull risk filter:

The task is likely to be low risk if:

• the force is applied with the hands; and

• the torso is largely upright and not twisted; and
• the hands are between hip and shoulder level; and
• the distance involved is no more than about 20 m.

An additional indicator that the task is low risk is if the load can be
moved and controlled easily with only one hand.

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
The RAPP tool

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
The RAPP tool

wheeled equipment operations

(WEO)

non-wheeled item operations

(NWIO)

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
Wheeled items flow chart

Page 6
HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
A1 - Size of Equipment

Small (One/two wheels)

Medium (Three/four wheels)

Large (Large or on rails)

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
Wheeled items flow chart

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
A2 - Posture

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
Wheeled items flow chart

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
A3 – Hand Grip

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
Wheeled items flow chart

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
The Assessment

M Birtles 18/01/17
HSL

Moving the bins

4
3
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
10

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
Assessment Scores

Where you have more than one push or pull task,

use RAPP scores to prioritise

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 …………………….........…….....

RAPP tool case study

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 RAPP tool case study
RAPP tool case study

Weight:
32 bottles @ 22kg
About 720kg

“No planned
maintenance”

“Twice per week”

Travel distance:
~ 35m
HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 RAPP tool case study
RAPP tool case study

M Birtles 18/01/17
HSL

Delivery of water bottles to offices

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 RAPP tool case study
RAPP tool case study

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 RAPP tool case study
RAPP tool case study

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 RAPP tool case study
RAPP tool case study

2
3

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 RAPP tool case study
RAPP tool case study

2
3
0

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 RAPP tool case study
RAPP tool case study

2
3
0
0

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 RAPP tool case study
RAPP tool case study

2
3
0
0
3

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 RAPP tool case study
RAPP tool case study

2
3
0
0
3
2

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 RAPP tool case study
RAPP tool case study

2
3
0
0
3
2
1

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 RAPP tool case study
RAPP tool case study

2
3
0
0
3
2
1
3

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 RAPP tool case study
RAPP tool case study

2
3
0
0
3
2
1
3
0

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 RAPP tool case study
RAPP tool case study

2
3
0
0
3
2
1
3
0
14

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
RAPP tool

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016
 Thanks very much
matthew.birtles@hsl.gsi.gov.uk

HSL: HSE’s Health and Safety Laboratory © Crown Copyright, HSE 2016