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United Kingdom
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Workplace definition

What does Workplace mean? In legal practice, workplace describes premises or parts of premises, other than a private home, that are made available for someone to work in, including areas to which they have access while at work (for example, common parts and means of access and egress). In England and Wales and Scotland, this wording is drawn from the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992; Northern Ireland has materially similar provisions in the 1993 Regulations. Those Regulations exclude domestic premises. They therefore generally do not apply to homeworking in a private dwelling, although employers still owe general health and safety duties under...

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Manual handling in offices: legal duties, risk assessment and policy under HSWA 1974 and related regulations (Great Britain)

Practice notes
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Manual handling is among the most frequent causes of Workplace injury, and harm arising in this way can be severe and long-lasting. It is therefore essential to control manual handling risks carefully—do not assume it is immaterial in an office setting. This Practice Note outlines regulatory Requirements for manual handling in an office-based workplace and offers suggestions for managing risk at your premises. Different industries or workplaces may have additional, specific considerations to take into account.

What is manual handling?

Manual handling covers a broad spectrum of activities, such as:

  • lifting
  • lowering
  • pushing
  • pulling
  • carrying loads

In offices, typical loads include:

  • boxes
  • files
  • filing cabinets
  • other office furniture and equipment, eg computers, photocopy paper

Regulatory requirements

Regulatory requirements concerning manual handling appear in several sources. The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA 1974) remains the principal legislation governing occupational health and safety...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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