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UK Food Industry Case Study
Manual Handling Risk Management
Written by Gareth Milner BSc. (Hons) Osteopathy (pictured below), Director of Osteopathic Solutions UK & Ireland Ltd, Author of Sorry! We're Closed, Podcast Host of The Pain-Free Podcast, practising UK Qualified Osteopath .. and wannabe Chef!
Who doesn’t love a nice Pasta dish?! Whether it’s Penne Arrabbiata, a traditional Spaghetti Bolognese, a Macaroni Cheese or a Lasagna (meat or vegetarian), the Italians created a master piece of a food base that has almost infinite possibilities. I first recall having pasta dishes in the late 1980s on a family holiday to the Greek Islands. I recall the yummy, finely ground mince in the Spaghetti Bolognese. Later in this Pasta Foods Manual Handling Risk Management case study I will display my cooking skills with my favourite pasta dishes. ''How fun!''
After reading this Case Study, LinkedIn connect with me, and message me what my favourite pasta dish is, one that I was introduced to when eating out with my Mum Carol at the Topo Gigio Italian Restaurant in Ewell, Surrey .. and with the correct answer I will post you out a FREE Food Industry Manual Handling Training Video Box-Set. .. ‘’Grazie mille’’ .. I hear you say.
Did you know pasta only became an everyday British staple in the 1960s, a few years after Pasta Foods was Incorporated as a UK Limited Business.
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Ok, back to the theme of this Case Study .. how Food factories can target-zero employee musculoskeletal disorders.
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Osteopathic Solutions UK & Ireland Ltd first started supporting Pasta Foods with their Manual Handling Risk Management in 2024 when Jon Simmonds took trips to their 3 factories to assess their Manual Handling tasks, loads and environments.
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Jon Simmonds went to their 2 factories in Great Yarmouth (including their Snack Creations) and their Norwich factory. Armed with his Video Camera he took footage of their tasks that their Health & Safety Team wanted to reduce the risks for workforce musculoskeletal disorders including spinal and upper limb disorders. As true experts in Manual Handling our written reports are extensive in their coverage but simply written. The report Jon Simmonds wrote for their Snack Creations site was 30 pages in length. As ever with our reports it’s the Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) Risk Reduction Solutions that we focus on. Some providers tell you what Manual Handling operations you have, without addressing the ‘'Well? .. What can we do about this then?’’ *
Macaroni Cheese .. Yum!
'' As a child, being vegetarian then, I loved it when my Mum cooked up this dish, loading it with fresh British Cheddar. So simple to make, but just so tasty! Here's the Jamie Oliver recipe I followed when home cooking.''
*That was potentially you saying that as you may have come across Reports like this from novice providers (but they make out they are experts at the point of sale). You can view our Manual Handling Risk & Ergonomic Assessment 3 options of Consultancy below.
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On this part of the Case Study we are going to look at some of their manual handling tasks across their 3 factories. Before this, I must say, every food factory UK wide .. and world wide has tasks, loads and environments that will create musculoskeletal strain. Of course some Food Companies take reducing Manual Handling risks more seriously, hence why Pasta Foods consulted Osteopathic Solutions for these Risk Assessments in 2024 and then Instructor Qualification in 2026 (which is detailed later in this Case Study).
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The Warehouse Packing task at their Great Yarmouth site was of primary importance for their Health & Safety Team (shown in the 2 photos to the left).
£795*
OPTION 1
Remote Risk Assessment
7 Tasks included.
Videos with supporting information sent to us.
Report completed within 1 week.
*Manual Handling Training Video
TrainIn15 included
*Manual Handling Training Videos
Box-Set included
OPTION 2
Onsite Risk Assessment
7 Tasks included.
Onsite 1 Day Consultancy with
our Occupational Osteopath.
Report completed within 1 week.
£1995*
OPTION 3
Onsite Risk Assessment
Full Site Tasks included.
Onsite 1 Day Consultancy with
our Occupational Osteopath.
Report completed within 2 weeks.
*DigiTrain® & Manual Handling Training
Videos Box-Set included
£2995*
The lift and carry frequency of the 18kg and 25kg sacks over the 12-hour shift was particularly high. Occupational Osteopath and Manual Handling Expert Jon Simmonds BSc. (Hons) Ost. (pictured below) observed that the operative always placed the sack on the same side, his left shoulder. Carrying on the shoulder is natural for men, but its risks for degenerative neck osteoarthritis and spondylosis (shown below left) are huge; a condition that us Osteopaths clinically treat daily.
Even in young men in their 20s this task could create chronic trigger points in their neck and shoulder muscles (shown below middle). Trigger points can create a lot of constant pain.
Within the written report by Jon Simmonds, it was stressed with this task that there should be immediate urgent implementation of change. This is what the Health & Safety Manager expressly demanded that the report stated, to support him in the management meetings to get the necessary buy-in from the Directors to invest in the risk reduction solutions we recommended as follows:
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Investigate engineering adaptation of the conveyor to lower the end phase to waist height instead of shoulder height. This along with task specific Manual Handling Training will discourage and at best eradicate shoulder carrying.
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Job rotation/ enlargement. A maximum of 2 hours per shift performing this role, with 1 hour performed, and then performing an alternative task using different muscle groups for at least 3 hours, before returning to this role in each working shift for ONLY 1 additional hour.
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Task specific Manual Handling Training to emphasise BackSafe Optimal Handling Techniques to be incorporated as much as practicably possible into all aspects of this task.
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Provision of Lower Back Supports (like shown below) for all employees to be worn during the performance of this task, no more than 2 hours worn each day.
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Scissor lift turntable as shown below.
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Invest in a Health & Safety Day that features Stretching & Pilates Core Stability Classes for employees to learn exercises that can prevent these Chronic Musculoskeletal Disorders. Check out Osteopathic
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Immediate Physical Therapy Treatment with local Osteopath Amy Holmes BSc. (Hons) Ost. for employees complaining of any Musculoskeletal Disorder with even a minor pain and disability level (being mindful this is a £160,000 Injury at Work Claim waiting to happen). Costs for Osteopathic Consultation range generally from £60-£80. A small price to pay to protect an Insurance premium or even a Director’s bank balance.
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Before we move on to tasks at their other sites, I must add that every factory worldwide has tasks that could cause serious musculoskeletal disorders. Much of the time employees can reduce their chances of serious musculoskeletal disability by applying Optimal Manual Handling techniques as much as possible. A simple and cost effective way for this is our Manual Handling Training Videos Box-Set. For the Food Industry we have 2 x 30 minutes Videos, the Food Industry Video filmed at the Compleat Food Group and the Distribution & Logistics (Warehouse) Video, we filmed at Kimal also in 2020.
Lasagne .. Vege style!
'' Of course, if you love your meat, a fresh Lasagne with the finest of a British butcher's mince meat, finely ground .. is a delicious dish to share with the family. I picked the freshest mediterranean vegetables from my vegetable plot to make this yum Lasagne, filled with a home made ragu and béchamel sauce, topped with this lovely salty mozzarella. A vegetarian classic!
Pasta Foods Ltd have another company called Snack Creations Ltd with their site also in the seaside town of Great Yarmouth. This site's BTO Stacking task involved the following as written by Jon Simmonds.
''This workstation (shown below left) is an automated process of bag filling and sealing. However, the bags weigh up to 18kg and then have to be manually stacked onto a pallet. It is a high volume, full-on workstation. 40 bags per pallet, 20 pallets per shift. With Optimal Handling Techniques and job rotation this task should be straight forward but there is no evidence of either. An operative will spend an entire shift without change. Additionally, natural but hazardous lifting and handling technique is being used. The musculoskeletal risks from this task are to the shoulders, neck, lower back and knees, due to the low height of the heavy load.''
''Repeated slamming puts strain on rotator cuff muscles. Forward bending and twisting puts an enormous amount of stress on the discs of the lower back. Accompanied by not being close and square on to the load puts muscles of the lower back under strain risking muscle strain/ fatigue and lumbar disc injury. Structures of the knee will also be under duress throughout this task due to torsional (twisting) effects by not lifting the load square on. See MAC Tool Assessment below.​ This combination of forward bending and twisting causes lower back disc herniation and prolapse. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) with a very poor prognosis as well as expensive in Injury at Work Claims (see LegalExpert.co.uk). Any degree of rotation imposed on the spine combined with forward bending increases disc trauma, further strain is added with side bending and overstretching.
Forward bending and twisting (as observed in this task) is high risk for disc bulges and tears, with eventually the nucleus in the middle of the disc escaping into the spinal canal (see image below). This task received a very high MAC Tool score of 24.
Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk Reduction Solutions:
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- Scissor lift (with turntable) or high rising pallet truck.
- Job rotation 1 hour maximum in this role with alternate job/ task allowing the use of different muscle groups. No return for at least 2 hours to this task.
- Address practicable alteration of workstation pallet positioning to give the operative more room on which to manoeuvre with Optimal Handling technique.
- Task Specific Manual Handling Training with Osteopathic Solutions to emphasise ‘BackSafe’ Optimal Handling Techniques to be incorporated as much as practicably possible into all aspects of this task and its associated manoeuvring.
Consultancy Management by Gareth Milner .. from start .. to Report ''in your hands'' finish
I, Gareth Milner take over this Case Study writing again. I add again that every Food factory across the UK has tasks similar if not exactly the same as those detailed on this case study.
Moving on now to the Pasta Foods site in Norwich (this site has since closed). Many areas in the factory involve some pushing and pulling tasks, mainly with a pallet/ pump truck. On observation, poor, hazardous Manual Handling Technique was being used throughout the factory for pulling and pushing tasks. If carried out incorrectly, pushing and pulling of any loads, regardless of weight, can be very detrimental to the musculoskeletal system. Using bodyweight for pushing and pulling tasks takes strain/ load weigh away from muscles and transfers it to the skeleton, imposing stress to joints and soft tissue structures (ligaments and tendons).
Spag bol .. Italian favourite!
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'' There are many variations, but I love nothing more than a traditional Spaghetti Bolognese! Loaded with celery, carrots, onions, the freshest ragu .. home cooked .. glugs of extra-virgin olive oil, a dash of red wine, and British butcher sourced mince .. with a nice bit of fat to maximise taste .. slow-simmered. All topped with shaved parmesan from the cheese counter and home grown basil. A delicious heart-warming dish! ''​
A straightforward task on initial observation, however despite appliances appearing well maintained and only on average carrying loads well within safe practice boundaries, operatives are often required to engage in much close quarter manoeuvring, forcing the operatives into inappropriate postures for pushing (arms and legs straight, leaning into the load, using bodyweight) and pulling (leaning away from the load, using bodyweight). The photographs below show an operative manoeuvring a 600 kg load with the use of his bodyweight. Take a walk around your Food Factory ... how many times did you see this hazardous practice?
The second photo on the gallery just above shows the most common way us humans pull a palletised load using a manual pallet truck. In hazardous, busy environments this practice is understandable .. of course there are always other aspects of health and safety to think about and be mindful of. This task, performed with natural hazardous practice is HIGH RISK for Chronic Shoulder Rotator Cuff Tendonitis and Tears (see below).
Jon Simmonds' RAPP Tool Assessment is detailed to the left.
Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk Reduction Solutions:
- Any manual Pushing or Pulling over 30 metres is considered high risk. Ideally this distance should be reduced, or a review in frequency, with possible alteration of factory production holding area or 2 operatives relaying the task.
- Invest in Electric Pallet Movers.
- Task Specific Manual Handling Training delivered by an Osteopathic Solutions Occupational Osteopath supported by Video Training from a Bespoke Manual Handling Training Video.
An aside briefly. The Health & Safety Professional's role in the 21st century. Meetings ,, lots of them .. emails .. lots of them .. Courses .. Report writing .. suppliers to source .. travelling to other sites .. multiple subjects on the to-do list .. Manual Handling consistently ''swept under the carpet'' .. but you have Manual Handling values and want to do something about your business' (on your watch) hazardous tasks (for the physically hard working employee's musculoskeletal system). A packed schedule ... is this you? Osteopathic Solutions has 3 cost effective options to take the Manual Handling Risk & Ergonomic Assessment and management Report writing ... OFF OF YOUR HANDS !! Forget AI. Yes it's useful, but does it currently see EVERYTHING an expert Manual Handling Risk Assessor sees? And how expensive is it? You don't see a poor software developer do you? #BillGates
The process can start with you viewing our Manual Handling & Ergonomic Risk Assessment page on our website here. After this you can have a chat with Gareth Milner on 0845 299 3513 or feel free to email him your number to set up a convenient time. Gareth will discuss your Manual Handling tasks, loads and environments and what issues you have with Manual Handling in your role, maybe some recent Musculoskeletal Lost Time Accidents related with certain tasks. Gareth will outline our 3 options of Consultancy, going over the costs and delivery process.
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For Options 2 and 3, Gareth will outline the organisation of the Consultation day with our Expert Manual Handling Risk Assessor, and finally inform you what is contained in our Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk Reduction written report.
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In the gallery to the left, Gareth is seen training Instructors & Risk Assessors at Danish Crown (pic 1 & pic 4); teaching Manual Handling Risk Assessment on our Public Instructor Course (pic 2); directing the Bespoke Manual Handling Video production at British Pepper & Spice (pic 3); hosting the HAVS Episode of The Pain-Free Podcast (pic 5) and taking a Clinical Case History in an Osteopathy Consultation as Gareth is BSc. (Hons) Osteopathy Degree Qualified (pic 6) i.e. an Osteopath.
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Listen to the AudioBook of Gareth's first Book Sorry! We're Closed here. It's only £19.99 in Paperback in the Osteopathic Solutions Online Shop.
Consultancy Management by Gareth Milner .. from start .. to ''Report in Your Hands'' finish
2 Day Pasta Foods Manual Handling Instructor & Risk Assessor Course
Following the success of the Risk Assessments at their Great Yarmouth and Norwich sites in 2024, Pasta Foods' Health & Safety and Training Managers brought Osteopathic Solutions and Jon Simmonds back to qualify their in-house Manual Handling Instructors and Risk Assessors.
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Having wrote the Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk Reduction Reports, Jon Simmonds was armed with all things ''Manual Handling'' at Pasta Foods and Snack Creations to deliver a remarkable level of Manual Handling training delivery.
In fact, Osteopathic Solutions Manual Handling Expert and Occupational Osteopath Jon Simmonds had already trained the Pasta Foods' Health & Safety Manager and Training Manager as Manual Handling Instructors and Risk Assessors when they worked at Natures Menu. With this, they knew the quality of our training was ''2nd to none'' across the UK Manual Handling Training market.
What are the ''Factory Floor'' benefits of having an Osteopath deliver such a Course? .. 1. Manual Handling Training is there to prevent workforce musculoskeletal disorders. A huge part of an Osteopath's clinical practice is assessing and treatment a broad variety of musculoskeletal injuries, especially back and neck pain. 2. Manual Handling is a Human Biomechanics subject. In our 2 Day Programme, it is about imparting basic biomechanics knowledge onto the attendees, so that they fully understand the Optimal Manual Handling techniques and practices they will be teaching the factory operatives. 3. A huge part of an Osteopath's Degree training is talking simply to our patients so they fully understand what their health complaint is, how it is being caused and what the Osteopath will do to support their improvement with Osteopathic Manipulative Techniques. You can learn more about the magic of Osteopathy on my Podcast .. The Pain-Free Podcast.
Spicy Penne Arrabiata
'' My personal favourite of a pasta dish. Maybe it's the medicinal effects of the red chilli's capsaicin, the active compound that gives peppers their heat. Capsaicin relieves discomfort by blocking the pain-transmitting chemicals in your nerves.
I loaded this dish up with 'fresh from the market' red chillis, garlic and anti-inflammatory extra virgin olive oil, with the freshest of tomato sauces, topped with fresh basil and oregano that I had just picked from my vegetable and herb patch. Goes down a treat with a bottle of Italian, Spanish or Portuguese red wine. Enjoy! ''​
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Case study will be completed on 3rd July :)
For up to 8 attendees
£3195*
*A Paperback copy of Sorry! We're Closed, DigiTrain® & Manual Handling Training Videos Box-Set included
£2395*
For up to 8 attendees
*Manual Handling & Ergonomic Risk Assessment (Option 1), DigiTrain®
& Manual Handling Training Videos
Box-Set included
For up to 8 attendees
£1795*
*Manual Handling Training Videos
Box-Set included. Risk Assessment can
be omitted
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