Every day, a warehouse employee lifts dozens of boxes from shelves and places them onto pallets. The movement seems routine and is repeated hundreds of times without any visible incident. Yet it is precisely these seemingly harmless actions that lie behind one of the most common categories of occupational disorders: musculoskeletal disorders affecting the lower back caused by the manual handling of loads.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Manual handling of loads includes any operation involving the lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying, holding, or moving of a load by one or more workers which, because of its characteristics or unsuitable ergonomic conditions, presents a risk to the worker, particularly of spinal disorders. Unlike a typical workplace accident, which has a specific moment and an obvious cause, these conditions develop gradually through the accumulation of repeated mechanical strain.
Government Decision No. 1051/2006 on the minimum safety and health requirements for the manual handling of loads involving a risk to workers, particularly of back injuries, requires employers, first and foremost, to avoid manual handling wherever possible. This means investing in mechanical equipment such as trolleys, pallet trucks, and lifting devices whenever the nature of the work allows it. Only when manual handling cannot be avoided does the second obligation arise: reducing risks through the proper organization of the workplace and by informing and training workers.
What makes a task hazardous? Weight alone is not the determining factor. Government Decision No. 1051/2006 requires employers to assess the characteristics of the load—whether it is too heavy, too bulky, difficult to grasp, unstable, or positioned in a way that forces the body to twist or bend. Equally important is the physical effort required: whether it involves twisting the torso, sudden movements, or is performed while the body is in an unstable position. The working environment also plays a significant role. Limited space for movement, slippery or uneven floors, or unsuitable temperature or humidity can turn an ordinary task into a genuine occupational risk.
The consequences do not appear after the first incorrect lift. The intervertebral discs gradually deteriorate under repeated pressure, eventually resulting in conditions such as a herniated disc, chronic lower back pain, or injuries that may require surgery, often many years after the exposure first began. This is precisely why the risk is frequently overlooked: the worker does not experience immediate pain, and the employer does not readily associate a routine activity with a medical condition that develops only over time.
Training plays a crucial role, but it is not sufficient if it consists only of a theoretical explanation of proper lifting techniques. Workers must understand why certain movements—lifting with a bent back, twisting the torso while carrying a load, or lifting suddenly—increase the risk of injury, and they should practice safer alternatives such as bending the knees, keeping the load close to the body, and avoiding twisting movements. At the same time, employers must periodically reassess workplaces where manual handling remains unavoidable, particularly when work processes, the type of goods handled, or the number of workers available for a task changes.
In sectors where serious workplace accidents with immediate and visible consequences naturally attract attention, back disorders remain a silent but chronic occupational risk. They do not result in an incident that must be reported to the Labour Inspectorate within a strict deadline, yet their cumulative impact on workers’ health—and consequently on a company’s ability to maintain a healthy workforce—is every bit as real as that of any workplace accident.