Musculoskeletal disorders account for around a third of all reported injuries in the waste industry, most linked to collection activities, and HSE’s Manual Handling Operations Regulations require an employer to avoid hazardous manual handling where reasonably practicable, assess what cannot be avoided, and reduce the risk of injury to the lowest reasonably practicable level.

Why this is a real risk in waste collection

Waste collection work involves repeatedly lifting, carrying and manoeuvring bins, bags and bulky items, often at speed and in varied conditions, and HSE data shows musculoskeletal disorders make up around a third of all reported injuries across the waste industry, with the majority tied to collection activities specifically rather than other parts of the waste process. These injuries are not always the result of a single dramatic incident; cumulative strain from repeated handling over time is a major contributor alongside sudden injuries.

The three-step hierarchy

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations set out a clear order of priority for dealing with manual handling risk. The first step is avoiding the need for hazardous manual handling altogether, so far as is reasonably practicable, for example through mechanised lifting rather than manual lifting. Where a handling operation genuinely cannot be avoided, the second step is a suitable and sufficient assessment of the operation to understand the actual risk involved. The third step is reducing the risk of injury from any remaining hazardous handling to the lowest level reasonably practicable, which might mean changing how a task is done, providing equipment, or adjusting the load itself.

Lifting equipment on collection vehicles

Where mechanical lifting replaces manual handling, the equipment itself becomes subject to separate rules: hoisting mechanisms on hookloader vehicles, skip loaders and refuse collection vehicles are defined as lifting equipment under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations, and must be examined by a competent person at least every 12 months. This periodic examination is intended to catch deterioration in load-bearing components before it leads to a failure during use, and the person carrying out the examination has to have enough independence, knowledge and authority to identify problems and ensure they are actually fixed.

Reversing and blind spots

A significant share of the risk around transport-related lifting operations in waste collection comes not from the lift itself but from the vehicle movements around it: HSE guidance highlights the need for reversing aids such as CCTV, radar systems or mirrors, and expects drivers to positively confirm a blind spot is clear, rather than assume it, before reversing, unless other precautions have already established the area is safe.

Why “jogging” a load is a specific hazard

HSE specifically flags a practice known as jogging, where repeated hydraulic braking is used to try to dislodge stuck material from a skip or container, as something that should be avoided, since it causes hydraulic failures and accelerated wear on the lifting equipment’s critical load-bearing components, turning a shortcut into a mechanical failure risk on top of the manual handling risk it was meant to avoid.

What this means for a household or business booking a collection

For anyone booking a waste collection, these rules are not just an internal matter for the removal company; how a load is presented affects how safely it can actually be handled. Overfilling a container beyond its safe limit, or including items that are unexpectedly heavy or awkwardly shaped without flagging them in advance, can push a collection crew into exactly the kind of hazardous manual handling the regulations are designed to minimise, which is part of why a reputable removal company will ask specific questions about the load before it arrives on site.

FAQs

What proportion of waste industry injuries are musculoskeletal?

Around a third of all reported injuries in the waste industry are musculoskeletal disorders, with most linked to collection work.

How often must lifting equipment on a skip loader or refuse vehicle be examined?

At least every 12 months, by a competent person, under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations.

What is the first thing an employer must try under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations?

Avoiding the need for hazardous manual handling altogether, so far as is reasonably practicable, before assessing or reducing risk for anything that can’t be avoided.

Why does overfilling a skip matter for manual handling risk?

An overfilled or awkwardly loaded container can force a collection crew into hazardous manual handling the regulations are specifically designed to minimise.

Bottom line

Musculoskeletal injuries make up around a third of reported injuries across the waste industry, largely from collection work, and HSE’s Manual Handling Operations Regulations require an employer to avoid hazardous manual handling where possible, properly assess what can’t be avoided, and reduce the remaining risk, backed by separate LOLER examination requirements for mechanical lifting equipment on collection vehicles. This is general information, not health and safety advice for a specific operation; HSE’s own published guidance sets out the detailed requirements.

Sources

This guide draws on the following primary sources, current as of 22 September 2026:

• HSE, “Transport-related lifting operations”
• HSE, “Manual Handling Operations Regulations”

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