Health and Safety in Workplace: Manual Handling Reading Answers

May 15, 2025

Health and Safety in Workplace: Manual Handling Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Health and Safety in Workplace: Manual Handling Reading Answers has a total of 7 IELTS questions. In the question set, you have to fill the blank with the correct answer in no more than three words for each.

The IELTS Reading section is an essential part of the test that evaluates a candidate's comprehension and analysis of various passage types. You will work through several IELTS reading practice problems in this section that resemble actual test situations. These questions are designed to help you improve your ability to recognise essential concepts, extract particular facts, and make inferences. Practising these IELTS reading problems can help you get comfortable with the structure and increase your confidence for the exam, regardless of whether you are studying for the Academic or General Training module.

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Section 1 HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE: MANUAL HANDLING

As an employee, you are entitled to protection from hazardous manual handling in the workplace. It is your employer's responsibility to make manual handling as safe as possible for all workers. Manual handling means transporting or supporting a load by hand or bodily force. It includes lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying, or moving loads. It is the employer's duty to assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling operations that cannot be avoided. The first option should be to avoid this kind of handling. This can be done by redesigning the task to avoid moving the load or automating or mechanising the process If your employer has not designed the work process to avoid hazardous manual handling, you may offer suggestions for the use of mechanical aids, for example, a conveyor, a chute, a pallet truck, an electric or hand-powered hoist, or a lift truck to reduce the risk of harm. If your employer fails to take reasonable measures to prevent the need for risky handling, you should talk to your union representative.

Although your employer is ultimately liable for your safety at work, you should also take appropriate measures to ensure your own safety when manual lifting cannot be avoided. You should consider:

THE POSTURE ADOPTED: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and lower yourself slowly, keeping your back straight. Bending from the waist can cause damage to the back.

THE WEIGHT OF THE LOAD: Where possible, find out the exact weight before beginning the task. If the Information is not available, kneel down and attempt to lift a corner of the load to get an idea of how heavy it is.

THE ENVIRONMENT: Cramped work areas, poor floor surfaces, poor lighting and extremes of temperature can all affect your ability to safely carry loads.

YOUR OWN ABILITY: Consider your strength, fitness and any underlying medical conditions (especially a history of back problems). If you find yourself breathing heavily or sweating while lifting, you should speak to your company's health and safety officer.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE REQUIRED: Employers may try to save money by getting one person to do a job requiring two or more. This is a breach of government regulations on employee well-being and must be reported to your union.

Remember that all employees - whether their job requires them to undertake manual handling or not - must complete the online training programme every year.

QUESTIONS 21-27

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each.

21. The main obligation to ensure safe manual handling lies with the……………..

Answer: EMPLOYER

Supporting statement: It is your employer's responsibility to make manual handling as safe as possible for all workers.

Keywords: employer's handling

Keyword Location: Para 1, Line 2

Explanation: The text clearly states that it is the employer's responsibility to make sure that manual handling is safe for all workers.

22. Workers have the right to recommend………… which will prevent the need for manual handling.

Answer: MECHANICAL AIDS

Supporting statement: you may offer suggestions for the use of mechanical aids,

Keywords: suggestions, mechanical aids

Keyword Location: Para 1, Line 9

Explanation: The text states that as a worker, you should always use mechanical aids such as a conveyor, a chute, a pallet truck, an electric or hand-powered hoist, or a lift truck to avoid the risk of sustaining any injury during work.

23. Your………………. should be consulted if you are being asked to do avoidable manual handling.

Answer: UNION REPRESENTATIVE

Supporting statement: you should talk to your union representative.

Keywords: talk, union

Keyword Location: Para 1, Line 12

Explanation: According to the text, a worker should speak with their union representative if their employer does not take reasonable steps to prevent the need for dangerous handling.

24. It is important to bend your knees when lifting as an incorrect ………..can lead to injury.

Answer: POSTURE

Supporting statement: Bend your knees and lower yourself slowly, keeping your back straight.

Keywords: knees, back

Keyword Location: Para 2, Line 2

Explanation: According to the text your posture should always be correct during manual handling as a bad posture can cause serious injuries.

25. Various aspects of the work…………… can make lifting more difficult.

Answer: ENVIRONMENT

Supporting statement: can all affect your ability to safely carry loads

Keywords: ability, safely

Keyword Location: Para 4, Line 2

Explanation: According to the text, the environment of the workplace where manual work is carried out affects the workers' ability to safely carry loads, for example, a cramped room, poor lighting, uneven surfaces, and extreme temperature at the workplace can affect the working of a person and can even lead to dangerous work injuries.

26. You should assess your own physical condition before undertaking manual handling. This is

particularly important if you have had…………. in the past

Answer: BACK PROBLEMS

Supporting statement: (especially a history of back problems).

Keywords: history, back problems

Keyword Location: Para 5, Line 2

Explanation: According to the text, every worker should be mindful of their working capacity, as manual handling is a physically straining task, anyone with a history of any back problem or any other physical or medical condition should speak to the company's health and safety officer.

27. It is a requirement for workers to do the…………….annually.

Answer: ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAMME

Supporting statement: must complete the online training programme every year.

Keywords: complete, programme

Keyword Location: Para 6, Line 5

Explanation: According to the text, an employee should keep in mind that, regardless of whether their position calls for manual labour or not, they are required to complete the online training course yearly.

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