Pushing and Pulling in Manual Handling: Risk Factors and Safe Limits in Ireland

You spend most of your shift in a Dublin distribution centre moving loaded roll cages from the bay to the shop floor. You are not lifting boxes over your head, so you assume manual handling training does not really apply to you. It does. Pushing and pulling are forms of manual handling under Irish law, and they cause a large share of workplace back and shoulder injuries. The widely used guideline figures are roughly 20 kg of force for a man and 15 kg for a woman to get a load moving, dropping to about 10 kg and 7 kg to keep it moving. Those are risk-assessment triggers, not legal weight limits, and this article explains what they mean for anyone who shifts trolleys, cages, bins or beds for a living.

Is Pushing and Pulling Classed as Manual Handling?

Yes. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 define manual handling of loads as any transporting or supporting of a load that includes lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving. Pushing and pulling are named explicitly in that definition, so a worker who never lifts a box but spends the day moving roll cages is still doing manual handling. The same legal duties apply, and the same Schedule 3 risk factors are used to assess the work.

This matters because pushing and pulling injuries are easy to overlook. There is no obvious heavy lift to point at, yet the forces involved in starting a heavy cage moving, steering it around a corner, or stopping it on a slope can place real strain on the back, shoulders and knees.

What Are the Guideline Force Limits for Pushing and Pulling?

Manual handling guidance used in Ireland gives guideline figures for the force involved rather than the weight of the load. To start or stop a load moving, the guideline figure is about 20 kg of force for men and 15 kg for women. To keep a load in motion, it falls to about 10 kg for men and 7 kg for women. These figures assume the force is applied with the hands, between knuckle and shoulder height, on level ground, over a distance of no more than about 20 metres.

It is important to read these as guideline figures, not legal limits or approved safe loads. They work as a filter. If the force needed is below the figure, the task is likely to be low risk for most workers. If it is above, or if those assumptions do not hold, a fuller risk assessment is needed. Sloped or uneven floors, poorly maintained wheels, confined spaces, and the risk of trapping a hand can all push a task into needing closer assessment even when the headline force seems modest.

What Makes Pushing and Pulling Risky?

The single biggest factor is the force needed to get a stationary load moving. Overcoming inertia, a stiff castor, or a lip on the floor can demand a sudden burst of effort that the body is poorly positioned to deliver. Schedule 3 of the 2007 Regulations flags exactly this kind of hazard: physical effort that is too strenuous, that may only be achieved by twisting the trunk, or that is likely to result in a sudden movement of the load.

Other common contributors include ramps and slopes, where gravity adds to the load and stopping becomes hard, uneven or wet floors that snag wheels, tall roll cages that block the worker's view of the route ahead, and worn or jammed castors that force the worker to shove or wrench the cage sideways. Repetition matters too. Moving cages all day, even at modest forces, builds up strain over a shift.

How Do You Push and Pull Loads Safely?

Push rather than pull wherever you can. Pushing lets you use your body weight and keep your back in a stronger, more upright position, while pulling tends to load the lower back and shoulders and leaves you walking backwards with poor visibility. Face the load, keep it close, and use your legs and body weight to start it moving smoothly rather than jerking it. Keep your back straight and avoid twisting. Turn with your feet instead of rotating your trunk.

Before you move anything, check the route and the equipment. A clear, level path and wheels that actually roll do more for safety than any clever technique. Keep the load low enough, or stacked to one side, so you can see ahead. Get help for heavy or awkward cages, and never try to stop a runaway cage on a slope with your own body. Good manual handling training covers this pushing and pulling technique alongside lifting, because the two skills are not the same.

What Must Irish Employers Do About Pushing and Pulling?

Under the 2007 Regulations, an employer must first try to avoid hazardous manual handling where it is reasonably practicable, for example by reorganising the work or providing mechanical means. Where pushing and pulling cannot be designed out, the employer must assess the task using the Schedule 3 risk factors and take steps to reduce the risk. In practice that means well-maintained trolleys and cages with good wheels, level and clear routes, powered tugs or movers for the heaviest loads, and training delivered by a competent instructor. The Health and Safety Authority recommends this assessment-led approach rather than a fixed weight rule.

Who This Is For

This guidance is for workers and employers in any setting where loads are moved on wheels rather than carried: retail and grocery stockrooms, warehousing and distribution, couriers and van drivers, healthcare staff moving beds and wheelchairs, and hospitality teams shifting kegs and trolleys. It is also for anyone refreshing their manual handling knowledge who was only ever taught how to lift.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is pushing or pulling safer?

Pushing is generally safer than pulling. When you push, you can use your body weight, keep your back in a stronger upright position, and see where you are going. Pulling tends to strain the lower back and shoulders and usually means walking backwards with reduced visibility. Where you have a choice, push.

What is the maximum weight you can push or pull?

There is no legal maximum weight for pushing or pulling under Irish law. Guidance uses guideline force figures instead: about 20 kg of force for men and 15 kg for women to start a load moving, and about 10 kg and 7 kg to keep it in motion. These are triggers for risk assessment, not safe limits, and they assume level ground and a short distance.

Are roll cages and trolleys covered by manual handling regulations?

Yes. Moving a roll cage, trolley, wheelie bin or hospital bed is pushing and pulling, which is named in the definition of manual handling in the 2007 Regulations. The work must be risk assessed against the Schedule 3 factors, and employers must reduce the risk where they reasonably can.

Does manual handling training cover pushing and pulling?

Quality manual handling training covers pushing and pulling, not just lifting. A course built around an instructor demonstration of correct technique will show how to start, steer and stop wheeled loads safely, and how to spot when a task needs a proper assessment.

How can employers reduce pushing and pulling injuries?

Employers can keep wheels and castors well maintained, provide powered movers for the heaviest loads, keep routes level and clear, limit how high cages are loaded so workers can see ahead, and train staff in pushing and pulling technique. A documented risk assessment under the 2007 Regulations should sit behind all of it.

Manual handling is far more than lifting, and pushing and pulling deserve the same attention. Our online course is instructor-led and covers safe pushing and pulling technique alongside lifting, grounded in HSA guidance and the 2007 Regulations. The theory refresher is €30 with an instant certificate for renewals and lower-risk roles, and the full course with a live Zoom assessment is €40 for first-time certification or more physically demanding work. The certificate is valid for three years.