Case Studies - Manual Packing in the Brick Industry

Brick sorting and packing is hard work by any standards and is a high risk activity for musculoskeletal disorders in the back and upper limbs. There are two types of manual packing: mechanised jigs ('monorails') and hand packing. Monorail packers place a set number of bricks in each jig before it moves to the next worker. Hand packers pack from fixed kiln packs to fixed despatch packs and work at their own pace. Methods of handling vary, with some workers handling five bricks at a time (held between the hands), and some with one brick in each hand, lifting two and a half times as often. As they are packed, bricks are inspected for defects. Fired bricks typically weigh 2.0-2.5 kg and a worker may pack 20-30 tonnes per day.

HSL scientists have visited a range of plants around the UK, taking video recordings to enable analysis of the postures which the packers adopt whilst handling bricks. Heart rates were also measured over a working shift to show the level of exertion required. Workers completed a standardised questionnaire to indicate the nature and extent of any musculoskeletal problems they were experiencing.

The ways in which workers handle bricks and the postures they adopt are very largely determined by the layout of the workstation and the designs of packs of bricks. Packers reported more problems in the wrists, hands and lower back than are found in the rest of the working population. Hand packers are more seriously affected than monorail packers and hand packing is the more strenuous type of work. Posturally, it is worse than monorail packing as it generally involves bending and stooping. Packers prefer to handle larger numbers of bricks per lift and perform fewer lifts rather than handling only a few bricks in each lift.

Since the work was finished, HSE has produced a guidance document for the industry (Manual Packing in the Brick Industry, INDG332) on how to carry out risk assessments and manage the risks of manual packing in plants where mechanisation is not feasible. Among the risk reduction methods recommended are improvements to workstation design and better work organisation. Subsequently a series of planned inspections has been carried out by HSE across the industry to monitor progress on the implementation of the guidance.

  Back to the top