Manual handling risk filter and assessment checklist
- Version
- v1
- Updated
- 7 October 2026
- Reviewed
- 7 October 2026
- Who this checklist is for
- Primary and secondary schools in England, including maintained schools and academies, where the school chooses to screen manual-handling tasks before deciding whether a detailed assessment is proportionate.
- Jurisdiction
- england
13 checklist steps
Blank response areas · preview only
Identify the task
Response required
Record the manual-handling task to be screened, including where it takes place and who may carry it out.
Describe the task, location and people involved.
Describe the handling activity
Response required
Record what is being moved, supported, lifted, lowered, carried, pushed or pulled, and describe the usual way the task is performed.
Describe the load, movement and usual method.
Record relevant people and circumstances
Response required
Record the groups of people who may be affected and any task circumstances relevant to the screening decision, such as frequency, environment, equipment or foreseeable changes.
Record relevant people and circumstances.
Consider the HSE risk filters
Where useful for planning the school's risk-assessment process, review the relevant HSE manual-handling risk filters for this task. Use the applicable HSE guidance rather than creating local thresholds from this checklist.
Record the screening outcome
Select the outcome of the screening, based on the information available and the school's judgement about whether a detailed assessment is proportionate.
Choose one
- A detailed assessment is not currently considered necessary
- A detailed assessment is needed
- More information is needed before deciding
Explain the screening decision
Response required
Record the facts and judgement supporting the screening outcome, including any uncertainty or information still required.
Explain the decision and identify any information gaps.
Select an assessment tool if useful
If structured assessment support would assist with evaluating or controlling the manual-handling risk, select the relevant tool or tools used. No particular HSE tool is required by this checklist.
Choose all that apply
- No structured HSE tool selected
- HSE Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC) tool
- HSE Risk Assessment of Pushing and Pulling (RAPP) tool
- HSE manual-handling checklist or other relevant HSE assessment checklist
- Another structured assessment method
Record tool details
Response required
If an assessment tool or structured method was selected, record its name, version or source where known, and how it was applied to this task. If none was selected, record why.
Record the tool or method and how it was used, or explain why none was selected.
Record proposed controls
Response required
If a detailed assessment was needed or undertaken, record the controls considered or proposed for this task, including changes to the task, load, environment, equipment, staffing or arrangements where relevant.
Record controls considered or proposed. If not applicable, explain why.
Confirm control consideration
Record whether the proposed controls have been considered by the responsible person.
Choose one
- Considered
- Not yet considered
- Not applicable because no controls were proposed
Record control implementation status
Where controls were proposed, record their implementation status. If implementation is partial or outstanding, identify what remains to be done.
Choose one
- Implemented
- Partially implemented
- Not implemented
- Not applicable because no controls were proposed
Record outstanding actions
Response required
Record any action needed to complete the assessment process or implement controls, including the responsible role and intended review or completion arrangement where these have been agreed.
Record outstanding actions, responsible role and agreed arrangements.
Review when circumstances change
Arrange a review if the task, people, load, equipment, environment or controls change, or if the screening decision no longer reflects the task.